Societies are constantly evolving, and it’s only natural that things come in and out of fashion But some things seemingly fade or even vanish without us even paying attention. Here are 19 things that disappeared from society without us noticing.
Coca-Cola Bottles
Not many things feel more nostalgic than having a Coca-Cola in its vintage glass bottle. But seriously, where did these go? The company swapped out these glass bottles for plastic bottles, which are far less appealing to the eye. The classic fat Coca-Cola can has also been replaced with its more narrow counterpart.
Movie Trailer Voiceovers
Movie trailers being released were an exciting event back in the day. What made it more exciting was the classic, deep cinematic voiceover that accompanied them. This distinct voice was on almost every movie trailer release, heightening our anticipation and boosting the film’s appeal. But now, the voice is rarely used to promote movies.
Knowing Your Neighbors
What happened to being friendly with your neighbors? Befriending your neighbors creates a strong sense of community. But now, people are much more standoffish and less likely to ask for or provide help to neighbors.
Postcards
Writing postcards when you were on vacation halfway across the world was personal and touching. Whether you wrote to your grandma, grandpa, or friend, it was a great way to show people that you were still thinking of them on your travels.
DVDs & Videos
DVDs and videos have been replaced by streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, NowTV, and more. While watching a movie on DVDs or videos felt like an exciting event because it required preparation, streaming services are far too convenient to ignore. Logging into your streaming account provides you with innumerable options all in one place.
The Milkman
Milkmen used to signify the start of a great day. They would come to your doorstep and deliver your much-needed milk, whether you need it for your children’s cereal or your morning coffee. While they still exist in some areas, these distinct members of the community are seldom seen.
Bees
Bees were a hallmark of a hot summer’s day outside. But now, bees are endangered. It seems that not many people have noticed the rapid decrease in the amount of bees we encounter during the summer.
Cereal Box Prizes
Buying a cereal box as a child used to come with the opportunity to win fun prizes. Whether it was in the form of an exclusive toy or vouchers for your favorite store, they filled children with excitement and anticipation. Today, they are rarely seen.
Phone Booths
With our growing reliance on smartphones, the need for phone booths has been negated drastically. WhatsApp, Messenger, and other apps make it much easier to instantly communicate with others. We also don’t need to worry about remembering our friends or family member’s number, saving them in our contacts only to never read them again. As long as you set off with a full battery in your smartphone, it is highly unlikely that you’ll need to resort to paying for a phone booth. Their outdated setup and even health scares led to a sharp decline in the need for phone booths.
Game Boy
Game Boy was the coolest game console that anyone could own back in the day. They were highly popular, especially with games such as Pokemon, Tetris, Zelda, and more, which were not only engaging but addictive for young people. However, at its peak, the company shifted its priorities to Nintendo.
Nintendo
Similarly, Nintendo has seemingly disappeared from our society. Despite being the leading console with Nintendo 64 and innovating the game industry with the Nintendo Wii, people rarely own Nintendo products anymore. Despite being a pioneer in the gaming industry, Nintendo has seemingly lost the console wars to PlayStation and Xbox.
Diners
Diners were incredibly popular throughout the US because they could offer affordable food and quick service. If you were on the road, you could pull over and grab a coffee or a whole meal at low rates without killing too much time. But now, with fast food stores at every corner, diners are becoming cultural relics and a thing of the past.
Handwritten Letters
Handwritten letters are much more personal than sending a text via WhatsApp or Messenger. But then again, convenience always wins. A young person would argue against sending a letter when you can write the same thing in half the time and deliver it within seconds.
Physical Maps
Navigating new territory and finding your destination with only the use of a physical map provided a great source of reward and joy. Now, Google Maps and other GPS apps make it much easier to go wherever you want without having set foot in that location.
Yellow Pages
Whenever you needed a handyman, the number of a store, or even your friend’s number, you could have always turned to the Yellow Pages to find their contact details. Now, a simple Google or a Facebook message would suffice.
Dictionaries
Going to the library and grabbing a dictionary was often a necessity when we were completing an assignment. You would thumb through the colossal dictionary in search of synonyms and reassurance that you’ve spelled a word correctly. But now, Google can serve as our dictionary, and spell check has even been proven to improve our spelling accuracy.
Fax Machines
Faxing still exists in the workplace, especially in industries where documents require more security than an email or message would provide. But again, emailing offers much more convenience.
Light Up Sneakers
Children used to buy LED sneakers that would light up at the heel, and this was a novelty and the craze at the time. Whether they were on the dancefloor or simply walking down the street, LED sneakers grabbed the attention of onlookers. Combining tech with fashion was trendy but quickly died down.
Ringtones
Watching The Office reruns and hearing Michael Scott’s catchy ringtone brings a wave of nostalgia. Choosing the perfect ringtone was a great way to display some personalization and express your music tastes to others. They were essentially fashion accessories, but the novelty wore off, and prices increased, leading to a steep decline in ringtones.
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