Nostalgic consumption behaviours among young generations in photography : A comparative approach of Instagram and analogue photography.

Abstract: With the emergence of digital cameras on phones, photography has become a popular routine. For some people, it is close to a form of ritual, every moment of the present is preciously archived and possibly shared to relatives on social media. This consumption of photography contrasts radically with the one practiced 20 years ago. Analogue photography was more occasional, because it is more time-consuming and also more costly. However, we observe today a resurgence of analogue photography and more particularly among young generations. This phenomenon goes hand in hand with the popularity of transforming contemporary pictures into old-looking ones with services like Instagram. Therefore, there is a regain of popularity for old devices and old aesthetic among young generations which indicates the existence of nostalgic behaviours among these consumers. The present study aims to explore these two phenomena in order to identify patterns of consumption about nostalgic behaviour among young generations. In order to achieve this, a comparative design is adopted to evaluate the differences and similarities between analogue photography and Instagram practice. This study generates knowledge about the changes in consumption since the digitalization of photography. Indeed, Instagram and analogue photography are rooted in the need to provide alternatives to digital photography which has made photography pervasive and less personal. Instagram and analogue consumers express different attitudes to achieve this desire to create meaning. Thus, the findings reveal that Instagram consumers give value to their everyday life experience by using nostalgic effects. This is interpreted by the fact that old-looking pictures are perceived as more narrative so they have more power to tell stories. Conversely, analogue users renew old practices in order to give more meaning to their photographic experience. It allows them to be more involved in a process of creation which does not exist anymore in digital photography.