> Gen Z buying iPods and people buying N64 games again is not evidence of the monoculture breaking apart - it's a retreat into the past for the enlightened few because their needs are not being met by modern goods and services

It's simpler than that - retro is an (a e s t h e t i c)

Those of us who are Zillenials, Gen Z, or Gen Alpha were still in elementary school or not around when those products were mainstream.

It's the same way you saw Millenial hipsters wearing flannel, drinking PBR, started classical rock inspired indie bands like "Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah", renovating abandoned lofts in bRoOklYn, and making 70s and 80s references in Venture Bros.

Most HNers skew old [0] - late 30s to early 40s at the youngest based on most of the references I've seen - so to you guys the iPod or N64 evokes a similar emotion response to what a Nintendo Switch, Bucket Hats, and SnK will in the 2035-45 period.

Nostalgia marketing is the name of the game now [1][2][3].

[0] - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5DlTexEXxLQ

[1] - https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/busines...

[2] - https://www.hbs.edu/recruiting/insights-and-advice/blog/post...

[3] - https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-retain-customers