May 19, 2026: Getting into Bieberfever...

Music connects us to the past, to people, and to ourselves.

Keeping Memories

The article “You should have been there, man: Live music, DIY content and online communities” by Lingel and Naaman (2012) discusses the paradox between “short-term loss” and “long-term gain”. Fans often sacrifice part of the immediate concert experience by filming performances on their phones. Still, in return, they gain a permanent record that can later be revisited, shared online, and used to build communities around those memories.

In that sense, technology becomes more than documentation. It becomes a tool for reflection, nostalgia, and emotional connection.

Bieberchella

I thought about Justin Bieber’s 2026 Coachella performance. The performance spread rapidly across social media, renewing public excitement around Bieber’s music and helping some of his songs climb the charts again, even though many were more than a decade old. Moreover, people who were not physically present or who wanted to revisit that experience could just find fan-recorded clips or videos online. 

What made the clips especially powerful was that they not only showcased the performance itself. They also captured the crowd’s excitement, reactions, and emotional connection to the music. Moreover, the camera movements and minimalist stage strengthened the impression of an "intimate concert at home", allowing viewers online to feel emotionally connected to the event, even if they were not there in person. People online were not only reacting to the music but also reconnecting with their younger selves when they listened to Bieber’s songs.

This demonstrates how technology can extend the life and cultural impact of events far beyond the concert itself. Rather than simply distracting people from living in the moment, recording and sharing experiences can preserve memories, create online communities, and allow emotions to be revisited long after the event has ended. Ultimately, I realized that technology can enhance experiences by helping people reflect, connect, and share those experiences with others.