From technology to behavior, there’s a lot of stuff from the 2000s that we just don’t see here in the 2020s. We asked our Diply community which things they’ve noticed have disappeared, and boy did some hot takes sure come in! Let’s check them out.
Not watching the news
Klara had the most relatable comment right off the bat: “I no longer watch the news regularly because it’s too depressing!”
I also can’t take news in the way I used to. Not only do we get regular news updates via social media, the updates we do get are so frequent and often so dark that it makes consuming more news via the TV very unappealing.
Late night fun
Mary said: “Midnight trips to Walmart.”
I miss those! I’m pretty sure we lost these during the pandemic, and we’re all the worse for it. There was something so fun about visiting a store at midnight. It felt like you were in a liminal space, you know?
Good riddance to this one!
“Going over your cell phone minutes lol,” Diana said. I do NOT miss the days of having to nickel and dime your phone usage. I remember being terrified of going over my phone data by a single MB. Times have changed for the better, truly.
RIP to a real one
“Loading your cds for a good playlist,” Sean said.
Having a zip-file folder full of neatly arranged CDs was so satisfying. I was more of a “plug your phone into your car via a headphone jack” kinda girl, but I do miss the CD days sometimes!
TV sure is different these days
“Waiting for the next episode of a TV show to come out, then running to the bathroom dueing a commercial so you don’t miss it.”
This may be a hot take, but I really miss the days of waiting week to week for something. I’m happy some streaming services still do it, because it really helps build momentum and public conversation about a show. It’s more fun!
Ring, ring
Lydia said, “Checking your answering machine!!”
These days, your voicemail is probably full of spam. That still happened back when we used answering machines, but it was definitely more common to have a voicemail from a friend, rather than a telemarketer. (Most of the time, anyway.)
Paper stuff in general
Multiple commenters said they don’t see Christmas cards or Thank You cards anymore. They’re definitely more rare these days! Christmas cards have gone digital, and thank you cards are thank you texts now.
Communication has changed so much
Tina said she doesn’t see “long distance phone calls” anymore. It’s true, to an extent – we don’t really have to think twice about dialling “long distance,” since it won’t cost us an arm and a leg to do it anymore. Phew!
Kodak moments are much faster now
“Taking film to be developed/ picking up your pics,” David said.
I’m really glad that we live in an age where we can store every picture we want to take on our phones, with no concern for running out of film and having to buy more! But I definitely miss having those physical copies – they’re so fun to look through!
Yo-ho, yo-ho…
“VHS taped movies,” Fawn said.
See, there used to be a time where you could pretty easily copy a movie by recording it off the TV when it aired on a random network. These days, they call that “pirating.” That also goes for burning CDs!
Slower, easier work days
I think everyone misses this one. “Working without constant interruptions from Microsoft teams and emails and texts,” Kim said.
The need to constantly be connected and tracked at all times is a definite societal downgrade.
Extra extra, read all about it!
“Reading a newspaper,” Francine said.
There’s something so indulgent about holding a newspaper and truly reading it from start to finish. Now we get our news beamed directly into our eyeballs from a bunch of different newspapers all vying for our attention. Yeah, this one is also a bit of a downgrade.
Do they even sell these anymore?
“More home phones than cell phones,” Heather said.
I haven’t seen a landline in actual years. I’ve only ever had a cell number, and my parents got rid of their landline a decade ago. Does anyone still have a landline in this day and age?
Being a parent must be wild
“You just got pregnant and had a baby without gender reveal/ baby shower nonsense,” Alice said.
I can’t imagine dealing with all the fuss that comes with having a kid these days. I’m sure it’s fun for some, but I think many of us can agree that gender reveal parties have had their moment.
I still mourn this one
“LimeWire,” Eva said.
LimeWire was a very illegal site that us teens used to use to find our favorite songs without having to pay for them. The Spotify era is definitely an upgrade from us filling our computers with a billion viruses trying to get one good copy of “Crazy in Love.”
These are gone for good
“Payphones,” Jordan pointed out.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a payphone, let alone a functioning one. They were already on their way out when I was a teen, but I think they’re definitely rare these days.
What haven’t you seen in a while? Let us know in the comments!
