You know what I miss the most about the 1990s?
There were no cell phones and it was glorious!
Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone, but there was something really fun
What do you miss about the ’90s?
Let see how folks responded on AskReddit.
1. Not anymore…
“The privacy.
I was just a kid/young teenager but I only knew my best friends intimately. The rest of my class I didn’t know or care.
Now it’s like all your followers are in your bedroom/home when you post to social media. Anyway.”
2. Where’d they go?
“Magazines! Everyone had their favorites for what ever hobby or interest you had.
For me it was Guitar World, picking up the issues with bands I loved and plinking along to the Tab on my c**ppy electric guitar! For my wife it was 17, checking out the most recent trends! Or Thrasher when it was just a skate magazine and not a clothing brand.
Even Rolling Stone was a big deal for mainstream artists. Then those of us into an alterna crowd there were tattoo mags like Savage. Me and my wife used to scour our local 7-11’s waiting for the new issue of Savage to show up!
I get that you can find blogs, etc online with the same info and most of these mags still exist but it’s just not the same!”
3. True.
“Music felt more special because you kind of had to take some risks when buying a CD.
At best you could listen to it at one of the stations in the store, but other times you might have heard a song on the radio or watched a music video on MTV.
I bought some albums where only the song I liked was good, but still tried to appreciate it all. And then you had some albums that were legendary and you could bring to friends houses just to share and listen to.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still amazed and appreciate having pretty much any song on my phone, but the lack of access was a fun time. The discovery and sharing was just different.”
4. Yup.
“I miss living a non-monetized life.
Presently, I feel if there’s a way to charge someone for doing or thinking something/anything, it’s been or is being implemented.
And f**k subscriptions for EVERYTHING.”
5. Looking bleak…
“This is going to sound depressing but I was in my teens and had optimistic hopes and dreams for the future, both for myself and for the world in general.
It’s all been replaced with misanthropy, I’m pessimistic about the future and have very low expectations of what’s to come for humans including myself.”
6. Good gaming.
“The gaming.
N64 with goldeneye, Ocarina of time, rogue squadron.
It was my peak Computer gaming time too with hours spent on several Sid Meyer, Maxis and roller coaster tycoon games.”
7. Dark times (in a good way).
“There was a large goth scene.
I like the goths. All the ones I knew cared for each other, were good people at heart.
Might have a tough exterior, but they were the kind of people you want around when you are feeling unsafe, or had a mental health crisis.”
8. Definitely.
“The variety of music that was popular all at once.
Just look at the lineups for Lollapalooza and the Warped tour.”
9. ‘Toons.
“1990s cartoons were so much better than they are today.
Kids these days are like little grown-ups, they don’t have a childhood as we did back then.”
10. Hanging out.
“Honestly the thing I miss the most, and the thing that is so hard to explain to modern kids, is “hanging out.” Before cell phones, people used to just go to each other’s homes, or to some public space, and just spend time together.
This continued well into the internet era but smartphones large k**led it. Early cell phones were very basic and functional, basically just like having a landline in your car/bag/pocket.
You could call someone or receive a call, but what did you say? Most of the time it was just making plans to hang out in person. You weren’t using the cell phone for long phone calls just to chat–those minutes were expensive.”
11. Nobody’s perfect.
“I miss that there was less pressure to be perfect.
Nowadays due to social media, especially sites like Instagram, so many young people feel like it’s necessary to always be dressed well, always wear a full face of make-up, etc.
Sure, we had unrealistic beauty standards and plastic surgery before, but to me it feels like it’s gotten much, much worse and also much more uniform than before.”
12. The big list.
“Pearl Jam, U2, Radiohead, and the Smashing Pumpkins consistently putting out good music.
Half of our country not hating the other half of our country because of team sports politics, 24/7 “news,” and normalized propaganda.
Relative economic prosperity.
Not having to worry about every movement you make being tracked on cameras.
Big data not existing.
If we go pre-Contract with America, politicians working across the aisle. Blockbuster.
The world before 9/11 and the Patriot Act, when Echelon and Carnivore were in their infancy and not an existential threat.
Longer springs and autumns.
Nerd culture being a well guarded insular fiefdom that outsiders didn’t understand or care about.
Unparalleled film quality and innovation.
The incessant cage match of Brit Pop bands working their a**es off to outdo each other.
Socially acceptable s**king.
Local retail businesses that hadn’t been wiped out by big box mega corporations.
US global hegemony.
Wu-Tang.
That’s the tip of the iceberg, but that’s what comes to mind.”
What do you miss about the 1990s?
Talk to us in the comments and let us know.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
