Lisa O
Nothing strikes like nostalgia; it takes us back to our childhood memories and the things we loved in the bygone era. As the world moves at the pace of light, most of today’s mundane things will be nostalgic in 15 years, be it smartphones, social media apps, trendy wear, or work practices. But the 20s will have its own mark in the world of nostalgia. Let’s peek into the future and have a look at 20 things we will miss.
TikTok Trends
The Chinese lip-syncing app, TikTok will be the nostalgia filled treasure of the 20’s. The trending dances to the comedy sketches, TikTok has been a phenomenon that has gripped the entire world from all ages. In future, we will recall the time we spent scrolling the “For You” page, the excitement of trying a new trend and sharing hilarious videos with our near and dear ones.
USB Drives
The USB drives we use to save and share files will be the iconic symbol of the 2020s. We will remember the good old days when we plugged in the USB and got our documents, favorite photos, and music in seconds. With the growing cloud storage, we will carry our lives in our pockets in the future, but for now, it’s the USBs that will take the place of the floppy disks in our nostalgia.
Bootcut Jeans
The denim fantasy, bootcut jeans, will be the comfortable style icons of the 20s. The relaxed fit and flared-leg style jeans have been the first choice for daily wear. In 15 years, we will recall the innumerable looks we made with our faithful bootcut jeans, from casual weekend wear to dressed-up versions. These multipurpose pants will be the era’s icon.
Working from Home
With millions of employees working from home, the 20s was the era of the massive transition from office desks to home desks. In the future, we will recall the comfort and the struggles of working from home, the lazy mornings, the never-ending video meetings, the spillover of office work to personal life, and so on. We will remember the ease of working from home and the special relationship we shared with our colleagues over the virtual meeting.
Physical Credit Cards
The cards will die out, and digital payments will take over the world. We will remember the good old days when we swiped the magnetic strip with satisfaction and signed the receipts. With the mobile wallets and the biometric payment scans, we will remember the plastic pieces that used to fill our wallets. We might miss carrying the cards but will definitely breathe a sigh of relief with the ease of digital payments.
Paper Books
Paper books might not be completely wiped out, but they will be less likely to be seen in daily life and will be replaced by digital versions. The paper feel, the ink smell, and the weight of your favorite book will drive you to nostalgia. We will remember the happy times spent in bookstores, building our home libraries, and reading paper books on lazy rainy days.
Crop Tops
Midriff-baring tops will be the icons of 2020s fashion. Crop tops were the sexy and fun-going trend that defined the era. From daytime casual wear to a nighttime glamorous look, crop tops were versatile and stylish fashion. In 15 years, we will recall the innumerable types of crop tops we tried and the iconic styles of the celebrities that made us fall for this sexy trend.
Cash
With digital payments on the rise, physical currency notes and coins will soon be a thing of the past. We will look back in time and talk about the days when we used to carry stuffed wallets with money. Digital payments may be convenient and secure, but the physical presence of cash will symbolize the days when we dealt with tangibles and not just figures on a screen.
The major source of love stories in the 20’s and online dating will be the nostalgic memories of virtual romantic encounters. From swiping left and right to the best profile picture, online dating in the form of Tinder, Bumble, and others has been a major part of relationships. We will recall the butterflies we got when we matched with a good looking fellow, the hilarious and sometimes awkward conversations, and the way we found our special ones over these apps.
Influencer Culture
The phenomenon that took over social media in the 20’s, influencer culture, will be the nostalgic icons of the era. The fashion bloggers, beauty gurus, fitness motivators, travel junkies, and influencers have been the style and trend icons of this generation. In 15 years, we will recall the way these virtual celebrities motivated us to dress up, the products we got to know through influencers and the entertainment we get through their feeds and stories.
Face Masks
Face masks were the must-have accessory of the 20s, and they will be nostalgic icons of the era. The colorful cloth masks, the surgical and disposable ones, these coverings will be symbols of the global pandemic and the unity of the people. In the future, we will recall the protection masks gave us from the virus, the different ways we styled masks as part of our outfits, and the solidarity masks provided to us as humanity.
Wired Headphones
Wireless technology is taking over every aspect, and wired headphones will be the lovable accessories in the past. We will remember the good old days when we plugged in the headphones, carried the cords in our pockets, and untangled them before use. Wireless technology gives us freedom of movement, but we will remember the wired cables that used to limit us.
Physical Newspapers
Digital news is the new norm, but in 15 years, it is possible that there will be no physical newspapers. Then, we will remember the days when we got the newspaper at the door and the ink fingers that showed we were reading the printed news. The digital platforms provide the news in seconds, but the physical newspaper will always remind us of the reading habits that used to limit us to the content we wanted to read.
Plastic Straws
Environmental concerns will shift to sustainable alternatives, and plastic straws will no longer be sold. But we’ll surely miss sipping our favorite drinks through the plastic, the colorful and wacky straws that made the drinks more enjoyable. Reusable and biodegradable straws will take the place of plastic ones, but we will always remember the straw days when we preferred convenience over the environment.
Mechanical Watches
Smartwatches and digital clocks will be everywhere, and you will hardly see mechanical watches in the future. We will remember the gears and movements that keep the time, the weight of the good watch on the wrists, and the history and legacy that the mechanical watches carry with them. The smartwatches will provide more than time, but we will always remember the art and craft that the mechanical watches represent.
Bookstores
Online shopping and e-books will become more widespread, and you will hardly see bookstores in the future. We will remember the happy days when we spent hours in the bookstores, reading the infinite options, and discovering our new favorite author. Online shopping will provide convenience, but we will always remember the bookstores as the magical places where we spend our wonderful years.
Music Albums and Concerts
We will remember the albums we constantly played on our iPods, iPhones, or CDs, the concerts we attended with our friends, and the musicians who related to our very essence. We will remember the chills we got from the lyrics of a powerful song, the loud music and energy from a concert, and the uniting force of music that brought people together and formed a community.
Remote Controls
Voice-activated commands and home automation will replace remote controls. We will remember the lost remote days, the feeling of pressing the buttons to change the channels or the volume, and the moments of passing the remote in the living room. Voice and home automation will replace remote buttons, but we will always remember the feel of the remote controls in our hands.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing apps like Zoom and Teams kept us connected in the 20s. From official meetings to online education, from family calls to happy hours with colleagues, these apps and the video call culture have been a part of our daily lives. But in the future, we will recall the funny appearances in the background, the you’re on mute moments, and the way we got closer to others over these video calls.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality and augmented reality made their way into the world in the 20’s; from gaming to concerts and art shows, VR and AR made the impossible possible. We will look back at the fun and adventure of trying different virtual reality games, the curiosity to see the augmented reality elements over the actual things, and the social gatherings in the VR spaces.