People who lived through the last two decades have seen a lot of fads come and go. They might have thought some fads would stick around, but they were surprised when they disappeared quickly.
A user asked the forum, “What things from the 2000s, 2010s, or early 2020s did you think would be a long-term cultural change but turned out to be a fad?” Here are the top responses.
RINGBACK TONES
“Ringback tones! I really liked it, but they’re pointless because we rarely make phone calls anymore.”
MYSPACE
“I thought MySpace was going to outlast Facebook. In the mid-2000s, it was the better service. Now I am betting that YouTube will likely be the one that stands the test of time.”
“I never imagined that Facebook would one day be uncool and dominated by old people.”
3D CAPABILITIES ON PHONES OR TELEVISIONS
“3D capabilities on phones/televisions, etc., Plus watching movies in 3D at the theater.
I remember watching a College Football game on ESPN 3D and was so blown away that I bought an LG LED(Light-Emitting Diode) Television that offered it (which I still have today, though I never use the 3D functions).
The last movie I watched in 3D was the latest Avatar.”
SEGWAYS
“Segways were quite popular in the early 2010s. I vividly recollect seeing a lot of tourists on those Segway tours in downtown Chicago. I expected them to be around for at least a few decades.”
CURVED TELEVISION
“Curved Television. I am still bitter about that one. Curved Televisions were awesome.”
GAMING ON CELL PHONES
“Gaming on cell phones. When I first got an Android, it held a unique promise as a gaming platform compared to older mobile games. It was capable of full 3D High Definition graphics, and even today, the average smartphone is more powerful than a Nintendo Switch (which uses 2015 mobile technology)!”
MINIDISC PLAYERS
“My brother was convinced that minidisc players were the future.”
BLOGGING
“Blogging sort of just got consumed by social media.”
OCCUPY WALL STREET
“Occupy Wall Street. It was daily news for a while and then faded away quietly.”
GOOGLE GLASSES
“Google glasses and the like were game changers ten years ago. I don’t see them at all now. Maybe they will come back, though.”
DUBSTEP
“Dubstep. I thought that this is what music would be from then on, and everybody got tired after two years.”
3D PRINTING
“3D printing. Don’t get me wrong, additive manufacturing is finally maturing in the industrial sectors after 10+ years of hype, but there was such a steep decline of interest in consumer 3D printing after the initial hype.”
MICROSOFT
“Microsoft would still rule everything with Windows & Office. I never saw the rise of Apple coming. Now I only have Apple devices.”
LIVE STRONG BRACELETS
“Live strong bracelets. We were making a big change but then just stopped. So sad.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.