Exploring Critical Environmental Media Art Through the Digital Nostalgia of Millennials and Gen Z

In one sentence

Practice-based study of the immersive media artwork <Dear Passenger, Please Wear Face Mask>, which uses Millennial/Gen Z digital nostalgia (browser games, CD-ROM edutainment) to critique air-travel pollution.

Abstract

This study seeks to create an immersive form of media artwork that addresses the environmental pollution caused by air travel through a satirical and fantastical narrative, while integrating the "digital nostalgia" shared by the MZ generation. Drawing on the aesthetic and interactive elements of early digital experiences—such as the browser games and CD-ROM edutainment popular among this generation—these features were incorporated into a work entitled <Dear Passenger, Please Wear Face Mask>. The piece recreates an airplane cabin in the exhibition space and employs point-and-click gameplay, puzzles, and text-based storytelling to prompt viewers to reconsider the environmental implications of air travel. Playtest results indicate that the retro-style graphics, audio, and fantastical direction foster a high sense of immersion and raise awareness of carbon emissions from the aviation sector. However, some visitors found the simulated in-flight entertainment system unintuitive, and the fixed narrative path allowed for limited freedom, reducing their motivation to engage in "replay" or "re-visitation" activities. Furthermore, the absence of follow-up programs to encourage ongoing environmental engagement meant the experience remained largely a one-off event.

Source: Korean Society of Media Arts Contents Plus (English abstract from the published PDF)

When this paper is relevant

• You need case studies of critical environmental media art or game art
• You study retro / digital-nostalgia aesthetics as an engagement device
• You want playtest findings and limits (replay motivation, one-off experience) of an exhibited point-and-click game

Related

• Immersive fantasy based on digital nostalgia: Environmental narratives for Korea's millennials and Gen Z (2025)

Cite

배준형, 도예린 (2025). Exploring Critical Environmental Media Art Through the Digital Nostalgia of Millennials and Gen Z. Korean Society of Media Arts Contents Plus, Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 69-91. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003264156

@article{Bae2025digital,
  title = {Exploring Critical Environmental Media Art Through the Digital Nostalgia of Millennials and Gen Z},
  author = {배준형 and 도예린},
  journal = {Korean Society of Media Arts Contents Plus, Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 69-91},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003264156}
}

Machine-readable copy: /papers/digital-nostalgia-environmental-media-art-2025.md