Bridging past, present & future in virtual reality: the role of nostalgia

Nostalgia is broadly defined as an individual longing or yearning for the past or days gone by (Holbrook, 1993), and more recently as "a yearning to recapture the positive emotional state of an idealized past through fond memories that are characterized by their ambivalent nature, though predominantly positive" (Srivastava et al. 2023, 621).
Given the widespread use of Virtual Reality (VR) by cultural and heritage sites (Loureiro et al. 2020) to project the viewer into the past, it is surprising that the role of nostalgia in the VR experience has not been explicitly studied in the literature. Notably, the VR literature tends to focus on the “future” orientation of consumption (Tussyadiah et al. 2018). This research investigates the intersection that has received limited attention: the role of nostalgia in VR experiences of heritage brands. Focusing on the Eternelle Notre Dame VR experience, we examine how VR can evoke nostalgic emotions and enhance the connection between individuals and cultural heritage.
Studying how VR can evoke nostalgia can provide valuable insights into the cognitive and emotional mechanisms underlying a VR experience (Chirico et al. 2018). Further, nostalgia in VR may be experienced differently across applications/environments and may also vary according to individual characteristics (e.g., culture, religion, gender). Exploring nostalgia for heritage brands in VR thus also provides greater understanding on the psychological, social and cultural dimensions of VR experiences (Bideci and Bideci 2023) by bridging the past, present and future.
To address these gaps, we ask (RQ1) To what extent can VR evoke nostalgia, what kind and why? (RQ2) What factors may trigger VR-evoked nostalgia? and (RQ3) What benefits can heritage brands derive from VR-evoked nostalgia?
In terms of practical relevance, understanding how the nostalgic appeal may be built in VR and what brand consequences result from it will allow brands, VR producers and creators to design more effective environments.