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Most Millennials are old souls striving for a successful, yet carefree existence not easily found in what many would call a difficult reality.
According to MediaPost’s “’90s Nostalgia: Millennials Long for Simpler Times,” by Melanie Shreffler, Millennials surprisingly long for the past… a time when they felt safe and secure. According to Shreffler, these were the “good old days.” For many, it’s hard to think that Millennials have anything less than a privileged life, but it’s quite the opposite. Millennials have spent most of their lives believing that they can do just about anything, an idea that their teachers, parents and friends instilled in them. But this group of mostly 20-somethings is learning that not everything is picture perfect.

Millennials are becoming adults in one of the worst economic slumps the U.S. has seen in decades. Instead of seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel of hard work, many Millennials are finding themselves unemployed. Many of them can’t even find their first job and are working for little or nothing just to gain experience for their resumes. Frequently feeling stressed and anxious, many are afraid to make their next move for fear that it will be the wrong one.

It’s no surprise that now Millennials are gravitating toward activities that bring them back to their childhood and youth – a time when everything was easy. They’re finding comfort in things that transport them back to that time, including indulging in television shows that make them feel as carefree as when they watched it for the first time. Stations like Nickelodeon have picked on this need. The network recently introduced a midnight programming block called “The ‘90s Are All That!” airing programs that were favorites of Millennials a decade ago. MTV is making a similar move by bringing back some of its more popular ‘90s shows with minor updates, including Beavis and Butthead and 120 Minutes.

Others have deemed a comeback for the decade, which is nice for the 20-something Millennials who are stuck between childhood and adulthood. Will going back in time give them the motivation to grow up?

And how do these trips down memory lane affect marketing initiatives aimed at the influential Millennial generation?