The ’90s called, they want their phones back.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/10105454

• Gen Z’s nostalgia for the early 2000s is sparking a revival of landline phones, seen as a retro-chic escape from the digital age.

• Influenced by '90s and 2000s TV shows, young adults like Nicole Randone and Sam Casper embrace landlines for their vintage appeal.

• Urban Outfitters capitalizes on Gen Z’s love for nostalgia by selling retro items like landline phones alongside fashion trends from the '90s and 2000s.

  • SilverShark@beehaw.org
    2·
    9 months ago

    It’s especially weird when you see these videos where they put very young people with some tech from the 90s, and the young person won’t know what such a tech is.

    Like, the classic is a floppy disk. They fell out of use in the mid 2000s. So someone born in the mid 2000s likely never saw one in use. And why should they? The ironic part is that people being impressed that a 18 year old doesn’t know what a floppy disk is, also doesn’t realize that floppys only become commercially available since the 70s. So a technology that had a lifespan of 30 to 40 years isn’t widely recognize… yeah… super impressive.

    • 4dpuzzle@beehaw.orgEnglish
      1·
      9 months ago

      I watched a few videos like that. It’s OK most of the time. Those videos help see things from the perspective of the younger generation. It also helps you appreciate how much the world has changed.

      Their confusion is understandable, if not amusing. It’s fascinating to see some kids figure things out in a short time. Yet others have unreal knowledge about things they may have only heard about.

      The only really annoying part is when some kids mock the elder generation for the ‘primitive’ tech and lifestyle they’ve had. Older tech may be primitive, but they were essential steps to what they have now. Even more, those older tech were things you could tinker with and learn - unlike the soldered and glued black boxes we have today. Besides, sometimes a little less tech is good for your emotional wellbeing.

      What I learned from those videos is that those kids are as diverse as any other generation. Only their perspectives have changed.

      • SilverShark@beehaw.org
        1·
        9 months ago

        You know what, you completely changed my opinion of these videos. I now think I had an unnecessary negative view on these.

        This really made my day. Thanks kind stranger!