Facebook's Nostalgia Economy: How Social Media Monetizes Memory Through Features Like On This Day

Facebook's 'On This Day' feature, launched in March 2015, compiles users' past posts from the same date each year, following Timehop. Media sociologist Nathan Jurgenson's 2012 Atlantic article theorized the 'Facebook Eye,' where users view life moments as public updates. With over one billion active users, Facebook standardizes individuality through memory services. Chelsea Manning discussed authentic identity under corporate surveillance in Paper Magazine, noting social media's conversion of personal data into capital. Visual artist Penny Goring's DELETIA critiques digital market disruption. Kanye West's 2015 MTV Video Music Awards speech referenced his 2009 interruption of Taylor Swift, highlighting nostalgia as a marketing tool that conditions happiness through consumption and creates quantified social worth.