90s Nostalgia Viral Twitter Thread Dial Up Internet CDs

Photo: Getty Images / Handout.

First Anne-Marie had a hit with "2002"; then Charli XCX and Troye Sivan scored one with "1999". Maybe it's a toxic conflation of Brexit confusion, property ladder angst and whatever a certain controversial world leader has been up to on any given week, but pining for simpler times seems to be in fashion. Now a viral Twitter thread has captured this nostalgic mood perfectly by asking users: "What did you have in 1998 that you no longer have in 2018?"

Hi, Twitter!

What did you have in 1998 that you no longer have in 2018?
— Eric Bailey (@EricVBailey) November 15, 2018

Some of the replies are genuinely emotional as people mourn loved ones and reflect on how they and family members have grown in the last 20 years. But others are a little more lighthearted, taking us right back to an era of CDs and cassettes, dial-up internet and so many fewer TV channels.

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And frankly, this thread earns its stripes just for reminding anyone on the older end of the millennial scale that before we all had wi-fi on our phones, Ceefax and Teletext were a pretty big thing.

Also forgot about #Teletext #Bamboozal #quiz #TurnertheWorm #comic #childhoodmemories #childhoodgames pic.twitter.com/Rc6MK9hWSE
— Joshna B (@JoshnaB2) November 18, 2018

Below, check out a selection of other super-nostalgic responses to the thread.

A #TV with only BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. There’s too many channels now!!
— Joshna B (@JoshnaB2) November 18, 2018

Bubble furniture. pic.twitter.com/z5o0DqFfwr
— Ashley Alexiss (@AshAlexiss) November 18, 2018

A tomogachi that I had given up everything dear to me to keep alive for 41 days.
— Anna Slaybaugh (@Annaslay3) November 18, 2018

What did you have in 1998 that you no longer have in 2018?

A dial-up modem.
Cable.
A landline.
Tolerance for bullshit.
— LadyL RN ☀️??? (@LadyLecondoliak) November 16, 2018

An unquestioning willingness to spend £15.99 on an album from Our Price. https://t.co/4S5Lu2bzpt
— Nick Levine (@mrnicklevine) November 16, 2018

Hope. Also, dialup.
— Michelle Goldchain (@goldchainam) November 18, 2018

I was gonna say seizures but I had them in 1998 and 2018. Shit erm I was 3 so I'm gonna say Barbies and SMTV Live oh and Kylie Minogue on repeat ?
— Shan (@SimstaShan) November 18, 2018

I basically had Sega 1998 and was over the moon. Playing Michael Jackson and super Mario were the coolest two games! pic.twitter.com/LUZvcG7LLq
— Britta (@brittan234) November 18, 2018

Of course, not everything about tech and entertainment in 1998 was quite so idyllic – can you imagine going back to a time before Netflix completely revolutionised the way we watch TV?

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