I was born in 1994, so I'm technically a '90s kid. I wasn't into Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or wearing flannel shirts – I was simply too young. But I remember thinking Space Jam was the coolest movie ever and that wearing wide-leg jeans was the epitome of fashion. Now, after my generation grew up, we're remembering things with rosy nostalgia glasses.
Technology that's obsolete now seems like cool gadgets to own, and movies that we once denounced as "childish" have become comfort watches. There are lots of things from the '90s and the early 2000s that people wish would make a comeback. So, when one person online recently asked, "What do you miss the most from the 90s/2000s?", thousands of folks had an answer ready.
#1
There was a general sense of optimism in society at large. We all genuinely believed we would graduate from school and work hard and be rewarded with a fulfilling life, free from financial worries.
IDK, maybe it was youthful ignorance, but it really did feel like the world was our oyster. Now, everyone is just SO. ANGRY.Live music ticket prices. I saw Beastie Boys and Rage against the Machine for like $20 in 1993.No subscription bs.Looking back, the amount of insects. I remember there being insects all over the place when you get outside. I feel like in my country (netherlands) about 75% of them have died. And this can't be good for nature or us.Common sense and respect from strangers. Society is so damn stupid and judgemental these days, especially in our younger generations. Technology is actually destroying a humans basic functions...I really liked the huge malls with every store imaginable. All closed now.Blockbuster and Pizza Hut on a Friday night.News that actually reported the news.Not worrying about someone recording me in public to ruin me or for their own clout.Being disconnected.The simplicity of the internet. No obnoxious ads everywhere, no influencers, etc.Privacy and a sense of optimism about the future.Feeling relatively safe. Yeah s**t went down. But riding my bike literal miles away from my home at age 9 and coming home when the street lights came on.
No influencers, no social media, no constant communication via cell phones, feeling unreachable, easily getting lost in the wilderness on trails (in a good way i.e. not running into a bunch of people), conversations with strangers, and really life being affordable.90s cartoons were top notch compared to cartoons today.You knew where everyone was by finding the house with all the bikes in the front yard. No texts needed.How holidays felt (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.).Getting a job without having to create a profile, copy/paste all the s**t from your resume into the bubbles, write an essay, do a test and do 7 interviews for a minimum wage job.
I miss turn in the resume and filled out form, done.Music for sure. The late 90s early 2000‘s were the last times that I really enjoyed a lot of newer music. These days it’s very hard for me to find some thing I enjoy from any genre..Video games you just plugged in, threw a disc in, and played. Now it's a fifty step account user process with endless updates and other nonsense. I still play modern games but it's just annoying sometimes.Affordable rent.The ability to disappear. There was such a sense of freedom in just leaving the house, where you'd become uncontactable.I liked that “Internet” and “gaming” was just one thing you do at home amongst other things. It was just one small part of a whole day.Pop culture being ubiquitous through TV, movies and music instead of the endless content on streaming where no one watches the same things.Everything felt relaxed. Time was slow. I remember feeling ALIVE! Yes I was a kid, but things were cheaper to do and easier to afford a simple happy life. Now its about being or getting filthy rich to enjoy a leisurely life like that again….From the 90s? US perspective, the feeling of hope and moving into a new collaborative global world. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, but it felt like we were getting closer to a global kumbaya situation. I really miss the optimism and "togetherness". We were progressing as a global society. 2000s was the reality check decade, and 2010s just built on that fear and division. I think that's why Obama had a great initial campaign, he was running on that 90s sentiment.Not feeling like everything is a commodity for someone else's profit.Coming home from school on a crisp fall day, riding my bike until it got dark, logging into AIM to talk to my friends, watching TV Land until I fell asleep, and never knowing what it felt like to have a cell phone near by.
