‘What do you think people will be nostalgic about in 20 years?’ – 21 things we’ll be donning our rose-tinted specs to look at in 2045

Anyone who has ever stumbled across a Facebook page stuffed with people getting misty-eyed over lethally dangerous 1970s playground equipment will know that nostalgia is mighty popular nowadays. But is that because the past really was better, or we’re just more able to chat about it on social media?

It’s likely the latter, which means in a couple of decades, people will be feeling sentimental about what is happening right now, through perhaps through their 100G brain implants, rather than their laptops.

On the AskUK subreddit, after user kadkadkad posed this question:

‘What do you think people will be nostalgic about in 20 years?

‘I know it’s tempting to joke and say ‘not much’, but in all seriousness, what are some of the obvious and not so obvious things people will miss from this era right now?’

Which got people thinking about the things they imagine they’ll be missing in the future, like these…

1.

‘I’d say a 100% chance many people will be nostalgic for pre-AI internet. The same way people now are nostalgic for pre-social media internet.’
–Otherwise_Koala4289

2.

‘I do think it’s sad that we’re just going to outsource human creativity to AI. That is absolutely something people will be nostalgic for. A time when posters, signs, artwork etc were made by humans.’
–Otherwise_Koala4289

3.

‘Walking through shopping centres in the early evening at Christmas time, when the sky has gone dark but inside you’re surrounded by Christmas lights.’
–h00dman

4.

‘Remember when we used to have dull Prime Ministers like Gordon Brown and John Major and nothing much happened of any note? Those were the days. Lord spare me from the yolk of people in power with a ‘personality’.’
–InfiniteBaker6972

5.

‘If you’re Scottish, The World Cup. Scotland’s men haven’t qualified for 28 years, yet we all look back on France 98 with fondness.’
–iffyClyro

6.

‘The good ol’ days when milk only cost £1.80.’
–BeneficialVariety171

7.

‘And beer was ‘only’ £6 a pint.’
–Immediate_Machine_92

8.

‘Lockdown – seriously, people will be having lockdown-themed parties, etc.’
–benjymous

9.

‘This weekend I was with my son in the supermarket and we paid in cash because my mum had given us some cash to go and get bits and pieces.

I was letting him put the coins into the machine and it suddenly struck me that for him this will be a complete novelty. We pay by card for everything. He’s of a generation that will grow up with little concept of cash.’
–Otherwise_Koala4289

10.

‘Genuinely won’t be surprised if in the next 30-40 years driving a car will be seen as something old fashioned possibly even dangerous due to self driving cars being so advanced by then they’re far safer than humans and there’s less accidents. Imagine no more aggressive drivers distracted drivers on the phone or those driving under the influence.’
–Danielharris1260

11.

‘Making decisions. Honestly, I think 20 years from now, people will ask their AI agent what to do.’
–YerManOnTheMac