Things change. Whoa, that’s a real shocker, I know, but bear with me! The fact of the matter is that even the things, places, and people we love most in the world change over time. It’s inevitable. However, while some things improve and mature like good wine set down to age in your fancy castle cellar, others… well, others age like cheap milk, left out on a sunny windowsill for far, far too long.
Redditor Open-Outcome-660 went on r/AskReddit with an intriguing query, asking others to share the things that they think used to be great but have become incredibly bad since then. The question instantly hooked internet users and the thread got over 3.4k responses.
It all came flooding out, from people sharing that MTV has steadily gone downhill over the years to folks pointing out that the internet is no longer as great as it was in the good old days. Have a read through some of the best responses to the thread and upvote the opinions you agree with, dear Pandas. Do you have any of your own examples about things that have become really bad over time? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Bored Panda had a friendly chat about nostalgia, change, and some of the things that actually went from bad to great with Open-Outcome-660, the original poster of the question. Be sure to scroll down for our in-depth interview with them!
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The history Channel. I used to watch it in the 2000s. Now it's all swamp people and aliens
According to redditor Open-Outcome-660, the reason why the question resonated with so many people was that it's a spin on an age-old statement. "I really didn’t expect my question to gain as much traction as it did, but, in retrospect, the reason for it is that it’s the age-old statement of 'things were better in the past' turned into a question," they told Bored Panda.
I wanted to find out more about the inspiration behind the question and the redditor was more than happy to talk about it. "The question started when I was browsing through YouTube one morning and got frustrated by how polluted the platform has become of ads," they mentioned something that many of us can relate to. "Most videos had multiple commercials. Most commercials were 20 seconds long. Even 5-second videos had at least 5 seconds of commercials before I could watch them. Naturally, my first thought was that this platform had gone from great to worse. My second thought was what went up on Reddit: 'Is there anything else that’s had this trajectory?'"
Appliances. Used to be made to last. Now they're just made to last the warranty.
I don't know, I'm in S. Korea, and the microwave we bought in 2011 is still showing no signs of dying. Each smartphone I had, except for one, I changed only because they started getting outdated, and, as the software becomes more and more demanding, you need better memory and storage. Same goes with computers and tablets. We changed our fridge in 2016 for a similar reason (simply needed a bigger one, the previous one was really tiny, but still fine and working), and it's still as good as new. Same goes for the freezer, and the laundry machine. Our TV, bought in 2017, still no signs of dying. Air conditioner, bought in 2016, still strong. So..... either you are unlucky with faulty products, either you live in an environment that's unfriendly to appliances, or you need to learn better maintenance.
All of your appliances fall into the category I would call "still smelling of the box they came in." Durable goods should have a lifespan measured in decades, or thousands of hours of operation. I demand no less than 30 years of service from something so elemental as a refrigerator, microwave, or vacuum cleaner. Technology which is still actively evolving may be permitted a shorter life. However, being satisfied with an air conditioner from 2016 (5 years old) because it hasn't died yet is demonstrative of the problem our global society has with happily disposing of things. My mother is an excellent example: Washer/dryer, 1984. Microwave, 1984. Refrigerator, 1989. Dishwasher, 1995. Vacuum cleaner, 1974. TV, 2006. etc.
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Planned obsolescence, ought to be outlawed globally. My 1980’s microwave just now died this year. (cue TAPS).
Regulating it looks like a nightmare, You'd basically have to have regulations regarding every single component on a PCB and what standards they should comply with. Then you'd have to do that with all components with different standards for different applications.
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Our landfills are being filled with so many "disposable" items that were once built to last. Gee, I wonder if this is adding to the climate catastrophe.
It's all about profit. The love of money is the root of every issue we have. And the saddest part is is that money is not needed to live on this planet. We are already born into a world with every resource that we all need to live and thrive. Without money being an issue. Money was just created to divide and conquer.
So true! My grandma bought one and only refrigerator for lifetime. It would be just fine, but our electrical network has changed, so I had to buy a new one. It lasted about 3 years and was garbage after that. No way to repair it. My mother NEVER bougth any refrigerator, beacuse she used my grandma's. It hapenned again with my kitchen. Less than 5 years of daily use. And I had to throw it away and buy a new one. Not due lack of mantainance, but for crap quality materials. The inner iron tubes had MELTED.
I worked at an appliance repair service, and was complaining about the disposability of things like major appliances and hot water tanks. Hot water tanks where I live start at about $350, but he explained that if they were to make them the same now, they would cost a couple thousand. Fact is, most people can't pony up a couple grand when their hot water tank craps out. So they make them more affordable, but then they don't last as long. It's sadly a trade off
In the UK purchase of new boilers is being banned soon and we'll have to buy air or earth source heat pumps instead at a massively higher price. Definitely can't afford one. It worries me.
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I have an 8 year old laptop that runs practically the same speed as when I got it, not everything does this.
Might be because they are worse now though maybe? Buy a laptop today would it last as long? I bought a new one in Feb, my last laptop (good brand and model) lasted 3 years. I'll let you know 😁 !!
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'90s were the last good appliances - more mechanical in electro-mechanical. Our fridge, range, washer, dryer and dishwasher have been easy to DIY maintain since 1991 and three kids grown up with them. Double-oven finally died last year - becuase the computer board was no longer available - figures. Grandma's toaster from 1932 still works fine. Our cast-iron apple peeler and cider press are late 1800s; work fine.
Depends. I buy bare bones appliances. None has a motherboard; all have analog dials and switches. My fridge and gas range are 15 years old and still work just fine. I did have to replace the thermostats in the fridge. My washer and dryer are ten years old and work fine too, although I had to replace the dryer's on/off switch with a light switch. OTOH, I'm on my fourth microwave and sixth coffee maker in 24 years; both have computerized elements.
You want a Braun Aromaster Classic, mine is pushing 25, and my parents had theirs even longer before it gave up. No smarts of any kind, just a power switch.
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Planned obsolesce and required repair of durable goods have both been part of business plans for years. It has gotten much worse though. Look at John Deere's purposely moving wearable items like wheel bearings behind physical barriers that you must use their tech to open access to. Look at the FTC investigation into the McDonald's ice cream machines suddenly always needing vendor repairs when the parent company worked out a kickback contract with the provider. Look at Apple admitting to slowing and bricking their own phones and creating bloatware to force their obsolescence. Look at Epson's model where its cheaper to buy a new printer than buy replacement ink. Look at Detroit's move to single piece manufacture so what used to be a small repair is now a complete replacement so its cheaper for the insurance to total the vehicle and have you buy a new one.
Epson has turned that issue on its head though with their bottle-fed line of printers. I would own one if I hadn't spent my whole life being conditioned to not print in color. Auto manufacturers have moved to larger and more complex assemblies for safety, not to encourage new-car purchases after accidents. I would much rather find myself in a 1-piece hydroformed steel shell designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy than in something bolted together from small stiff pieces that transfer all of crash energy to the occupants.
Load More Replies... Your hot water heater if property maintained will practically last forever. R&R’ed the anode although it still had many years left on it. When the control unit on the burner went out I contacted a plumber, his only solution was to buy an expensive new water heater when all I needed was a new control unit.
iphone dont even last the stupid warranty just a flick and the screen turns to powder
Huh? Not mine. I’ve only exchanged them when I’ve wanted a new model, they last and last and last. I can’t throw them away for some reason, so I’ve got a couple of really old ones - I tried it pretty recently and I can get all of them going and working. I don’t know what you do to your iPhones, but I’ve never had that problem in spite of dropping them on pavement and all sorts of clumsy shenanigans.
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They were never made to last. It's just that Apple and toaster manufacturers so bluntly put it out there that we finally noticed.
Appliances from thirty, forty or fifty years ago lasted a lot longer than the ones available today. They were easily repairable too if they did break.
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Sorry but I'm not so sure about this. My father often tell about their first television, a crappy 10" that every day or two blew a valve. After six month they had to replace it (no warranty at the time)
Any technology early in its gestation will have problems. But once mature, those technologies were highly reliable. Televisions from the 1980's have usually been put down due to obsolescence rather than failure.
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Besides the likelihood of breaking, many devices quickly become obsolete. My 2016 phone is not only randomly refusing to make calls but I can't download apps I need because it is too "old". My 2014 laptop works fine but I lost Office and cannot get it back because there is not enough memory to download the new OS without removing everything I need off of it. Since no one at the manufacturer is able to offer any solutions, I presume tech support is programmed to encourage you to buy a new one. Also, I will never be able to see all the research I did 25 years ago because it is on floppy disc.
Yeah. I am not sure I agree with this one. We have only just replaced our washing machine and we bought it second hand 12 years ago. The fridge, dishwasher and oven are more than years 10 old and still going strong. Our vaccum cleaner is 8 years old and so is our TV. We have a 50 euro microwave that hasnt missed a beat in 6 years. We are still using my husbands toaster and grill from when he moved out of home - I dont even know how old they are. Computer equipment though is different to appliances.
I've had several repairmen tell me to buy the least expensive washer/dryer/appliance because none of them Would last more than 5-6 years, no matter the price. They've been right so far. Expensive ass stuff lasts not a moment longer than the least expensive items.
Made to last the warranty because competition in the markets have driven us to situation where there would be no customers if products would still be made to last. If compared to average salaries & how many hours you have had to work to buy one, the 1980's home appliances have been easily 2-3 times more expensive than today's alternatives
I guess I’ve been lucky over the decades. Only had one bad refrigerator (Sears) that had to be returned for a refund after three failed attempts to repair it, and one dud of a coffeemaker that I gave up on after sending it back twice for repairs. I buy higher-end quality appliances when they go on sale and they last 15+ years.
Sure, but at least you could attempt to fix or at least reverse-engineer them. Nowadays appliance guts are inaccessible, and there's always at least one computer chip involved that no mere mortal can repair on their own.
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My mother didn't buy a microwave until 2015. She inherited 2 when my great-granmothers passed and each one lasted 15 years.
Counterpoint. Why would you make a laptop that lasts 5+ years which can't handle the software that comes out in 2-3 years? The constant 'improvements' to software are as much at fault.
Many of the 'improvements' in software are actually just bloat because programmers are hired to get the job done, and then let go. Look at Adobe Acrobat Reader, for instance. How did that application grow in size from 15mb in version 6, to 183mb in DC. How much functionality did they actually manage to add?
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My mother-in-law has a 50-year old hand mixer, and it's still working fine.
Not Always, many of my appliance is nearly a decade old (fridge, TV, washing machine, PS3, microwave,...)
But if you think about it, 10 years is not all that old. Everyone's grandparents had a 80 year old "ice box" that required an entire coal plant to run but it still chugged a long.
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European law dictates that an article should last a reasonable period. You can't expect a €150 tablet to last as long as one that costs €500. But even the €150 tablet should at least last 3 years. And your warranty isn't over when the manufacturer says so....
My stove is older than me. I think my parents bought it in 1974. I use it every day, and I'm curious to see how long it will last.
Not necessarily, things are just so cheap now that people will abuse a cheap, crap, Chinese made appliance, then bin it when it breaks and buy another. There never used to be so many choices (or even items!) and as they cost more, people looked after them and repaired them. Cars are the same, more reliable on paper, but some people never think to check even the oil until a warning light comes on so failures are generally more terminal.
Internet in general. I used to be able to search Google for a subject and then get a list of reliable websites to read from. Now it's 99% crap infomercials/ad ridden sites that all want to sell me things I don't need.
In Open-Outcome-660's opinion, nostalgia definitely plays a role in how we perceive how things were in the past. "If I could go back in time momentarily to compare things, I’m pretty sure I’d like many of today’s things more. I’d probably also discover things I really don’t like about the old experience. It’s probably easy to look back with nostalgia goggles since we probably have a very selective memory when we make comparisons," they shared. However, that's doesn't mean that some things weren't objectively better in the past.
"Nevertheless, I definitely think that there are truths in people’s thoughts of some things being better back in time. In my case, I definitely think that YouTube has become a worse experience in terms of its ads. In other cases, people might experience that their society has become worse in some aspects, and that may very well be true. It’s not the whole truth, but the factors may be sufficiently big to put on those nostalgia goggles and determine that the whole thing is worse now," the redditor mused.
My knees
Patriotism. It used to feel like a good thing to be proud of my country, to be grateful for the blessings of living here, trusting that our government is at least trying to do the right thing. But now this has devolved into this nasty "My country first, best, and alone" crap, all others are bad, wrong, and are enemies. It doesn't have to be that way.
Cooking websites. Everyone knows the struggle of scrolling through 273 paragraphs of bulls**t before getting to the recipe, but now some actual antichrist websites are putting a 2nd page inside the first where after you get past the 273 paragraphs it’s like “now click here for the recipe”. Rage inducing.
While it can be a lot of fun to whine about how bad things have gotten, from time to time, it's best not to forget that there are plenty of positives in life, too. I wanted to get Open-Outcome-660's opinion about what things have gone from bad to great.
"There’s a whole lot of things that have turned from really bad to great. One example is acquiring knowledge, where just a few decades ago, everything would have to be gained either through books or lectures; whereas now it’s at your fingertips. Another example is ease of living: fixing things such as buying things online, signing contracts, picking a movie to watch, or listening to music has become a lot easier, safer, and more accessible compared to a couple of decades ago. A third example would be ease of travel, where nowadays it’s quite easy to get by with English around the globe, flights are cheaper and things are waaay easier to book, find reviews on and look up at a moment’s notice if needed," the redditor shared what things have definitely improved with time.
Flying. From the incredible shrinking seat, crazy people, covid, no food, baggage fees, carry on fees to questions about planes safety.
I am old enough to remember when flying was a really elegant way to travel. We dressed up... we were polite to one another and to the cabin attendants.
MTV. It was so good back in the 90s. Actual music videos, shows that featured artists, MTV Unplugged, Daria, Beavis and Butthead, Aeon Flux, TRL, Celebrity Death Match... Then Pimp My Ride and Cribs were pretty fun though it was the start of reality tv style shows
Beavis and Butthead and Celebrity Death Match were brilliant. It's a shame, a damn shame I tells ya!
Streaming services online, Netflix was op back in the day, now you have to have 15 different services if you want to watch all your shows
"Thinking from this other perspective also made me realize that we often compare things in the past with the time they were in. It’s a bit hard for me to say that the internet was really bad a couple of decades ago because that was a part that society and those technological times. If we somehow got to swap the internet experience today with 20 years ago, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the experience would have been perceived as going from great to really bad."
There’s no shame about being nostalgic for the good old days. Most of us are guilty of it. (Some, like me, are a tad guiltier than others, but hey, I loved the ‘90s and early 2000s.) In fact, nostalgia can be incredibly comforting. However, there does come a point when reminiscing about the past can become problematic.
Facebook
Hollywood. They ran out of ideas.
They haven't, it's just that the executives of AAA movies prefer safe options.
Child and adolescent therapist and member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Kemi Omijeh, explained to me during an earlier interview that many psychologists believe that our childhoods are the foundation to who we are as adults.
“It explains why we frequently revisit our childhood as it influences our present," she told Bored Panda.
Therapist Kemi revealed that we’re nostalgic about our childhood if our experiences have been full of being loved and nurtured. On the flip side, it’s hard to feel nostalgic for a time in your life where you felt anxious, unloved, uncared for.
Entering the workforce and saving up. Never was great in my lifetime, but I've heard stories of people buying their first house after like 2 years of saving. That's just a fantasy these days.
First timers are practically unable to buy their first home, so they are forced to rent, which developers have Jumped on and are building hi-rise cubbyholes (250sf) for rent or tiny little houses (500sf) with zero lot line which they’re only able to afford with two or three roommates
Politics - it was never great, but there’s no room for two people with different views to actually talk. It’s not a sports team, why is everybody so entrenched and angry.
“If we’ve had a difficult childhood, it can be hard to feel nostalgic, instead it will feel like something we need to get over in order to move on," she said.
"Nostalgia can also be a good coping strategy for times of low mood and challenges," Kemi told Bored Panda, adding that this is only true up to a certain point. Once nostalgia starts interfering with our everyday lives and our ability to be present in the moment, it’s time to scale back.
Amazon. It’s slowly turning into Wish.
I use Amazon more as a search engine. Find what I want, then go to the company website and buy it from the company rather than off of Amazon. It is way easier to notice when something is a straight up scam. Never buy clothing from Amazon, it is all now just rip off Chinese manufactured crap. I use Amazon less and less all the time. They don't vet their sellers and I am just done with getting ripped off and returns now being a pain in the ass.
I used to love a good conspiracy theory - UFO cover ups and so forth - but now its just these redneck crazies crowding into the most outlandish shit ones like microchips and lizard people.
The air. Literally breathing in pollutants.
Depends on where you live, and at what point in time you start counting. In the US, for example, the amount on dangerous pollutants in the air is down by 75% from the 1990s.
"If we end up comparing it to our experiences today and feeling like nothing is as good as it was, then this will inevitably affect our mood and our ability to do what we need to do. We can become stuck in our nostalgia; in which case it might be best to seek help from a counseling professional to help you process your past in order to enjoy your present,” she said.
Something to keep in mind is that we see our past memories through a filter when we relive them, so all the tiny details might not be as accurate as we think. That doesn’t necessarily mean that MTV wasn’t amazing years and years ago, however, it might mean that things weren’t as overwhelmingly fantastic as we remember them.
Not being busy. Not constantly “hustling” or trying to do it all. Not “living for the weekend.” Down time can be a good thing.
The search to buy your first home used to be exciting and filled with choices. Now it’s “take it or leave it” overpriced homes you can’t afford, in a terrible neighborhood. Or continue paying your super high rent.
Being able to go outside. Maybe not so much in the cities, but in the suburbs there was all these open fields and forests to go into, you could stay out till the sun went down just riding your bike. Now those fields and forests are paved over and turned into a strip mall. Those big areas with playgrounds? Bulldozed for some shitty half-assed jungle gym.
Can't go out on the streets anymore. Kids get the cops called on them constantly. So much more private property too.
And if you wanna go somewhere that isn't outside, you better cough up some money. Every place charges you to be there now. And not for long.
I'd say this is dependent on where you live. I'm in a small town in Scotland, nothing but wide open spaces, trespassing isn't a thing as you can walk on peoples land within reason obviously - right by me there's a big country house that has peacocks and a pen of boar that we can walk up to to go see them. Loads of free parks, playgrounds etc - both in my town and Scotland as a whole
Youtube
TBH YT is decent if you constantly give the feedback so that it shows only the stuff you like
Living.
When I was young life was awesome. Friends, fun, adventure, meeting people, partying, sex, music.
Now it's all work until you can't work anymore, sleep, work some more.
Life had stayed the same, it is you who had changed and gotten older.
Etsy is all Chinese garbage now and you have to search forever to find something handmade.
Radio. Wth are they playing now?
If you're able to stream your music, do that! Way less ads (or none if you pay for a service) and you can tailor the music to your tastes!
To be honest, quality of work in professional settings.
Like fatty typos in legal settlements worth hundreds of thousands of dollars! Drives me INSANE. Quality is getting harder to find lately.
Cars. They used to be awesome. Affordable. And fixable. Now they're the cheapest pieces of crap and highly overcharged. They're faster than they used to be maybe but the cost isn't worth the parts. And they fail so easily.
Yahoo answers lol it's dead now but it used to be fun kind of like reddit but then later on karens took over... couldn't even ask a simple question about cooking or anything innocent without getting a lecture
That reference picture though... I don't want to know what happened in that interaction...
Disney I always loved dark gothic disney cartoons Now its just rubbery overproduced cheesy stuffs only.
News media, not saying "great" but it used to function
Totally agree that the news media has died. It is ALL opinion, telling people what to think, sprinkled liberally with emotional blackmail. Now I have to read various sites and piece together common threads to find the truth
Nickelodeon
Note: this post originally had 64 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
So many of these are simply misdirected gripes about the OP reaching middle age.
Rock music. It has become so corporate and safe. Blandness with no bold innovation anymore. Perhaps we have reached the limit of music. There are only so many notes out there. And whatever happened to protest songs? We sure could use some now!
I'm not a boomer and even I agree. Rock is dead.
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BP puts out surveys to create posts like this. So if there are more American specific topics in the post it's probably because more Americans responded to the survey.
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I take a little bit of issue with the title of this article... (properly) aged milk = cheese, and cheese is awesome!
Not related --- but several times, I clicked to upvote, and was taken to an ad. What's up with that?
Dunno. I just updated you and no issues here. Good luck!
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My son and I just talked about this. Looney Tunes. They're just not in the old styles anymore and aren't funny anymore. It seems the industry is bent on making more "educational" cartoons. Can't you just make some that help us laugh every once in a while. Even cartoons from a few years ago like Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory or The Kid's Next Door aren't around anymore. Let's bring back more of the fun 2D cartoons.
Yes, they were great, and actually meant for adults.
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Saturday Night Live has never been the same or anywhere near as good as in the beginning
Some of the things just seem odder than odd ... when was airport security great? When were conspiracy theories great? When was amazon great? It's just short of stating that being unable to read was great, unable to do math, or daily bedwetting. Of which all three suck, although. Reading is understanding. Ability to math helps a great deal in avoiding being screwed, and not needing diapers, not needing or wanting to hide you wear them whenever you sleep elsewhere reduces stress by a lot. All of these always sucked!
People. I can't even count anymore the number of people I've met who say "Jeff Bezos has too much money!" and yet, they have an Amazon box in their house somewhere, fully knowing they could most likely get the product from somewhere else. This is how I hear those statements. "I could do my part to make the world a better place, as long as it doesn't mildly inconvenience me.” People.
Human nature doesn't change, just how it is expressed.
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ESPN. It's a political talk show masquerading as a sports network.
So many of these are simply misdirected gripes about the OP reaching middle age.
Rock music. It has become so corporate and safe. Blandness with no bold innovation anymore. Perhaps we have reached the limit of music. There are only so many notes out there. And whatever happened to protest songs? We sure could use some now!
I'm not a boomer and even I agree. Rock is dead.
Load More Replies... BP puts out surveys to create posts like this. So if there are more American specific topics in the post it's probably because more Americans responded to the survey.
Load More Replies... I take a little bit of issue with the title of this article... (properly) aged milk = cheese, and cheese is awesome!
Not related --- but several times, I clicked to upvote, and was taken to an ad. What's up with that?
Dunno. I just updated you and no issues here. Good luck!
Load More Replies... My son and I just talked about this. Looney Tunes. They're just not in the old styles anymore and aren't funny anymore. It seems the industry is bent on making more "educational" cartoons. Can't you just make some that help us laugh every once in a while. Even cartoons from a few years ago like Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory or The Kid's Next Door aren't around anymore. Let's bring back more of the fun 2D cartoons.
Yes, they were great, and actually meant for adults.
Load More Replies... Saturday Night Live has never been the same or anywhere near as good as in the beginning
Some of the things just seem odder than odd ... when was airport security great? When were conspiracy theories great? When was amazon great? It's just short of stating that being unable to read was great, unable to do math, or daily bedwetting. Of which all three suck, although. Reading is understanding. Ability to math helps a great deal in avoiding being screwed, and not needing diapers, not needing or wanting to hide you wear them whenever you sleep elsewhere reduces stress by a lot. All of these always sucked!
People. I can't even count anymore the number of people I've met who say "Jeff Bezos has too much money!" and yet, they have an Amazon box in their house somewhere, fully knowing they could most likely get the product from somewhere else. This is how I hear those statements. "I could do my part to make the world a better place, as long as it doesn't mildly inconvenience me.” People.
Human nature doesn't change, just how it is expressed.
Load More Replies... ESPN. It's a political talk show masquerading as a sports network.
