The Real Reason 90s Kids Are So Nostalgic
It is no secret that the latest generation of young adults has taken over social media with nostalgia for their youth. Everywhere that you look, it seems that teens and young adults are sharing, tweeting, and reblogging posts referencing pop culture of years past. Many brush this off as a trend or a side-effect of coming of age, but could there be something deeper at play here?
The previous generations of children had a childhood filled with toys and the great outdoors. The following generation occupies their free time with video games and the Internet. Usually, such a complete lifestyle revolution would take generations. However, the reality is that this change required only ten years… the formative decade in the life of a "90s kid."
When we were young, we were born into a society obsessed with games, athleticism, and adventure. Some of our greatest memories were skateboarding, street basketball, catching lightning bugs and butterflies… anything that combined allowed us to get outside and have fun. A computer was a loud, slow piece of technology that took up space in the corner of the office or living room, and video games were a way to pass time on a rainy day or car trip.
However, at some critical point in our youth, kids stopped playing in the street during the summer. Instead, they invited their friends over to play video games, which became a symbol of social status in lieu of toys and sports tricks… eventually, they didn't even have to come over—they could play them online. Computers were no longer one to a home; instead, they could comfortably fit on your lap and, later, in your pocket. These few short years were enough to cause irreparable lifestyle differences between even siblings.
The thing to understand is that the 90s were not simply another childhood, they were a series of advancements which launched society at full force into a new millennium. We remember the turn of the century, counting down to the ball drop and a Marty McFly future, but none of us ever imagined it would happen so fast. One advancement after another propelled us forward into a different world… a few of us were bound to get caught in-between.
Next time you see a post written by nostalgic "90s kids" have a bit of insight and respect. We are a group which belong to neither the past, nor the future. We are reminding each other that we are not alone—that our pastimes and lifestyles which were so suddenly stripped from us continue to live on in our memories. We are giving each other verification that there are others out there who truly do relate to us. Even though we might not admit it, we know that the 90s could not possibly have truly been the best decade in all of history… it was just the one we felt be truly belonged in.
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