Gen Z'ers Are Revealing The Older Technology They Wish Still Existed, And It'll Make You Feel Sooo Old
We recently asked the Gen Z'ers of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which old technology they think should make a comeback and why — and they made some super valid points. Here are the surprising results:
1."I'm '04, and I'm old enough to remember when the internet wasn't all advertisements, all day, all the time. I miss that! I'm tired of having my YouTube videos get interrupted by a 30-second ad every five minutes."
"Companies (Google, cough) have monopolized their industry, and they know that people will suffer through the ads because there's nowhere else to go. They're not wrong, but I still hate it."
2."Sixteen-year-old girlie here! I remember seeing an iPod Shuffle at my uncle's house when I was really little, and I was totally obsessed with how cute and charming it was! This memory randomly came back to me sometime last year, and I looked it up and was so sad to find out the Shuffle was discontinued."
"I feel like screens just ruin music for me — like, imagine just being able to sit in peace and listen to songs without a notification beeping through."
"I still have a Shuffle and love it. I use it every week. Fully agree it deserves a big comeback."
3."I wish there were more record stores around. I go to two really neat stores that sell records, but none in my area are only record stores that would have obviously bigger selections. Also, laser disc players and cassette players seem really cool."
"I'd like to get both when I get my own place and have a little retro room with posters and stuff."
4."I am an older Gen Z (born April ‘97), so I was around for a decent amount of good technology that now no longer exists. I think a couple of technology items that I would love to see again would have to be the LG slide-up phones, also Gameboys/DS's — and my favorite thing I owned as a child, a VideoNow."
"And if you don’t know what a VideoNow is, you missed out."
5."Gonna hijack this as some would consider me a Zillennial cusper. I miss unique cellphones! Flip phones, slider phones, Sidekicks! Now, everything is just a rectangle. My first and favorite phone was the LG Voyager. Touch screen AND a full, tactile keyboard. I miss buttons."
6."I just recently learned that South Korea has a major CD Fandom. People there love CDs, and it's more of a collector's item. K-Pop artists release CDs with their albums, and the artwork/cover photo on the CD is popular to collect and look at."
"It's interesting because some artists in the US, like Sabrina Carpenter, do it, too. Funny how common old tech comes back as unique and popular."
7."I'd love it if a less buggy version of Windows XP was brought back to computers. I especially miss the screen savers and the fact that MS Paint never got blurry as soon as you clicked out of a shape."
8.I wish that landlines were back. And 'normal' hours when it is appropriate to call someone and demand something. I don't want to be always reachable and expected to respond immediately, day or night. Everyone's anxieties about people responding or not to them are out of control. We used to have to wait hours or days to hear from someone, and we were all still okay."
"Also, with climate change and power outages, it would be nice to have a landline that's not dependent on electricity for emergencies and also to check on people. That would also mean no portable telephone! Ahhh, the days of the extremely long wired-in phone!"
9."I love the tech from my childhood — mostly toys like Pixel Chix, Littlest Pet Shop virtual, and the iDog. I definitely miss a lot of old websites, too, that I used to love, like the Build-A-Bear one and Club Penguin. I'm glad Webkinz and Neopets are still up, but I'm worried for how long!"
10."MOVIE DVDs. There are so many streaming platforms now that some movies are simply not on any of them! Take 28 days later — so many people want to rewatch it, but it's so hard to find. If people don't have collections of their favorite movies, we could lose them forever!"
"I love that Netflix has Studio Ghibli, but I also own all my favs on Blu-ray because if they got taken down, I'd be so sad given how often I rewatch them. And what if we ever lose the internet somehow? People would be so lost and bored wishing they had physical media! If you're reading this, start a collection today!!!"
11."I wish disc computer games were still popular. I miss when McDonald’s would give them out in the Happy Meal."
—Anonymous, 22, New York
12."I miss the DS. If you had a DS, you definitely remember playing it at night and hiding it under your pillow when your parents came into your room to check if you were asleep. The games are so nostalgic; I recently downloaded an emulator on my iPad to relive the glory days of the DS."
—Anonymous, 22, New York
13."They don't make them anymore, but cars with CD players. I hate the idea of having to connect my Bluetooth and pay for ad-free services, and there's no music when there's no service. Plus, I can use the CDs elsewhere."
—Anonymous, 18, New Jersey
14."VHS tapes. I remember being a kid and building a fort in my room, sitting down, and popping a VHS of blues clues into my square television with some popcorn and soda― those were good times! We could record anything we wanted and keep it without having to fight with the internet, it was truly amazing."
—Anonymous, 16, Ohio
And finally...
15."Rotary dial phones. I love all the old movies where the girls lay around with the chord stretched way out, talking to their friends or planning a date with a guy. I love the simplicity of them, yet they brought so much excitement!"
—Anonymous, 20, USA
Gen Z'ers: What are some other old technology you think should come back? Let us know in the comments below. Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to use this Google form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
