A while back, we wrote a post where Reddit users shared tons of things that used to be good until people ruined them. In the comments, even more people called out other "good" things that became wayyy too popular. Here are the surprising results:
1. "Garage/yard sales. People used to use them to get rid of their junk. Now, everything is priced to rival brand-new products, and it’s ridiculous. Same with flea markets! People aren’t selling their junk anymore. They’re reselling things they pick off the curb for prices comparable to store sales. It’s stupid and ruined a lot of fun."
2. "Ride-sharing apps. They are so expensive now that it's really not worth using unless you're too intoxicated to drive. I used to take them to any event I went to, but now, paying for parking is significantly cheaper. A 10 to 15-minute ride during the weekend evening/night hours is probably a minimum of $50 now."
3. "The Food Network used to be a place where I could learn recipes or listen while doing mindless activities. Now, everything is a competition, super over-exaggerated, and just not even worth it."
"Lifetime used to show some wholesome bad acting movies and shows, but now, it's just reality TV or crime shows. The pandemic made too many people believe they are cooks, podcasters, crime scene journalists, singers, dancers, and gym trainers."
4. "Las Vegas! It used to be a cool place for adults to get away to dress up, get free booze, and maybe win a few bucks. Now, it’s nothing more than a pot-filled circus of naked dancers stepping over people passed out lying in their own piss and vomit. And forget about an all-you-can-eat steak buffet for $5. You’re lucky if you can get a bottle of water for that."
"I miss the Rat Pack, Elvis, 'classy' Vegas of the past."
5. "Key West used to be a small, quirky, little historic village. Now, it's a cruise ship destination where they dump 6,000 T-shirt shoppers a day on the island's streets."
6. "Voice acting. It used to be people who did amazing work, but they weren't household names. Now, every animated movie has superstar actors as the voices, and it's even creeped into audiobooks. I don't need to hear a celebrity read a book...that just takes me out of the story. There are so many talented voice actors who aren't getting a chance to shine."
7. "Etsy! People are selling items bought off Walmart, Amazon, Wish, even using the pictures from those websites to advertise them, at a hefty markup."
8. "Food trucks and food pods. There's one up the street charging $8 for a burger with American cheese. They want $4.50 for a slider and $2.50 for water. They used to be cheap and convenient, and they are now neither."
9. "Gray interiors. Just a few years ago, if you wanted neutral but didn't want beige, gray was a novel and interesting choice. Now, it's the banalest thing I've ever seen in home design, and wow, that happened fast."
10. "Good music, completely ruined by TikTok. Some songs I liked before TikTok, and there are some I liked after TikTok used them. But any song I happen to like, whether I found it on TikTok or not, I get made fun of simply because it was on there — and then, those songs are deemed overrated or stupid because of it."
"'Heat Waves?' 'Sex, Drugs, Etc.?' I thought those were great songs, but then I mention in passing that I like this song, and it's like, 'Ew, you like that song?' YES, I like GOOD MUSIC."
11. "Estate auctions. I used to have to drive for many miles and tramp through the mud to an old barn, or sit in a dusty old auction house to bid on treasures. Now, it's all online, and EVERYBODY suddenly needs a copper tea kettle from 1974."
12. "Fancy burgers. I just want a decent tasting burger that isn't stacked so high and has so many ingredients that I just end up wearing half of it, as the first bite I take pushes the ingredients out onto me. Then, I have to pay 20 quid for the privilege of wearing my food."
13. "It’s hard to believe now that Facebook was ever anything other than a cesspool of misinformation because it’s just far removed now from what it was. I started my profile in 2010 during my senior year of high school; I was one of the last kids to do it, and very few people over the age of 30 had profiles on the site. It literally went downhill the minute our parents started to use it."
"But it’s millennials 'ruining everything,' right?"
14. "Youth sports. They used to be a healthy way for kids to try something new, meet other kids, and spend free time. Now, the sport will leave you behind by age 8 if the parents didn't fully commit to private coaching, travel leagues, etc."
"Rural and small towns have been a bit more insulated from this trend, but more suburban and urban areas are now extremely competitive and parent-driven."
15. "House flippers have destroyed any mid-century home within 100 miles of me. I got stuck buying a place built in 1975 that hadn't been too-too destroyed, when I really wanted one from the '50s/'60s with original details, but they are ALL gone where I live."
"I now lust online over homes in Nowheresville, Illinois and Michigan for my mid-century fix. Oh well...maybe when I retire."
16. "TV, social media, and the internet. Almost everything on that's been 'ruined' is because of exposure. Very few special events or places that have not been overrun by people just wanting a photo op to post to show how 'cool' they think they are, and then it's on to the next thing/photo op afterwards."
17. "People are buying up houses in places that used to be unique little neighborhoods and turning them into pricey Airbnbs. And now, small business owners can't afford the rent to their little shops anymore that made the neighborhood unique, let alone afford to live anywhere near the shop."
"Take a look at the Venice Beach area in California — it's happening all over now. Sucks the personality right out of the areas."
"Also to add to Airbnb, it's ruined the housing market in a lot of areas. Luckily, where I live, they put a cap on vacation rentals, but we couldn't move back to our hometown where our families are because people and investors are buying up all the houses to turn them into vacation rentals. Locals can't even find long-term rentals anymore. I have heard that bookings have been slow lately with all the fees, so it's slowly starting to backfire on those people, but it still sucks. Because of this, I will NEVER stay in one ever again."
18. "Anything people can resell en masse for profit. The biggest ones are essential needs like housing (increase in flipping, investment buying, Airbnbs price people out of their homes and neighborhoods) and affordable clothing at thrift stores because good quality and brand-name items just get resold online for profit."
"But it's also a problem in leisure and arts with increases in investment/markup resales in vinyl records, games, concert tickets, etc., making many of them difficult to afford unless you're a collector or have lots of expendable income. That money also doesn't go to supporting creators."
And finally...
19. "My biggest pet peeve is definitely streaming services. I'm used to watching TV and flipping around, but nowadays, you have to go to a streaming service, watch 10 measly episodes of a show, and then have to wait a year or more to get more episodes, which can even be as short as eight episodes."
"I can't even remember what the hell I've watched, or when something comes back, I can't even remember where the hell I left off. It's all just so stupid and confusing."
What are some other things that were "good" until people ruined them? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.