Nostalgic about nostalgia

When I was growing up, you could tell how old someone was by the television shows and movies they watched as a kid.  The music someone liked also gave you some cues as to how old they were.  The culture you were drawn to was an integral part of your generational identity.  My friends liked the Rolling Stones and the Ramones.  My parents liked Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  Part of the appeal of rock is that our parents didn't like it or understand it.  According to my parents, part of the appeal of Frank and Deano is that you could understand the lyrics. 

This is no longer the case.  I hear people much younger than me making references to shows I watched as a kid.  Movies of all eras are available all of the time.  No longer do children have to eagerly await, and plan for, the once annual airing of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.  Quoting Thirtysomething or M*A*S*H is no longer a badge of honor earned through years in the trenches.  Both, I imagine, are available online somewhere.  Probably for free.

If everything is available, what then do those growing up in this generation, or the next, identify with?  If kids can watch the same movies and listen to the same music that was popular when their grandparents were their age, does that bring the generations closer, or simply blur the lines between them?  Will generations be forced to look beyond popular media, perhaps even to national and international events, to find a unifying identity?

For marketers, I think this presents a two-edged sword.  On one hand, if you use a Who song in the background of an advertisement, you are more likely to have a wider audience appreciate it (or be appalled by it.)  On the other hand, I am not sure that Katy Perry will be the generational marker to today's young people that the Monkees are for an earlier generation.  This takes away some easy generational connections for marketers.  

When my kids go to their 20th or 30th high school reunions, I wonder what music they will play to bring back memories...besides Stairway to Heaven, of course!