'Millennials, what's something that's now considered nostalgic to you because it doesn't exist anymore?': Millennials discuss things that they have started to feel nostalgic about because they don't exist anymore

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Nov 14, 2026 1:15 PM EST

What's something that you really miss because it doesn't exist anymore?

Let's do a throwback to the olden days: the 90s and the 2000s. A lot of things have changed in since the 1990, teh internet has become a massive force that we can't run away from, the education system has changed a lot, and people behave differently like the did. We could be all day mentioning changes that have happened since then, and we would probably not mention everything. I like to define the current age as a new world era where nothing is how it used to be, in the good and bad way. We are not the same people we were, and we will never be able to go back. So we have to enjoy the present and take from it whatever works for us. 

These changes make people think about how life used to be before, and nostalgia kicks in. That feeling is a mix of sadness and hope for a world that is no longer with us, for a time when we felt happier than we do now. Or at least we feel like we are sadder than before. But there are things that we miss more than others. I'm not a millennial, but there are two things that I profoundly miss from the 2000s. First of all, going to a Blockbuster to rent a movie. That was something that I loved to do as a kid, and when the last one closed, it was a part of every person who has lived through that that disappeared. The second one is kind of new, but I'm still feeling nostalgic about it: the internet free from AI. I miss googling something and getting hit with websites that I opened for information and similar questions to investigate. I hate getting hit with some wrong information taken from Instagram or Reddit that no one has checked. The only unreliable source that I like will always be Wikipedia. 

There are many changes in our world, and missing the past is normal. Feeling nostalgic is a great way to deal with the change, but it is important not to live in the past. We are able to like the new world as well, even if it has changed a lot and we still miss some things. Maybe some of them will come back one day. I can visualize a Blockbuster store in the near future. But it is important not to think that everything was better in the past; the present can show improvements too. 

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  • Millennial nostalgia, a stack of old cassettes stored.
    via Daniel von Appen

    Millennial nostalgia, a stack of old cassettes stored. 

  • Millennials, what's something that's now considered nostalgic to you because it doesn't exist anymore?

  • Usual_Bathroom_6713 Being unreachable all day and having to explain everything with sorry, I was outside instead of sending a live location.
    via Usual_Bathroom_6713
  • BarcaOfCarthago The old internet before all the ai, astroturfing and influencers "Welcome to the internet" - Bo Burnham encapsulates it well
    via BarcaOfCarthago
  • ElectronicAmphibian7 Idk how to phrase this.... IRL anonymity & community? You could accidentally make a fool of yourself and keep it pushing if you knew you were never going to see these people again. Now, everyone has a camera. Everyone is making content. Everything being on camera and online has lead to an end of third spaces and hanging out and communing. Social skills are down.
    via ElectronicAmphibian7
  • From the moment I step outside I have cameras on me all day. My neighbors have ring cameras that let me know I'm being recorded as I walk to my car. We've got flock cameras and business cameras and house cameras and car cameras. Now all new cars are being made to record the interior of the car. Lowkey I want to live in a time where you could have 2 families in adjacent states and no one would find out until you were old and de id Imao. The
    via ElectronicAmphibian7
  • economy was good enough that you could support two families and no one was communicating that far outside their communities so Paul in Florida could be Richard in South Carolina and he just travels a lot for work and is a good family man Imao. I want to live. with the privacy of those times. I want the economy and community of those times filtered through my very specific nostalgic and idealized lenses lol. Not that I want to do those things but I just want that era.
    via ElectronicAmphibian7
  • --Rick--Astley-- Toys R Us
    via --Rick--Astley
  • theonlykarine .89¢ soft tacos at Taco Bell. Taco Bell being affordable in general.
    via theonlykarine
  • EmmyKla Grabbing your book of CDs off the floor of your car while driving, flipping thru the book while also trying to pay attention to the road... or just randomly grabbing a CD and playing "music surprise" with whatever you popped in the car CD player.
    via EmmyKla
  • Spare_Departure655 OP I miss how life had less technology yet we were are more connected
    via Spare_Departure655
  • rawsugar87 I miss the interesting playgrounds. And, sand.
    via rawsugar87
  • jackietea123 SNICK all that, Clarissa explains it all, - are you afraid of the dark, ren and stimpy, Pete and Pete.... The orange couch... just the entirety of 90s Nickelodeon is everything to me. Truly my comfort
    via jackietea123
  • lilacteardrop Blockbuster Video
    via lilacteardrop
  • Commercial_Dog8675 Old fashioned websites, where each website would have that niche info you needed, and you can tell the webpage was made with love. That feeling of finding your place in a community online on a niche or unique website was nice.
    via Commercial_Dog8675
  • hover-lovecraft Useful search engines
    via hover-lovecraft
  • olive_oil_twist Video games that didn't have loot boxes or DLC. $30 was a lot for a video game, but there was nothing cooler than unlocking all of the characters on the OG Smash Bros.
    via olive_oil_twist
  • Reginald Dupont632 I miss having house phones, with cell phones you're constantly bothered daily. I miss pay phones and phone books too. We used to look up random funny names and prank back in the day.
    via Reginald Dupont632
  • _sicsixsic buttons. i miss pressing buttons.
    via _sicsixsic
  • little-teatime Lisa Frank, scented stickers and cool stationary. Yes it's still around but it's not the same
    via little-teatime
  • EsJiisan Actually owning a purchased product.
    via EsJiisan
  • groggs Music stores. I used to love the thrill of buying a CD or cassette and going through the booklet. I can even still remember the smell.
    via groggs
  • KatinHats Malls and mall culture We had different shops in the mall instead of chains everywhere. Like, there was distinct regional fashion because there were locally owned shops occupying +/- 40% of the smaller stores. We had a fabric store in mine right near the main entrance. When it's all the same stores and inventory everywhere, what's the purpose of going to the mall instead of shopping online?
    via KatinHats

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throwback millennials nostalgia Memes good old days discourse
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