The I Totally Remember That Instagram account has been around since 2017 and has amassed an impressive 34K followers. It shares plenty of memes, photos of old-school items and videos that might instantly transport you back in time. To learn more about this popular page, we got in touch with the account's creator, Emanuel, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda.
"I started I Totally Remember That as a way to celebrate the things that defined our childhoods. I would often come across posts and I would say, 'I totally remember that!' And the name of the page just came to me that way," Emanuel explained.
"It is those small, everyday moments that instantly take you back in time. As a Gen Xer, I love reminiscing about the toys, TV shows, and trends that shaped my generation, and I realized so many people feel the same way," he continued. "Seeing the page grow has been amazing. It’s like one big reunion where everyone shares their own memories and experiences."
We were also curious about how Emanual decides what to post on I Totally Remember that. "It’s a mix of everything. Some posts come from my own nostalgia trips, others are inspired by things I stumble upon online, and I also get great submissions from followers," he shared.
"The goal is always to post things that feel real, or make you say, 'I totally remember that,'" the creator noted. "They are memories that make you laugh, say 'Oh wow, I forgot about that!' or just feel a bit of that childhood magic again."
So does the creator have any favorite pics that he's ever shared?
"There are so many, but I always love the ones that bring back a very specific but universal experience, like using a pencil to rewind a cassette tape, blowing into a Nintendo cartridge, or hearing the THX intro in a movie theater and feeling like the world was ending," Emanuel told Bored Panda. "The best posts are the ones where people flood the comments with their own stories. I really like when they do that, it makes it very interactive and reminiscent. It turns into a collective memory lane."
Emanuel also says he's partial to a few special decades. "The late ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s are my sweet spot," he shared. "That was a time in my childhood, and I find I can relate more, especially in the comments. And before everything went digital, when we had to wait for things, make mixtapes, or record songs off the radio. There’s something special about that era, and I think that’s why nostalgia for it is so strong. As a Gen X, I feel we are in both worlds."
Finally, Emanuel added, "Nostalgia is more than just remembering things, it really is about reconnecting with who we were back then. I love that this page brings people together through those shared experiences, and I’m grateful for everyone who’s along for the ride!"
And if you'd like to check out his other Instagram pages as well, be sure to visit @openlygayanimals and @punnyhow!
Most of us have a habit of romanticizing the past. “If only I was born in the ‘70s, I would have had the BEST style!” Or, “The ‘80s was the best decade for music; it’s just not the same today!” While this is perfectly normal, The New York Times notes that we should remember that “the good old days” weren’t necessarily much better than today.
Felipe de Brigard, a professor of philosophy, psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, told The New York Times that romanticizing the past is actually a coping mechanism. “You have to carry your past with you. If a memory hurt every time that you recalled it as much as when you experienced it, that would be unbearable," he explained. This is also why we often look back on our past relationships only remembering the good parts of our exes, and we might even forget why the breakup happened in the first place.
