A Love Letter to the Weird, Wild Tech of Our Youth
I miss the click.
Not just any click—the satisfying kachunk of a computer lab mouse, the mechanical clatter of that old TVS keyboard, the hollow plastic rattle of the TV game console’s memory card slot. I miss booting up Windows XP and hearing that startup jingle blast through tinny PC speakers. I miss the personality of tech.
I’m in my mid-30s now, which means I grew up in the golden age of exciting technology—the era when every gadget, every piece of software, every website felt like it had soul. Today? My phone is a sleek, silent slab. My apps are all minimalist white screens with the same boring sans-serif fonts. Even video game consoles look like generic black boxes.
What the hell happened?
Part 1: Tech Used to Feel Alive
The Glory Days (Late 90s/Early 2000s)
Remember when:
- Websites looked like digital scrapbooks—animated GIFs, hit counters, autoplaying MIDI music. GeoCities pages were a mess, but they were our mess.
- Software had texture—iTunes had that brushed metal look, Windows XP had that green Start button, Winamp had a million ridiculous skins.
- Gaming was physical—blowing into N64 cartridges, flipping through a PlayStation manual, hearing the whirrr of a Dreamcast booting up.
Tech wasn’t just useful—it was fun. It had weight, sound, and attitude.
Then Came the Great Blandening (2010s)
Somewhere around the iPhone 4, everything started getting… sterile.
- Apple killed skeuomorphism—no more fake leather calendars, no more 3D buttons. Just flat white screens.
- Google made everything look the same—Material Design turned Android into a sea of identical rounded rectangles.
- Gaming lost its edge—Remember when game menus had sound effects? Now it’s just silent text on a black background.
It’s like tech grew up, got a corporate job, and started wearing beige suits.
Part 2: Why Did Tech Get So Boring?
1. Smartphones Killed Creativity
- In the 2000s, every OS had its own vibe—Windows, Mac, Linux, even weird offshoots like BeOS.
- Now? iOS and Android dictate everything. Apps all look the same because Apple/Google force them to.
2. Corporations Optimized the Joy Out of Everything
- Tech used to be made by nerds, for nerds. Now it’s made by focus groups.
- Remember when Microsoft had Clippy? Today, some MBA would say, “A paperclip with eyes? Too risky. Just make it a blank white box.”
3. We Lost the Physical Part of Tech
- Old tech engaged your senses—the hum of a CRT, the thunk of a floppy drive, the click of a rotary phone.
- Now? My AirPods don’t even have buttons. My “photos” are just pixels in the cloud. It’s all so… disembodied.
Part 3: Is Tech Getting Fun Again? (Please Say Yes)
I’m starting to see glimmers of hope.
1. Nostalgia Is Creeping Back
- Retro gadgets are selling like crazy (Analogue Pocket, Playdate, those stupidly expensive CRT-style monitors).
- People miss skeuomorphism—look at the Vision Pro’s subtle 3D icons. Even Apple is kinda admitting flat design went too far.
2. A Rebellion Against Corporate Blandness
- “Brutalist” websites—ugly on purpose, like a middle finger to soulless Silicon Valley design.
- Indie games with personality—stuff like Hypnospace Outlaw and Paralives feel like they’re made by humans, not algorithms.
3. The Next Generation Might Save Us
- Gen Z is bringing back Y2K fashion (see: those ridiculous Nokia phone cases).
- Customizable tech is making a comeback—mechanical keyboards, Raspberry Pi projects, Framework laptops.
Final Thought: Maybe We’ll Get That Magic Back
I don’t expect us to return to the exact tech of our childhoods. But I do think we’re heading toward a future where tech feels human again—where it’s allowed to be weird, playful, and tactile.
Maybe the next big thing won’t be another boring black rectangle. Maybe it’ll be something with buttons that click, lights that blink, and a personality that doesn’t feel focus-grouped to death.
Or maybe I’m just getting old.
Either way, I’m keeping my CRT.
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