Thinking back of growing up in the 2000’s I can’t stress how much I miss those times. I’m a guy born in 2003 and it feels like this was the core environment that shaped my identity and this is missing now.
I don’t know how much this is just normal nostalgia that every generation will have about their childhood, but this feels special. If I could describe the times of my childhood in one word, I would call it “wholesome”.
Growing up in a world that started to have modern tech but didn’t have this hyperconnected depressing digital landscape of social media and phones that we are finding us in now, I’m thinking it might’ve been the optimal environment for experiencing joy and I miss it so much.
I miss the times of constantly spending time outside with other kids and even the tech where all we had was a Nintendo 3DS but the system was so immersive and detailed where I spend so much time just collecting coins in StreetPass by walking outside, connecting to friends and making Mii’s and watching them walk through the Mii maker, sending virtual letters to friends etc. And of course, I also miss the shows such as Zoe 101, iCarly, Victorious and the movies, the creativity of crafting things.
Nowadays everything feels so cold and soulless. Everything seems to maximize on efficiency and is so fast paced. Kids nowadays grow up with hyperconnected phones watching brain rot short form TikToks without an end and without any meaning. It feels like there is no “character” and no “vibe” to the world anymore.
It’s like this immergence of this hyper connected digital landscape removed and destroyed our souls and now we are all zombies.
I miss the joy, the glamor and it feeling like endless times as if I would stay a kid forever. But turns out this is not the case and now I’m finding myself in this cold and meaningless world searching for the depth, purpose, joy and meaning that I only remember from my childhood when I felt small and the world seemed so big and like a giant adventure. Now everything overwhelms me and it feels frustrating always being able to get everything and the temptation feels so strong that it seems impossible to distance myself from the modern distractions. I wish they would design products as playful, joyful and wholesome like they were when I was a kid again and that we could generally have such a culture back.
Anyone else feeling like this?
When you were young you didn’t have responsibilities and demands on your time. You could spend a few hours with friends hanging out and doing nothing much. You could also go out and have fun, not worrying about dinner or getting things ready for tomorrow too much.
Now you are an adult and have to manage money, washing, dishes, lawns, taxes, and so on, so you are much busier. I think this makes the past seem great by comparison, so you latch on to whatever is obviously different to now and attribute the change to that, however this is not necessarily the cause of the change.
That said, maybe it was better, but for people I care about I would never want things to go backwards, their lives are much better than they were back when I was a kid.