It’s strange to think just how much has changed in the past twenty years. If you’re over a certain age, it’s strange to think how long ago the year 2000 was, if we’re being honest.
Between the rapidly shifting state of the world and the constantly updating of how we use the internet and technology, there are more than a few things that were normal 20 years ago – and are now completely obsolete.
10. Cell phones were way different!
Long phone calls with your crush (after 8pm cause it was free then).
Just having a limited number of minutes and text messages you could use in a month.
In HS I texted my friend during class, complaining about how the bag of chips I’d bought at the vending machine was mostly air. After school she said “If you ever cost me 10 cents for something so stupid again I’m going to kill you.”
9. Kids today have it so easy.
Lol! If I wanted to know lyrics I’d have to sit with my tape player if I owned the cassette and/or recorded off the radio, and play, write it down, rewind, make corrections, rinse, repeat.
It was a little better when I was in middle school and CD players were more popular. My parents got me one for Xmas 1998. CDs were easier to track back and forward so writing lyrics was less tedious. God, if kids these days knew that I/we did that…
they’d probably try to bully me cause they’re all little Tik Tok jerks now.
8. So many sibling fights!
Waiting for the internet to connect. Yelling at someone in the house for being on the phone when you can’t connect.
I kept a folder of music lyrics that I ripped out of Dolly/Girlfriend magazines. Also loved reading the booklet inside the CD of all the lyrics.
Recording songs off the radio to make a personal mix tape. Always got annoyed at the DJ for talking over the end of the song.
7. Smoking sections everywhere.
I have a vivid memory from around 2000 of being at a fine dining restaurant with my family and my grandmother casually smoking a cigarette and ashing into a crystal ashtray and nobody batting an eye.
Today I think you’d get arrested for smoking in a restaurant, at the very least you’d get kicked out by the manager
6. Your parents probably had one, though.
Not having a cell phone.
Having a few quarters on you instead. Oh, and a beeper.
5. Not sorry this is gone. Ha!
Saying dot com at the end of everything because it was cool to do so.
Woah dude, that’s so sweet. it’s the bomb dot com!
expedia DOT CooOOOOOOOOMMMMMmmm jingle, but just applied to any .com.
4. You have to go through so many bad ones.
Struggling to find a clean .mp3 file of that new hot song to burn onto your cd, meticulously kept in a binder with its peers.
3. They’re near and dear to your heart.
Having burnt CDs from your friends with no writing on them but you know what songs are on it because you recognize CD just from its color
2. That dial-up sound is burned in our brains.
Using AOL.
No one else will tell me when I have mail.
1. BINDERS of CDs.
My car got broken into and they stole my stereo and binders of burnt CDs. I was more mad about the CDs because I could buy a new stereo but it’s a pain in the ass to burn dozens of CDs again.
I hope those thieves enjoyed a lot of prog rock.
I’m feeling especially decrepit now, how about you?
What would you put on this list? Do you miss it?
Tell us about it in the comments!
