Ah, the good ol’ days of the 80s and 90s when social interaction didn’t come pre-packaged with emojis and a palm-sized screen that doubles as a lifeline. Back in those innocent times, we had to resort to our dazzling personalities and, if necessary, the occasional sticker-covered trapper keeper to engage our peers. Nowadays, kids are like, “Why bother with face-to-face conversations when I can just send a meme?” Listen, kid, there was something beautifully human about walking up to someone, or sometimes, I don’t know, actually texting them (on a Nokia, of course), and being met with that awkward silence before the words “What’s up?” would alleviate a universe of tension. Spoiler: It usually wasn’t anything important.
Let’s not forget the fine art of calling someone on the phone. The sound of a dial tone was like a siren call of adventure. We didn’t have GPS to save us from getting lost on the way to the mall. Oh no, we had the time-honored tradition of getting lost, sometimes finding ourselves in a grimy arcade, battling it out on Street Fighter while praying our parents wouldn’t send a search party. Kids today wouldn’t last five minutes trying to navigate the wild, untamed jungles of payphones or the treacherous waters of asking someone to borrow a quarter. All they have to navigate now is their TikTok feed, and let’s be honest: that's not exactly a high-stakes survival skill.
Speaking of classics, let’s not overlook the fashion. Baggy jeans so wide you could fit a family of raccoons inside, scrunchies that could double as weapons, and fluorescent windbreakers that had the uncanny ability to blind anyone looking in your direction. Every outfit was a mini time capsule of vibrant colors and fashion faux pas that we now wear with pride (well, maybe not the hyper-color T-shirts). It was a simpler time when “layering” didn’t mean overusing your Instagram filters but rather wearing a turtleneck under a flannel, with some neon leg warmers to spice things up. I mean, who doesn’t want to walk around looking like a reduced-price cast member from "The Breakfast Club"?
Now, when I look back, it’s like staring into a sepia-toned photo of a simpler time free from the chains of social media validation. The nostalgia is real, but let’s be honest—if we had Insta back then, we would've been the most self-absorbed generation. Big hair, oversized sunglasses, and endless selfies of us doing absolutely nothing except hanging out in basements watching VHS tapes until the sun came up seemed totally fine. It was the creative zenith of what we now refer to as “doing nothing.” And you know, just thinking about it makes me want to grab a Zima and relive those mocking, glorious days because, dear friends, nothing says “youth” like a Group of Friends VHS recording of our adventures in total oblivion.