With time racing at the pace of a hadron collider, it’s easy to remain oblivious to the passing years. Only after a while, years, if not decades, do we notice how much things have changed around us, ourselves included.
It’s when we press pause on the present and look right back into the past. What do we see there? Well, it’s no secret that most humans have a strong sense of nostalgia that puts the years gone by in an exceptionally positive light.
This thread from Ask Reddit may also give us some answers by showing what things people thought were simpler, more accessible and efficient, and overall way better in the past. And now we can all decide whether it’s true or it’s our sentimental longing speaking. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The late 80's/ early 90's heyday.
Yeah those days were the best. Anyone remember Thundercats and Space Ghost?
I miss the days before social media was a big thing. Everyone would just hangout and be focused on the interactions we were currently having.
“We tend to romanticize nostalgia and look back on our memories fondly,” Alex Wong, the marketing expert, book author and creator of “Hijack Copywriter” told Bored Panda. “This is because ‘back in the day’ seems much simpler and less chaotic than the present. We always have something to do and somewhere to be. However, when we look back on our childhood or earlier days, we ignore these challenges and focus on the more positive, simpler aspects,” he explained.
Home appliances. Old ones could be dropped out of a plane and still work well. New ones break because someone looked at it funny
The sky. Light pollution has destroyed one of the most beautiful sights that humans had gazed upon for thousands of years.
Also the fireflies- when I was a child we'd see lots of them at night, adorning the trees and such, but I rarely get to see them now.
Prices vs earnings.
Not to mention savings accounts that allowed you to actually accrue savings.
Wong, who’s in his 30s, said that for him, the good old days were in the '90s and early 2000s, before smartphones and the modern internet. “Things moved slower and you wouldn’t get dozens of emails or notifications a day,” he recounted. “However, my father is in his 70s so I’m sure the '90s and 2000s were a lot different for him. When he explains how his life was back in China in the '50s and '60s, it seems like a completely different world,” Wong added.
“One reason we tend to idealize the past is that we were young at the time and life seemed a lot more simple and innocent,” the marketing expert argues. “We were full of hope and aspirations. Over time, we tend to become more cynical and pessimistic.”
The environment.
So true. Things like fast fashion, built in obsolescence, more disposable income etc have a lot to answer for (not just them obviously but...)
Being a kid…I don’t think kids today get to have as much freedom and fun as previous generations did
Yea, this! I remember the days when we played outside all day long but when the street lights came on in the evening then you knew it was time to go home.
Another problem is that our memory is quite selective and we tend to romanticize things while leaving out a lot of details. “We focus on the positive aspects while ignoring or downplaying the negative issues. I remember the good times I would get cards and comics with my dad but tend to forget that my parents were going through a rough divorce during that time. It’s easier to not think about it.”
Certain dog breeds. Imagine, pugs used to have a nose they could breath through and eyes that didn't get infected every time they almost bulged out of their heads...
Same with shitzu's. And imagine English bulldogs that didn't collapse in exhaustion by even hearing the word walkies
The weather.
I remember playing outside every morning during summer vacation.
This summer, even 5 minutes spent sitting in the early morning sunlight that came in through the window was enough to give me headaches.
I live in south India- and no matter what climate change deniers say, it’s been getting steadily hotter year after year in my part of the world.
It is much hotter now. Moreover, the sun does much more damage now than it used to and droughts are now an annual thing in New England. But the thing that let us know how much hotter it is overall is the fact that we now get *tornados* in Massachusetts in places like Concord and Revere. Until this century, the cooling effect of the ocean kept tornados at bay around here.
Weird to say, but inconvenience and boredom. I kinda miss being like, “whelp, there’s nothing on TV, I’m gonna go walk the neighborhood and knock on my friends doors”.
I primarily text and talk to friends on the phone now, it seems like an event to actually meet up. Even friends who are less than a mile away.
When it comes to demonizing the present, Wong believes that most people struggle with this. “We are never truly living in the present. We are either ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. As a result, we are never living in the moment. How can we be grateful for what we have when we are constantly complaining about things?” he wonders.
Wong is conscious of that and that’s why he starts off each day by asking himself for 3 things that he is grateful for. “This helps to remind myself that I am lucky for what I have and to be grateful. Because there are lots of people in the world, such as those in war zones or third-world countries, who are in much worse situations,” he told Bored Panda.
People's attention spans.
Flying in general.
More seat space, meals included (and a choice of meals), actual metal utensils, luggage included, no need to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight...
When asked what things, according to Wong, were better in the past, the first thing that came to his mind was food. “Before industrialization, when everything was mass-produced, the quality of food seemed to be better. It was less processed and not pumped full of antibiotics or sprayed with pesticides.” These days, when Wong goes grocery shopping, he said he is very careful with what he buys. “When I check the list of ingredients, most of them I have no idea what they are.”
Another huge thing we don’t see much these days is privacy. Wong argues that although technology has made life much easier, it has come at a cost: our privacy. “Large corporations, such as FB, are constantly trying to find ways to gather more data on us so they can use it to make more money. It’s gotten to the point where we have to be careful with what we put online since we have no idea who will see it and how it will be used,” he explained.
Christmas…. I don’t know how to explain it. We didn’t have much money so it wasn’t because of the presents. We actually used to wrap our own toys and give them to each other for Christmas. But there was always just this feeling that I can’t explain. Sometimes when I watch the 90’s Christmas movies I can feel it again for a moment, but then it’s gone. It’s just the happiest, most peaceful feeling. It just felt like magic.
Being a kid without technology.
You built stuff! You turned sticks into swashbuckling foils! You drew and painted! You made up songs and stories and poems! You explored nature with your friends! You read actual books! You used your imagination! (Hmm. I should start doing all that again now!)
Fast Food. No, it has not always sucked a*s.
Social media has also changed beyond recognition. “Related to technology, social media has only been around for the past 15-20 years or so. Before the internet, the only way to keep in touch with others was by phone and snail mail. And if you wanted to know what was happening, you would have to turn on the news,” Wong said.
However, studies have shown that social media affects our mental health and increases our anxiety, depression, and isolation, the marketing expert claims. “We are always comparing ourselves to others, seeing how amazing their lives are, even though the life they are presenting to us may not be reality.”
“That’s why I avoid social media whenever possible and disable all of my news feeds. The only time I do use social media is for my business, and I make sure to limit the amount of time I have,” Wong said.
Cost of living
They need to start calling it the "don't bother, you can't afford it of living".
Manners and respect.
Even if it's only superficial, good manners make life much more pleasant. Celebrating a@#-holiness, for example "that's part of the charm of New Yorkers", I just don't understand.
“Related to social media is the news. I remember watching the news once a day in the evening at 6 pm to catch up on the daily events. Or reading a newspaper to see what is happening. Now it seems like there is breaking news every moment and you can’t keep up. MSM news channels, such as CNN, are especially guilty of this with a news ticker at the bottom,” Wong told Bored Panda.
“What’s worse, they tend to only report on negative events, such as murders, killings, scandals, etc. which makes the world feel like a terrible place,” he added.
Freetime... life was more slowly and you had more time for yourself and your hobbies.
I think I miss this the most and it makes me hate life. Work, work, work so you can survive then get home too tired to do anything you want to do that gives you happiness. It's pointless.
Video games.
I literally still have my original N64 and controller. It still goes strong. You just turn the game on and play it. No 60 GB downloads. No loading screens. No ads. No updates. No pay to play.
I didn't experience it personally, just second hand, but I believe working.. you had set hours and then no one could reach you after. It irritates me sometimes how normal it is to still reply to messages or send emails during off time and weekends or vacations.
I wonder what would happen sometimes if I just fully ignored my phone and shut it off the moment I'm off but it would really just be more stressful, and besides you can save yourself some later effort by tackling things right away. But in the past, everyone was off at the same times, everyone was out of reach, so it's not like you'd come back tomorrow to 50 emails and messages either. It was just over when it's over.
My parents and their friends seemed to have so much uninterrupted time.
I agree so much with this one. And Covid has made things worse on this behalf. I think WFH rules will be the new problems unions will have to deal with - at least in those socialist countries where unions exist /s
It isn't a problem in socialist countries, because socialists always ban unions. In a workers paradise you don't need them. So if you think unions are ruining your country, then the fault is capitalism and freedom of assembly and association. Vote for socialism, they'll deal with the bastards. /s but also true.
Load More Replies...
I immediately log off ALL work devices as soon as I am done working from home. I made that a rule a LONG time ago when I had Outlook on my phone and was sending and receiving emails all through the night. No company has ever had an issue with me refusing to put my work email on my phone.
I had to remove my work email from my phone as I found myself checking it all the time. Its so freeing not to think about work in my personal time. I had to force myself to even stop stressing over work things during my off time. I've mostly mastered this and am able to shut out work almost entirely when I'm not working.
Load More Replies...
I work remote, and i don't answer emails on off hours. But I'm senior enough where i can get away with it. Young people are always on. I have to constantly remind them to just go outside and play. My junior engineers say things like, I'll take a look at it tomorrow. Tomorrow is Saturday! It can wait! We work for billionaires. I promise they'll survive without whatever we're building for them for two more days.
I work in the graphics department of a consulting agency where I have set hours. When I'm on lunch break, I'm on lunch break. In the evening or on the weekends I'm also not available. During work time all of my communication happens via Zoom or email. This works pretty well. I don't need a stupid business mobile phone like the consultants do - and YET the company plans to equip the graphics department with those phones. For what? I'm a little afraid of what might come with them... ಠ_ಠ
I make salary and overtime. Overtime is optional—they’re not even allowed to ask. I’m happy and not likely to go anywhere soon. Don’t just let employers interview you. Interview them too. There are still employers that don’t order death marches in their crusade to divert an asteroid on a collision course with the earth. 🤷
I refuse to join work's Whatsapp group, don't need info 24/7.Also refuse to have work email access at home or mobile.Took three weeks off last year and came back to over thousand emails 🤣
When I was scheduled wrong one time, it was the freaking funniest conversation with my boss. Boss: "Hey, where are you?!" *Obvious chaos noises in the background.* Me: "Umm..." B: "You we're supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!" M: "I'm at school." B: "Oh...can you take the day off?" M: "My classes all have tests today." B: "When do you get out?" M: "4:30." (My normal shift ended around then.) B: "S**t, nevermind then!" *Hangs up.* Like lol I told you guys a month ago I had classes and gave my schedule, not my fault you're unorganized.
Actually going into the office. My husband works from home now. Somedays I just want to cry.
Before the current era of communication, I worked in a bicycle shop. I worked from 8am to around midnight, six days a week. Just to keep up with repairs. Why? Because it was in a big city in Canada and the season was from late March to early November. Then I got laid off. Screw that.
I'm lucky because I work for myself. I never respond to work emails after hours or on weekends.
When I get home from work, my phone goes into it's charging area and is set to Do not Disturb. I have a land line my family and friends are aware of. If they need me, they can call me. Otherwise, peeps wait until the next day (or if I go on a drive, I take my phone then too. I still don't answer work until the next day though)
I should be retiring in just a few more years. When I do, my cell phone will be turned off and put in my glove box for emergencies like breaking down. When I'm not home I will have an answering machine and will get messages when I return. I refuse to be at the mercy of technology.
Once I've left the workplace, I'm done. As a matter of fact, it's easy to just get a pay as you go phone, have it just for work hours, then shut it off. I've had a lot of different jobs, this works for every single one.
The marketing expert argues that even though humans will always have their groups and differences, he feels like society has never been more divided. “Both social media and the 24/7 news cycle have only made this worse where we are presented with preselected snippets of news that conform to a specific worldview.”
According to Wong, many issues are complex and require a nuanced approach. “Whether someone is left or right, conservative or progressive, or somewhere in the middle, we should be able to sit down and have a calm rational discussion. However, I don’t think that is possible in today’s climate.”
Fruit and corn. They have been bred to be sweeter and harder for transport, and have lost much of the subtle fruit/corn flavor they used to have.
Also imported vegetables. that we already have growing all over the country. Costco sells carrots that come from Guatemala...they've awful and tasteless! Why Guatamala?! Why not fresh from Ontario or BC...my friend didnt even realize these were from Guatemala...they looked 'off' so I grabbed the package to see what the hell was.up with thse carrots. I had one bite..blech. Why Costco, why?!..so many local farmers..
When you could write letters and not have to reply for days at a time to now we feel obliged to keep in 24/7 contact with people.
I don't feel obliged to do that, they should realize who they're talking to and adjust their expectations. :P
Housing prices
It should not cost 1000 dollars a month to live in a shoebox of an apartment, especially if you're never living there because you're out making the money to afford it.
There are few people who haven’t felt the burden of living costs in the past years. Wong explained that even before the high inflation that is happening, living costs have soared over the years.
“This is especially true for houses. These days, it’s not uncommon to still be living with your parents in your 30s as you try to save up for a house. Unless you earn a high wage, have your parents help you, and borrow a ton of money from the bank, owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult. If you have to pay off your mortgage for 30 years just to 'own' your home, I don’t really consider that to be living,” he said.
A job had a clear purpose.
So much useless "Pseudo-work" done today compared to back in the day
Internet. It was new, more friendly and funny
There were so many fun sites. And web rings! Those would take you from site to site on a particular subject so you could find others that shared your hobbies and likes.
The last thing Wong said has become a challenge these days has to do with tuition. “College tuition rates have also soared over the years. Decades ago, going to college was a lot more affordable. Even if you include inflation, it shouldn’t cost tens of thousands of dollars to go to college to get a piece of paper that may or may not help you find a well-paying job. What’s worse, you are stuck with a ton of student loans that you have to pay back now,” he concluded.
Insects, more than 40% of total have disappeared over the past decades.
Yes! People don't realize how terrible this is. Insects are at the bottom of the food chain. No bugs, means no birds, flowers, wildlife, etc! Stop replacing native plants with lawns and invasives
Shopping Malls
Before Simon bought all the malls and made them cookie-cutter nonsense, all the malls in eastern MA (USA) had their own style and personalities. It made going to the mall much more fun.
Gas prices.
Well, as a kid I do remember pulling up at a gas station hearing the bell, a guy came out, pumped the see-through pump, started filling up the tank, checked the tire pressure, washed the front windshield but, strangely enough, I can't remember how much the gas was in those days, my wife remembers $ 0.25 a gallon but this was in the 50's she said.
The future
Growing up in the 80’s after watching Red Dawn, I thought we’d all be living in a nuclear wasteland or the Russians would invade us.
Smart phones too, Reddit is the only social media I use and still I stare at this f**king thing 5 hours a day. I know I’m addicted to it and I’d love to punt it but unfortunately it’s also my phone, my map, my camera, my tape measure, my dictaphone, my Walkman etc. etc.
Shame really. I like real maps, I like my books and I look forward to a film or to series, watched on tv. I understand how addictive the smart phones can be but I think some people are moving towards just phones again like the Nokia.
Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
being able to express your opinion about something without someone getting offended no matter how innocent the subject matter
Dude... I made a dumb fucken joke the other day & got CHEWED THE F**K OUT by people online. All I said was something like... "ever feel like your brain smoked crack but your body did mound of heroin? ADHD is wild sometimes" & people were like "you're so insensitive.. people die from those drugs.. mental illness isn't a joke! How dare you mock addicts & people with adhd! How do you think an addict would feel reading your comment!" I'm like... "First of all... I think an addict who has ADHD might find that comment funny & relate to it.. I mean, I thought it was kind of funny... & I'm both a recovering addict & I have adhd. I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to make jokes about my own experiences anymore.. all because my joke about my personal feelings n thoughts might offend someone else who I don't even know.. so am I supposed to censor myself all because some stranger can't take a joke or something? I'm not doing that! But thanks for policing me"
Load More Replies...
That might've be okay, but another addition to this generation is the insane amounts of school shootings. Need to keep in contact with parents.
Load More Replies...
Kids hanging out till dark. Parents would shout from the balcony and you better be within hearing range or you are in trouble. Teenagers sitting around a fire, playing the guitar or charades. Not having having AC in your home didn't necessarily mean a death sentence in summer. A white Christmas. Reading a paper book. Going in public without fear of judgment, being robbed or catching a disease. What happened, where did it all go wrong?
I'd say Lego. I was lucky to grow up in the 90s, the golden age of Lego (or is that just my experience?). Today all they do is licensed stuff and most of the sets are heinously bad - especially considering the price!
Me and my Brothers had a huge suitcase full of Lego we sit and build entire towns and other things for hours
Load More Replies...
The American Dream was an achievable reality if you worked hard! ... and watermelon was tastier when it had seeds ;)
I only get watermelons with seeds, I also live in the south so I'm very lucky to get fresh from the garden watermelons
Load More Replies...
I feel bad for children today when I was a child if you had a bully it sucked but you could go home and feel safe. Now with technology bully's can keep attacking their victims out of school there's no place for many children to feel safe.
I had bullies and didn't feel safe at home because I lived too close to the school.
Load More Replies... The cost of proper food. It's more expensive to buy healthy vegetables, etc than it is to buy garbage processed food. Sad.
Blatant racism and the defense of same. I know this has always been a racist country. But we didn't used to have blatant racists running for office with raging racism as part of their platform. I mean we did before I was born...and then when I was young we didn't....and now we do again. Ugh.
Telephones- I actually miss not having this mini computer stuck to me at all moments- just needing a quarter if you needed to find a payphone, or having a landline at home. Now there is this constant need to be reached and to answer.
Everything... No mobile phones No internet No influences No Facebook No YouTube No snowflakes No plastic No Grunty Thunderthighs No Kardashians No more than 4 TV channels Self respect Discipline
Rage, people weren't as angry years ago. And Church, Church used to be go to a sermon about something in the Bible, sing a little then hang out afterwords. Now, it's about political and wedge issues. I shouldn't be shunned from Church because I think the Earth is not flat and because I don't believe Jesus rode on Dinosaurs.
The more free time and slower hobbies posts, I still have pen pals, cross stitch and a few other time taking hobbies. It is possible
Disneyland (California). It was affordable. I have an old ticket from March 1984 which was $10.25. Even you adjust for inflation that's only $29.03 in 2022. And it was much less crowded. I went on a weekday in January (2013) and it was packed. I didn't know so many unemployed people went to Disneyland. That was the last time I went, 7 years before I left California.
There's way too many people on the plamet and we're all using ip the resources- hence food shortages, disease, lack of living space , etc.
I really don't feel the cellphone or childhood stuff. When you're the sort of kids other kids avoid you grow up to be a lonely adult. My phone was mostly to listen to music out of home before I had internet and a boyfriend, now I talk with him and read bp or ig for about half an hour a day. When I was with him in person I only used it to see the time. I really don't get what people do in their phones so much.
Your missing movie theaters, there really good now with the sound and video quality yes, but I miss drive in theaters 😭
Instagram. Remember when Instagram didn't have ads & was just about sharing photos with friends. No algorithms. No for you page. Of course you wanted likes & followers... but that wasn't the point of posting. You just wanted to share a photo & see what your friends were doing. It was such a fun way to express yourself & all of my friends instagrams were all so unique & fun... filled with art & music they were making.. artsy pictures of their travels.. sometimes selfies but not really that often & if they were posting selfies it would always be like.. unique & fun w/ cool natural lighting or fun have an artistic quality to it. You didn't f**k with hashtags or like... videos. Just photos. I used to love Instagram so much. It was like a big art collective for friends & strangers. Where the only objective was to just have fun... now all it is is ads every 3 posts.. the algorithm hides posts from your friends & boosts pages that you don't care about. It's all fake & monetized now. I hate it
being able to express your opinion about something without someone getting offended no matter how innocent the subject matter
Dude... I made a dumb fucken joke the other day & got CHEWED THE F**K OUT by people online. All I said was something like... "ever feel like your brain smoked crack but your body did mound of heroin? ADHD is wild sometimes" & people were like "you're so insensitive.. people die from those drugs.. mental illness isn't a joke! How dare you mock addicts & people with adhd! How do you think an addict would feel reading your comment!" I'm like... "First of all... I think an addict who has ADHD might find that comment funny & relate to it.. I mean, I thought it was kind of funny... & I'm both a recovering addict & I have adhd. I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to make jokes about my own experiences anymore.. all because my joke about my personal feelings n thoughts might offend someone else who I don't even know.. so am I supposed to censor myself all because some stranger can't take a joke or something? I'm not doing that! But thanks for policing me"
Load More Replies... That might've be okay, but another addition to this generation is the insane amounts of school shootings. Need to keep in contact with parents.
Load More Replies... Kids hanging out till dark. Parents would shout from the balcony and you better be within hearing range or you are in trouble. Teenagers sitting around a fire, playing the guitar or charades. Not having having AC in your home didn't necessarily mean a death sentence in summer. A white Christmas. Reading a paper book. Going in public without fear of judgment, being robbed or catching a disease. What happened, where did it all go wrong?
I'd say Lego. I was lucky to grow up in the 90s, the golden age of Lego (or is that just my experience?). Today all they do is licensed stuff and most of the sets are heinously bad - especially considering the price!
Me and my Brothers had a huge suitcase full of Lego we sit and build entire towns and other things for hours
Load More Replies... The American Dream was an achievable reality if you worked hard! ... and watermelon was tastier when it had seeds ;)
I only get watermelons with seeds, I also live in the south so I'm very lucky to get fresh from the garden watermelons
Load More Replies... I feel bad for children today when I was a child if you had a bully it sucked but you could go home and feel safe. Now with technology bully's can keep attacking their victims out of school there's no place for many children to feel safe.
I had bullies and didn't feel safe at home because I lived too close to the school.
Load More Replies... The cost of proper food. It's more expensive to buy healthy vegetables, etc than it is to buy garbage processed food. Sad.
Blatant racism and the defense of same. I know this has always been a racist country. But we didn't used to have blatant racists running for office with raging racism as part of their platform. I mean we did before I was born...and then when I was young we didn't....and now we do again. Ugh.
Telephones- I actually miss not having this mini computer stuck to me at all moments- just needing a quarter if you needed to find a payphone, or having a landline at home. Now there is this constant need to be reached and to answer.
Everything... No mobile phones No internet No influences No Facebook No YouTube No snowflakes No plastic No Grunty Thunderthighs No Kardashians No more than 4 TV channels Self respect Discipline
Rage, people weren't as angry years ago. And Church, Church used to be go to a sermon about something in the Bible, sing a little then hang out afterwords. Now, it's about political and wedge issues. I shouldn't be shunned from Church because I think the Earth is not flat and because I don't believe Jesus rode on Dinosaurs.
The more free time and slower hobbies posts, I still have pen pals, cross stitch and a few other time taking hobbies. It is possible
Disneyland (California). It was affordable. I have an old ticket from March 1984 which was $10.25. Even you adjust for inflation that's only $29.03 in 2022. And it was much less crowded. I went on a weekday in January (2013) and it was packed. I didn't know so many unemployed people went to Disneyland. That was the last time I went, 7 years before I left California.
There's way too many people on the plamet and we're all using ip the resources- hence food shortages, disease, lack of living space , etc.
I really don't feel the cellphone or childhood stuff. When you're the sort of kids other kids avoid you grow up to be a lonely adult. My phone was mostly to listen to music out of home before I had internet and a boyfriend, now I talk with him and read bp or ig for about half an hour a day. When I was with him in person I only used it to see the time. I really don't get what people do in their phones so much.
Your missing movie theaters, there really good now with the sound and video quality yes, but I miss drive in theaters 😭
Instagram. Remember when Instagram didn't have ads & was just about sharing photos with friends. No algorithms. No for you page. Of course you wanted likes & followers... but that wasn't the point of posting. You just wanted to share a photo & see what your friends were doing. It was such a fun way to express yourself & all of my friends instagrams were all so unique & fun... filled with art & music they were making.. artsy pictures of their travels.. sometimes selfies but not really that often & if they were posting selfies it would always be like.. unique & fun w/ cool natural lighting or fun have an artistic quality to it. You didn't f**k with hashtags or like... videos. Just photos. I used to love Instagram so much. It was like a big art collective for friends & strangers. Where the only objective was to just have fun... now all it is is ads every 3 posts.. the algorithm hides posts from your friends & boosts pages that you don't care about. It's all fake & monetized now. I hate it
