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The passage of time has its way of obscuring things we once saw as commonplace. Day-to-day routines and distractions chip away at our memories, so when something happens over a long period of time, we end up just missing it. Unless someone points it out, a lot of subtle changes end up ignored. 

One internet user was curious about what things people noticed disappearing quietly without much attention. The answers were illuminating, relatable, funny, and at times sad. So get comfortable and read through people's answers, make sure to upvote your favorites and comment your own ideas if you feel inspired. 

#1

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Shame in politics. Politicians used to resign in disgrace if caught taking bribes.

LarryLurkerWaste , Gage Skidmore Report

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Loverboy
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now those same politicians have half a country supporting their choices and making excuses for them.

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#2

The COVID quiet.

You remember how quiet things were? When we all just took a chill pill? I remember.

Everything is loud again. From streets to stores. Sidewalks. Everything is loud. I couldn't point to when it happened, it just disappeared. And nobody seems to talk about how nice the quiet was.

RubSalt1936 Report

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Sergio Bicerra
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Traffic was restricted to essential workers. Me working at a tv station had a pass, and not worrying about any traffic (I ride a scooter) was like hesven. Now I may land in heaven with the loonatic road ragers in my city

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#3

Appliances that work for 20 years.

Thanks, planned obsolescence!

Bizarre_Protuberance Report

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TonyTee
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everything was made to last back then. Since the late 90’s, if not even a little bit before that, products started getting watered down as a marketing tactic, the less amount of time it lasts the sooner you’ll go out and pay more money to get the product fixed or replaced. Greed has evolved over time is the sad truth of it all.

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As a young millennial (or a zillennial, depending on who you ask), I still remember getting toys in cereal boxes, indeed, these actually would motivate my choice of product. Let’s face it, most kids’ breakfast cereals just taste like sugar anyway. But a casual walk down the grocery aisle reveals that toys are just not part of the deal anymore and honestly, it makes me a bit sad, even if it was mostly trash plastic. 

The primary reason was actually safety. Food and toys don’t really mix, and having plastic items inside a bag where an overeager child might drop them into their bowl ultimately isn’t the best of ideas. Interestingly, there haven’t been any reported cases of a child actually dying, but it shouldn’t take a freak accident to implement basic safety concerns.

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#4

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Being able to buy software products etc without needing a “monthly” subscription for f*****g everything.


Edit: For all the “Oh yes we noticed” comments. I get it. It wasn’t an instantaneous thing. But I’m still salty about it. Thank you for your input though.

Advena1 , Mert Kahveci Report

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Bookworm
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, from a purely economic perspective I realize that they'd rather have people pay every month instead of buying a single product, but... I *hate* this mentality where you don't actually buy anything, you pay a subscription to use it. It's fine for some things, but for others... There's a reason they'll have to pry my hard-copy books out of my cold dead hands. Those are MINE, and no one can just randomly change the contents whenever they want. Looking at you, Red White And Royal Blue and the clever remark about U.S relations with Israel that got changed to something bland and random about Norway because too many people think it's antisemitism to say anything negative about Israel.

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#5

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Livable wages. Ten years ago. You could work a min wage job maybe a couple bucks more and still afford a 1 bedroom apartment while living a pretty chill life. My goal as a kid was simple. Make 60K a year and get a nice little apartment. Have savings and live happy. Here I am making 80k a year and renting a room that costs as much as a full apartment used to cost. Paying for a tank of gas that used to cost me almost half as much. Paying for food for a week that costs as much as my mom used to get on food stamps for the whole month. Everyone accepts this now a days as life. I’m over here still hoping some huge market crash happens and everything “resets” to an OK economy.

bryrod , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Majungasaurus
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought making $50,000 a year sounded great. Now everything is so, so expensive…. $50K isn’t the same $50K it was 10 years ago….

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#6

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Critical thinking.
As Benjamin Franklin said: "People will believe everything they read on the internet."

anon , Alexander Grey Report

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Loverboy
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah yes, I remember when Benjamin Franklin, the greatest president in history, said this on national TV in 1960. I watched him as a 2 year old, my memory is amazing.

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The other reason is a lot more mundane, kids are not that interested in physical toys. Firstly, digital playthings are a lot more dynamic, interesting, and generally of higher quality than some plastic in one’s Captain Crunch. And the physical toys they do enjoy are often more complex in nature. Doubtful that someone will find a whole NERF gun in a cereal box. Now, if you look closely, you can find codes for digital goods and even movie ticket lotteries inside cereal boxes. Also diabetes.

#7

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered CD/DVD drives in laptops.

DVLCINEA , cottonbro studio Report

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Leanna Krys
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah, had to buy an external dvd drive after getting my newest laptop, I like buying/borrowing cds over digital so not having a drive was driving me crazy...

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#8

That most people can never see *Milky Way* or the beautiful *night sky* anymore, it eventually got buried under the light pollution.

There was once a time when our ancestors struggled to count the stars.

Cosmo_photon_ Report

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PeepPeep the duck
Community Member
12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Dubbo there’s so many stars. People think I’m weird here bringing it up, but you can’t see them anywhere else in Australia I’ve traveled too like the middle of nsw. Even kakadu didn’t cut it. Shooting stars are so common and plenty

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On a more pleasant note, acid rain is gone. Mostly. While it sounds like something from a sci-fi dystopia, it was a very real symptom of climate change that we overcame. Basically, our electricity generation, animal agriculture, factories, and motor vehicles all added chemicals into the atmosphere that would lower the pH levels of rain. While it remains an issue in areas that don’t really care too much about the environment, signatories of the 1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulfur Emissions have all benefited from reducing or eliminating this issue. Hooray for us. 

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#10

Someone answering the phone at businesses.

suffaluffapussycat Report

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fair_weather_rose (she/they)
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for calling Automated Inc. This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes. To get started, please say or enter the last 4 digits of your account ID number...

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#11

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Acid rain.

Huge win for environmental action. Identified a problem, raised awareness, and implemented solutions that have mitigated most of the harm.

jdsekula reolied:

Same for the Ozone layer.

Not yet for climate change…

Juliusxx , Vlad Chetan Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, we FIXED the Ozone Layer. We can do these things. Climate change is not beyond our grasp. We can fix this. It's not to late, but unfortunately too many people care more about the contents of children's underpants, or what's in that book the drag queen is reading to care.

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#12

My hometown published its final paper a couple weeks ago and then shut down the printing press and went to online only.

It's been such a slow death of the newspaper that nobody seems to have noticed at all.

rolltide_130 Report

One that adults will, unfortunately, encounter more and more is the tendency for most products to be replaced with subscription services. From the business side, this makes a lot of sense, where keeping a customer for over half a year will already yield more profit than selling something as a one-off. Plus it’s more predictable, regular, and brings in consistent cash flow. On the consumer side, it sucks. We pay more, we have to figure out ways to cancel subscriptions when we want it to stop and it tricks our brains into spending a lot more than we need. 

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#13

Fireflies aka lightning bugs.
I live rural and I used to see hundreds on a warm summer night.
Now I get excited if I see just one.
I mentioned it to other people who live in the same area as I do and they were just like "Huh. Yeah. You're right!"

ZookeepergameSea3890 Report

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Bookworm
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is pretty much the entire concept of Silent Spring. One day everyone looked around and realized all the birds were gone.

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Solangelo4life!!!
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

@gryde38, no it wasn’t. It was horrible, the affects of DDT, and bioaccumulation and biomagnification. I was not born back then, but I have studied it well enough to know exactly how detrimental it was.

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K W
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's because we're literally killing off the the insect population through our use of pesticides and cultivating or landscaping with non bug friendly plants. Bees, butterflies, dragonflies... I remember seeing hundreds of them everywhere. I grew up across from a river and before they started spraying dandelions the sound all the bees made buzzing around them was so loud you could hear it in our yard. I've seen hundreds of dragonflies hover over a swimming pool in summer. There used to be so many different colors of butterflies. You could find caterpillars and cocoons. I can't remember the last time I saw a cocoon in nature. It makes me so sad for my kid not to grow up with that.

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Jules
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

YES! And, although this is a more gruesome example, my partner noticed the other day that after we'd return home from a trip out in the EV, there would barely be any splatters on the bonnet (hood for the folks in the US). When I was a kid I always remembered seeing loads on the front of the car and it always made me feel sad. Now I feel sad that there aren't more as it's an indication of a bigger, more dire situation.

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Daniel Atkins
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this has to do with pesticides. Putting the granules on the lawn for other pests. Also the lack of open spaces with little to no human disturbances. They are very common in rural areas.

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Nikole
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve always lived in Chicago and there are most definitely fewer lightning bugs in the summers now.

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The Other Guest
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty much all insect & similar populations have dwindled. On a nature walk recently we saw some really big garden snails, and Mr Other Guest & I looked at each other as we realized we hadn't seen snails in years, let alone large ones like those. And when was the last time you took a drive, and came home with a radiator grille full of gnats, moths, and flies?

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David
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's sad. It has been many years since I saw lightning bugs in Virginia visiting relatives as a small boy. We do not have them here in WA state and I don't recall ever seeing them in California so I think not there either.

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Nowyermad
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not just lightning bugs. Remember when your windshield would get covered in bug guts while driving at night? Never thought I would miss that.

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Nikki D
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They were so numerous a child could just wave a jar around and have a living lamp! Not for long though, of course. but there were so many that catch and release was easy. Amd it also taught children that bugs are usually nothing to be afraid of.

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lunar eclipse
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've been saying this for years. There's a small lake on the way to the school I used to go to. And there would be fireflies there in the evening and night, and they just disappeared. I miss them so much

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debor ahn
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah...rural regions are the reason for most of the lost of biodiversity. the amount of toxic chemicals used on crops, it's no wonder anything is still alive. and many city people are just as heavy handed with pesticides and incesticides

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Telepathetic
Community Member
12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Killed off by the CIA and replaced with drones. Oh wait--that was Birds

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LJ Robinson
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fireflies are such a joy. We got hundreds of them last year!

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Butterflies and honeybees. I live rural too. While we do see varying numbers of lightning bugs (depends on the weather, summers can vary, you know), we see far fewer butterflies and honeybees than I remember from childhood. I’m 62 now., so we’re talking 1960s to 1970s. I also remember them well into the 1990s to the 2000s (remember, I live in a rural area), but once we hit into the 2010s, I noticed a decline in both. Pesticides are a definite cause of this. A huge one.

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Leigh
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a kid I had a shirt with a Chief Seattle quote on it. "What is man without the beast?" If all the beast where gone man would soon die from a great loneliness of spirit. From what happens to the beasts also happens to man."

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Nikki Sevven
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have loads in my yard every year. Going outside at night is like being in space. Fireflies need shady spots away from artificial light and leaf litter on the ground in which to lay their eggs.

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Matthew Huntington
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was specifically spraying for the Zika virus. We went back to visit family in PA, and we were shocked at the decline in insects.

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Ashtray
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Light pollution is killing them along with other nocturnal animals. It's so depressing its not truly dark anymore.

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Leigh
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to see daddy long legs everywhere when I was a kid. Not as an adult. The insect population now is half of what is was in 1980!

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aubergine10003
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in NYC and see them all the time (in parks) during the summer.

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Christopher Denney
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved fireflies when I was a kid, we moved from a place that had them to a place that didn't. I never realized until years later that they weren't all gone, they just didn't live much in more northern states.

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Gardener of Weeden
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We still have quite a few, in OUR yard only. we do not use poisons and keep the grass long, and converting it into clover and wildflower gardens.

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Tjoori Vids
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I moved 1400km across two countries in 2018, I arrived and noted that -- despite it being a very hot May day -- there wasn't a thick coating of bugs on the car. (It was a Jeep Wrangler, hardly aerodynamic)

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Bleau
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same w your windshield you couldn't drive 50 miles w/o having to stop an clean the bugs off.

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JELLY
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in South Africa and saw literally 1 firefly for the whole summer.

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Summer Woodsong
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We're rural, I love watching fireflies against the wooded background.

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HogHedge
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where I live there's a lagoon where plenty of native shags used to live. I've been running around that lagoon for 15 years. And I've only just noticed that there are no shags anymore :'( (no food due to over fishing)

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Mya Lugar
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here just outside Atlanta, their is plenty of bird noise (i wouldn't call it that) and right now ciccaida (sp.?). We have plenty of trees here and I am sure that makes a difference.

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Deborah Stearne
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess seeing their little lights make you notice how fewer they are. The decline of insects without lights is not so noticeable to the general public - bees, spiders (didn’t have any in the rafters of the patio this summer)

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April
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We still have tons in my area. I always assumed that lightning bugs could be found all over the United States, but apparently there are several states that don't have them.

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Kalon Suszko
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember when me and my younger brother would catch 50-100 every night, put the jars on our night table, filled with grass and fireflies. One funny time...my DIY self used a standard screwdriver to punch holes in the lid instead of a hole punch. Had like 100 fireflies floating around my room for a couple days after that, as they all escaped thru the holes. :P Never did that again!

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Luis'GF
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes!!!! I grew up with them! I did notice last time I was visiting home they werent around. Then last summer I was on a random trip to Baltimore I spotted 1! I was soooo geeked! I filmed it and probably looked like a crazy person but I didnt care!

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Lsai Aeon
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was just over at my parents' house which I just inherited. My service dog had never seen lightning bugs before (we just graduated in February, she's only 2). She refused to leave the porch because the yard was chock full of them. She just didn't understand the blinking bugs

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Zephyr343
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And other bugs in general. I used to drive and have half my car covered in bug splats. Now, nothing.

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Apps
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have them every summer. Some summers have bumper crops. Every year is different. One year, we had rabbits everywhere. 10k dragonflies another year. 5 years ago, foxes kept running through our neighborhood. I hope fire flies come back soon!

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PunnyPanda
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my hometown it was due to spraying for West Nile virus, so we actually noticed pretty quick. While I didn't miss the mosquitos, definitely missed the fireflies. They've finally started to show up again, but one or two a night.

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JPotts
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pheasants, I have not seen or heard one in many years.

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Mario Strada
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I noticed that decades ago. I still remember capturing them in a jar and being surrounded by all these lights. I haven't seen one in 40 years.

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Gracie Jay
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My area doesn’t seem to have this problem. We still have tons. Along with tons of insects in general, we seriously need a screen door because we can’t just leave it open on nice days without getting bombarded by bugs.

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PettC
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Live in the Caribbean & haven't seen a butterfly or bee for quite a while

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The Starsong Princess
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lots of fireflies where I live and it’s the suburbs against a ravine. Plenty of birds too. Last year, there was a beaver in the creek! The city had to relocate it because it immediately build a dam but I’ve never seen one here.

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John L
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's called the windshield phenomenon, which has recently been scientifically proven.

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Deborah Rubin
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my sister and I were little, Mom would poke holes in the lid of a glass jar and we'd go out and catch lightning bugs and watch them for a bit then let them go. It seemed a more innocent time back then. What area are you in? I'm in Maryland.

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Annymoose
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a ton in my backyard. Insect population has declined. Remember getting bugs stuck to your windshield? Not anymore.

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Rosie Red
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same with the bees. As a kid there would be so many, now I'm surprised if I see a couple.

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Timbob
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still see quite few, and I live in a busy suburb of a very large city.

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Neon Otter
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We are very fortunate in Eastern Ontario, Canada to still have an abundance of fireflies!

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Aqsa Azam
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

YESSS, this! I haven't seen a lot of them at a time. Just one here and there. It's sad

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#15

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Toys in cereal boxes.

EarlGrey_Picard replied:

More importantly toys in Cracker Jack. Hell, they don't even come in a box anymore, they come in a bag.

getupk3v , Samantha Gades Report

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Vasana Phong
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember the ones that would have “ collect all four “ my mom did not know any of this, we would eat up the cereal so we can get another box, we stopped after getting 3 of the same items

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Others mentioned technological fads like 3D television which, thankfully, have mostly gone away. Yes, at the time they were very interesting, like an innovative way to view media, it’s pretty clear these were just a fad. Most 3D programs halted broadcasting in 2012, rendering the further development and sale of these TVs pretty pointless. While perhaps it’s sad to see this avenue no longer explored, truthfully, it wasn’t that great in the first place. 

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#17

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered A common pop culture (in the US, at least). Until at least the 80s, most people watched the same TV show, saw the same movies, listened to the same music, could recite the same commercial slogans or jingles, bought into the same fads.

I don't know when it happened, but now we are all siloed into highly specific subcultures.

ChorePlayed , Mollie Sivaram Report

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fair_weather_rose (she/they)
Community Member
12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually had a conversation with someone about this recently. I think some major factors in this are that A) there's just a lot more media and content to choose from. B) said media is far more accessible. And C) we have access to pop culture from all over the world instead of only having access to the same shows on the same channels, the same movies in theaters, and the same music on the same radio stations

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#18

Panama/Paradise papers.

Loads of high profile people were discovered funneling their taxes through offshore tax havens like the Cayman Islands.

I can’t believe this isn’t the main thing we hear about every day in MSM. The culture wars are a distraction from the top .0001% robbing the world blind.

808_Scalawag Report

#19

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered I never see swarms of Monarch butterflies anymore.

JRsFancy , Nathan Dumlao Report

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fair_weather_rose (she/they)
Community Member
12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Butterflies in general. When I was little they were everywhere, now I get super excited every time I see just one because they're so rare

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#20

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Somewhere along the way 9-5 turned into 8-5.

TwoIdleHands replied:

Yeah when I hear the song I’m like “Wait, did they get paid for lunch? Or just eat at their desks? Or did they actually not work 8 straight hours?”

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#21

Postcards.

And not just in the usual places, like museum gift shops and tourist traps.

There was once a time when you could buy at any truck stop or roadside motel a postcard of the small town you were driving through. But not anymore.

No point when you can just text your friends a photo.

originalchaosinabox Report

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cadena kuhn
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's how they found the town for Beetlejuice they drove to gas stations and looked at postcards

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#22

On the good side of things, the hole in the ozone layer. We listened to scientists and it repaired itself.

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Bookworm
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gee, imagine that! The scientists actually knew what they were talking about when they told us we needed to fix this, and we listened to them, and we didn't die!

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#23

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Privacy in your daily life.

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Loverboy
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly I still get privacy, I don't like going out and I don't really have to interact with people beyond shopping or jobs. I don't post about any part of my daily life on any form of social media, might share a few facts but besides that my life is private.

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#24

Color from the world. Everything is becoming gray scale. Look at commercial buildings and fast food buildings. McDonald’s used to look fun and exciting, now they’re all gray and boring.

In my area, we had the funnest looking McDonald’s by the Dallas zoo, and now it’s being renovated (for whatever reason) to look like a standard gray colored McDonald’s. No fun.

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David
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

McDonalds has been trying to 'upscale' it's image and look more mature and act like it is a real restaurant instead of screaming kids and a ball pit.

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#25

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Longevity in careers – this is a big one nobody seems to have said.

Longevity in careers has largely gone away. People used to get a job and after being there for decades reap the benefits of being seasoned employees (higher salaries and better perks).

Maybe it’s because I work in the Entertainment industry, but I feel that longevity in careers has gone away. Meaning, people can be amazing at a job, but after 5+ years the employers start wondering if they could be doing better with a younger/cheaper candidate for the job.

I understand if you ever want to move up in a works place they expect you to bring your A-game, but 30+ years of being incredible is hard. Some years will be better than others, and if employers don’t have loyalty to their employees anymore, it is likely the good employee will be fired or let go at some point.

I feel like in recent decades this has forced many people who normally wouldn’t, to switch careers. Can someone work successfully up the ladder at any job without having to shift to another company for a promotion?

A combination of employers halting upward movement of their staff while they look for new employees to fill higher roles, and the fact that they “get bored” of their seasoned employees has largely killed the idea of anyone having a single career.

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sofacushionfort
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Another example of union-busting and offshoring. The OP is about entertainment, but the same is true for the merchant marine. Old salts could slam down a killer card at the hiring hall, and seniority would mean they took the best jobs first. Now ships are crewed with non-union sailors from desperately poor countries. If they’d tried that years ago, union stevadores would refuse to unload the ships in port, but now its just a few highly skilled crane operators moving shipping containers who don’t see it as their issue.

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#26

Alien abduction news stories.

Seems coincidentally related to increased number of cell phones with cameras on them.

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#27

Completely paid for benefits by corporations for employees.

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Benefits" should be basic human rights. Unfortunately the USA prefers to spend money on aircraft carriers instead of it's own citizens.

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#28

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Having many Family photographs in homes.

Not completely gone, but homes used to be plastered in them. The only times I really notice them is in homes of older people.

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David
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is one half of a two edged sword. The PLUS side is digital photos are free unless you want a specialized print. You can display them on your phone / tablet / a digital frame / your huge TV. You can send them to Grandma in Wheretheheckistan for free. Those frames in old people's houses are because that was their only option. I am one of those old people. I WISH there was a ton of digital photos of my childhood. But all I have are a very few because we were poor and film / developing / printing used to be expensive.

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#29

Slips. Women used to have them in various lengths. I had a pair for pants. They were in the lingerie section of every store. And nylons. Every grocery store used to have a wall of them.

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Mother Goose
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nylons! Leggs, in the egg shaped clear plastic shells! I haven’t thought of those in years…

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#30

Internet search results related to what I typed in.

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Jeff Gabrisl
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IDK how old you are, and if Google was your first search engine, but in the early days it was impossible to find what you were researching using the old search engines. Before Google, search engines sucked. When Google came out, it changed everything, you could find what you were looking for. Now all you get are ads unless you're highly specific.

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#32

One specific thing that quietly disappeared from the world without much notice is the Kodak Kodachrome film, which was a popular and iconic film used for photography for several decades. The film, known for its vibrant colors and sharpness, was discontinued in 2009 due to the rising popularity of digital photography. Despite its historical significance and loyal following, the discontinuation of Kodachrome film went relatively unnoticed by the general public.

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#33

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Our need to know who our neighbors are. I listened to a podcast about human interaction recently and the host said that the internet slowly made it possible to live without knowing who the people are next door.

It used to be that we would hang out with people in our street or attend dinners, birthdays, and whatnot. Now, everyone seems to have no need to even so much as introduce themselves.

The only time we do get to know each other is if we have a complaint.

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Loverboy
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just don't like people. I like to be on good terms with my neighbors but I don't want to talk to them or know them. And I'm fine with that.

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#35

Audio cassette tape pulled out and tangled in the shrubs of a strip mall. It was the gold standard parking lot decoration of the 90's.

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David
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Up vote for making me laugh at a memory. Also, because I am old I have also seen the 8 track version of this.

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#36

Smoking areas in restaurants. I was a 90s-00s kid and have vivid memories of going to Friches Big Boy among other places, and the waiter asking my dad if he wanted smoking or non-smoking. Being an asthmatic child I'm surprised I survived.

Fast forward to today and I can't even imagine any food establishment letting people smoke in the dining area.

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David
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

YES THANK GOD. I was a 60s kid. I have experienced smoking in - restaurants / airplanes / movies / buses / a few times my parents' car but thankfully not much / pretty much everywhere. SOOOO glad that changed. I am mildly allergic to cigarette smoke. It sort of makes me stuffed up and doesn't take much.

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#37

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Kinda surprised I haven't seen this one yet, but Ronald McDonald. You remember the old clown everywhere in and around McDonald's commercials and stores? Gone. Phased out when that "clown scare" prank trend was going around.

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#38

Landline phones in homes.

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David
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For most of us no point. I was a hold out. I had a landline for years after I had a cell. But I started looking at how I almost never got a call on the landline and it was costing me $25-30 / month. And when I DID get a call on that line it was usually a telemarketer. That was several years ago and I've never missed it. My cell tower could go down but it is very rare that I would have both no signal and the need to make a call. And if I did - could walk over to neighbors on different carrier.

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#39

We used to have these really fat bumble bees in my backyard. No longer see them.

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Bookworm
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bumble bees are a threatened native species, they're being wiped out by pesticides, colony collapse and the European honeybees. Edit: The American Bumblebee. I am in the US, I forgot to specify. Sorry.

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#40

Phone books.

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cadena kuhn
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh no they are still around and it's a huge problem. For some reason they refuse to stop printing them but nobody wants them and they are clogging landfills

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#41

Video game arcades.

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David
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

70s me LOVED arcades - especially pinball. And at home didn't even have pong yet. Now me would much rather stay home and play console or steam games on my giant 75" TV that are so much better than anything the arcade has.

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#42

Toy commercials. That was basically every commercial in the 1990s & now it’s all prescription drug & car insurance commercials.

I meant on network tv, like during local news.

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#43

Someone Asked “What Eventually Disappeared And No One Noticed?” And 84 People Delivered Good value for price at restaurants.

Restaurants have quietly reduced portion sizes since COVID without restoring them. Noodles and Company (along with many others) advertise large portions like pre-pandemic but only give to-go sizes even when dining in. All for a higher price.

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Loverboy
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have to pay 20 dollars for a burger that isn't even that good. It's gotten to the point where I look at a 10 dollar burger and think "Oh, that's a good price."

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#44

Stretch Limos. They used to be considered the s**t, especially the Hummer, Expedition, or Escalades, but now seem to have been replaced by party and coach buses.

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fair_weather_rose (she/they)
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My aunt got a stretch limo for my mom's 50th birthday. I was about 9 or 10 at the time and thought it was so cool! There were cool rainbow lights inside, plus a bunch of soda and sparkling cider!

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#45

Lobster tanks in grocery stores! Not that I particularly want them back, but those are nostalgic af.

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Firstname Lastname
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our local grocery store still has them. We like to walk by and visit the lobsters.

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Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.