Allow Others to Experience Your Memories without Resentment

Megan Gizinski | Editor

Photo Credit: Cottonbro via Pexels

Lisa Frank, flip phones, vinyl records, Polaroid cameras- all things that have made a comeback in the 2020s that have millennials and boomers alike screaming, “Those aren’t new,” and, “The new generation always thinks they have something new to contribute” Insert a multitude of laughing-crying emojis here. 

However, no one is claiming to reinvent the wheel. In fact, in a sea of Facebook comments complaining about how teens now-a-days are stealing from the best generation, no one has stopped to comment on the whys of these nostalgic resurrections.

As a so-called Zillenial- on the cusp of Gen-Z and Millennial- I have had the privilege and curse of growing up in a world with little to no technology, and being the target audience for the newest apps and online platforms. As a child, I felt immense pride in being able to call a friend on my home phone by memory, no phonebook required. I loved listening to the same 60 seconds of a Britney Spears song on my HitClips. I was devastated when my Tamagotchi was confiscated in class, because there was no pause button. He was going to DIE without me! Rest in peace, Tom… and Tom Two, and Tom Three.

I also was a pre-teen when the first iPod Touch came out. So, while I was still rocking my Nokia flip phone, I was simultaneously installing a fake lighter app and T-Pain-ifying my voice. I began downloading forms of what I did not know would one day be the thing in which society centered around- social media.

My iPod turned into an iPhone. Apps such as Hot or Not and Rate Me had become the craze. I switched from only being able to access Twitter on a computer to having it at my fingertips. I knew nothing of internet safety as I chatted away to strangers on Kik and Meet Me. It was no longer just teen magazines targeting my self-esteem. I was being attacked from all sides.

Fast forward to today, and social media is inescapable. While we may have tamed titles from Hot or Not, everything you post is being scrutinized by strangers, friends, or family. Your social media presence is essential for building your business, and if you are not up on trends, it is harder to stand out. Apps have even started giving you your personal metrics so you can track how well your online presence is and compare you to your own self.

I will find myself closing Instagram, then having a moment of boredom and mindlessly opening it back up to scroll through Reels.

The world has become so technology heavy, that, even if I wanted to take a break from it, I would be sacrificing communication with my family and friends, or progress on my business. 

The farther we move away from the 90s and 2000s, the more “nostalgia-bate” has become a focus. People, including myself, are transfixed over TikToks of an early 2000s bedroom with a bulky tv playing compilations of old shows. Girls are posting hairstyle how-tos using Bumpits, or teasing their hair into oblivion. Y2K fashion is all the rage, and there is no shortage of videos showing vintage thrift store clothing hauls.

These videos are popular, not because people are pretending to be the inventors of claw clips, but because studies show teens are becoming nostalgic for a time they barely even existed in. As a society, we are being held captive by technology while yearning for simpler times. As much as we can say to simply ditch technology, it has become embedded into important aspects of our lives.

I say, let people collect Pogs, lava lamps, and Furbys without arguing over who had it first. The science shows, they know you had it first, and they feel dread over that fact every day.

Imagine what it would be like if instead of arguing over trends, we reminisced together, and even shared our own knowledge. What if we did not go through life thinking an entire decade was able to be stolen, and empathize with the younger generation, knowing that we maybe did get to live in the best timeline, and they will never experience a life of no technology.

Signed, a tired Zillenial who got to live in both worlds.