Upon reviewing the findings of my research, it is difficult not to be overwhelmed by a creeping sense of despair and anxiety. This is especially true when one examines the deterioration of human interaction and the corrosive digital impact on our communities. One phenomenon that becomes increasingly evident is the instrumentalisation of nostalgia. In an era of information overload and rapid transformation, there is a dangerous tendency to use nostalgia as a coping mechanism—a way to simplify chaotic situations, reduce multifaceted problems to binary choices, and offer comforting but reductive answers to the pressing questions of our time.
What is most alarming is how this nostalgia is being weaponised. It is no longer merely a passive longing for the past; it has become a political and social tool used to aggressively resist societal progress and necessary change. By invoking a ‘mythical past,’ certain actors can manipulate public sentiment, fostering a fear of the future that leads to stagnation. This romanticised regression, when used to address complex modern issues, rarely offers solutions and instead leads to devastating consequences for social cohesion and collective growth.
This is why I chose to anchor the visual communication of my platform in what I call the Ligne Claire des étoiles, evoking Hergé’s unique and famous graphic style as seen in the Adventures of Tintin. Beyond personal nostalgia, this choice responds to the widespread lament that costuming clubs have grown too serious, too political, too harsh. Where some weaponise nostalgia to divide, I deploy it to remind participants of childhood wonder and adventure. In a cultural moment saturated with algorithmic rage, I believe such reminders are not frivolous; they are reparative.
This post is adapted from my doctorate research on the intersection of religiosity and fandom.