"Nostalgic content aimed at young people — showing Soviet-era interiors or images of panel apartment blocks, paired with audio and instructions on how they should be viewed — would have seemed bizarre 15 years ago. Now it has become a trend," says Marleen Mihhailova, a junior researcher in semiotics at University of Tartu. Membership in nostalgia-themed Facebook groups is also growing, particularly among the generation with personal experience of that era.

What motivated Mihhailova to study the topic, however, was specifically an interest in young people's nostalgia, since they have no firsthand experience of the Soviet period. She interviewed 10 young people born after 1990, half of whom spoke Estonian at home and half Russian. She is also studying activity in Facebook groups using tools from both memory studies and semiotics. "I learned about young people's interest in this kind of content by asking them where they find or experience nostalgia," the junior researcher recalled.

The taste of tube marmalade

According to Marleen Mihhailova, nostalgia as a phenomenon is tied to noticing change and absence. On the one hand, people recognize that certain activities, styles or consumer items have disappeared from everyday use. On the other, recalling shared memories creates a sense of belonging and warmth. "Nostalgia becomes especially relevant in uncertain times, such as the present," the junior researcher notes.

To a large extent, nostalgic posts contain criticism of modern life. Looking back at the past highlights values such as slowness, privacy and durability, contrasting them with today's speed, stress and consumer society. For example, people compare modern IKEA furniture with handmade Soviet-era items. "But this is nostalgic because it overlooks why the ability to make and repair things was necessary in the first place. As we know, in many cases it was the only way to keep using something," Mihhailova reflects.

In a recent conference presentation, she cited the example of tube marmalade. "I noticed that several social media groups were simultaneously sharing photos of marmalade and Kosmos extract. I wondered where it came from because nothing happens by chance — some prior context is needed to set it in motion," Mihhailova recalls. It turned out that a new tube marmalade product from the Polli Horticultural Research Center had indirectly triggered the wave of memories.

Mihhailova was interested in how a product packaged in a tube became a symbol that endured for more than half a century. "It is not just a discontinued product, but something deeply embedded in memory and surrounded by a large number of myths," she says. During the Soviet era, marmalade and extract sold in tubes embodied the spirit of the age. Even the extract's name, "Kosmos," directly referenced the Space Age of the Cold War period.

On Facebook, users collectively recalled how they had eaten Kosmos extract and what its so-called real taste was like. "Content on this topic is shared through childhood memories. At the same time, it expresses criticism of the present — as if people are no longer capable of making things properly," Mihhailova says.

Over time, such assessments evolved into myths. Products squeezed from tubes came to symbolize progress, science and the future. Institutions reinforced this image: tube marmalade, for example, was presented at Moscow's Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy and also received a state quality label. Tube-packaged food became widely available and an ordinary part of daily life, but faded away after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "Now enough time has passed. People noticed the product's absence. Nostalgia is driven precisely by that feeling that something has been lost," the junior researcher explains.

Grandmothers infect young people with nostalgia

Using the example of marmalade, Marleen Mihhailova examined how nostalgia is sustained in Facebook groups. "There, becoming a topic of discussion depends on whether the content resonates with anyone at all. The main themes come from everyday life: childhood, youth, work and food culture play a very important role," she explains.

The junior researcher observed that people share personal stories and receive validation through comments and shares from other group members. In this way, sharing nostalgic content creates a sense of unity. "Young people participate in these groups as well, but they are less visible there. For example, they might say that their grandmother did something this way or talked about it," Mihhailova notes.

Young people tend to use TikTok, Instagram and other platforms instead of Facebook and are also less inclined to comment on posts. Their interest is reflected more in view counts and likes. "Young people focus less on specific memories and more on the atmosphere where the emphasis is on aesthetics, colors and composition," Mihhailova says.

Posts that appeal to younger audiences usually frame perceptions of the past in English-language terms. For example, a picture or video might be accompanied by text such as "It's raining, but you like it," along with mood-setting music. "We also have content creators in Estonia who focus on photographing Soviet-era aesthetics — they capture traces of that period in the urban landscape and share them with their followers," the junior researcher describes.

People with personal experience of the Soviet era may compete over who has the most impressive collection of candy wrappers, postcards, plastic bags or stamps when posting pictures. Younger people, however, may simply have had these objects at home, while the stories told within the family are what give them deeper meaning. "What I found very fascinating was that if a young person had a close and positive relationship with their grandmother, they had a much clearer understanding of what the Soviet era was. In that case, they were also more likely to develop nostalgia toward these objects," Mihhailova points out.

Best to stay vigilant

While nostalgia is generally associated with warm feelings and the softening of bad memories, Soviet nostalgia is different, according to Marleen Mihhailova. "In Estonian-language public discourse, it is still taboo," she says. Seemingly harmless everyday memories intersect with experiences of occupation and trauma, which is why people expressing nostalgia often remain cautious, the junior researcher notes.

"I want to emphasize that Soviet nostalgia does not express longing for a specific political regime, as is often assumed. It reflects a meaningful relationship with the past and its objects," Mihhailova says. People are not pursuing historical accuracy, but expressing their current emotions and needs, such as a longing for a slower pace of life.

Various strategies help soften the political charge surrounding the topic, especially humor. A good example is memes about Soviet-era shortages. "On the one hand, people laugh about stores having nothing available. On the other, they recall familiar situations — queues, ration coupons and the resourcefulness with which people managed despite scarcity. That does not mean the era is being idealized," the junior researcher explains. In other words, it is possible to criticize and embrace the past at the same time.

"One thing I did not expect was the small traces of propaganda," Mihhailova admits. While these were at times obvious, they did not dominate the overall picture. Much depended on moderators and group rules: in one of the more active groups, members were ruthlessly removed for propaganda or offensive content.

At the same time, one nostalgia group with a larger membership also drew indirect attention from anti-propaganda group Propastop, according to the junior researcher. "There is no evidence that the moderator or anyone else benefits directly from it. However, attention has been drawn to the fact that the group shares socially critical posts that may support the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda," she notes.

Still, it is evident that pro-Kremlin posts receive few reactions or even provoke backlash. In some cases, propaganda content had been removed or comments disabled. Mihhailova therefore advises readers browsing such groups to remain vigilant: "People should think critically about all kinds of content. If socially very critical attitude is obvious and the content itself seems suspicious, then one should be attentive."

Marleen Mihhailova delivered the presentation "Soviet Nostalgia in Online Memory Culture" at the annual Estonian humanities conference in Tartu on April 10.

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