I’m old enough to remember the 80s, rotary phones, and VHS. And, to me, it feels as if the naughties were just a year or two ago. I can remember when DVD players first came out and they were insanely expensive and wizardly cutting-edge tech. But time flies, and technology evolves at lightning speed. It’s hard to believe that many items we used daily just a couple of decades ago now seem like relics from a distant past.
The 2000s, a time of rapid technological advancement, gave us gadgets and trends that shaped our daily lives. However, these once-cutting-edge innovations have quickly become outdated as everything rapidly went digital. From chunky cell phones to noisy internet connections, here’s a nostalgic look at 19 everyday things from the 2000s that now feel like ancient history.
Flip Phones
Remember when flipping your phone shut dramatically ended a call? Flip phones were all the rage in the early 2000s. They were compact, had great battery life, and made that satisfying click when closed. Now, they’re mostly seen in movies as a symbol of the past. I have to confess, I had a flip phone because I thought it was cool, but I kinda hated it. I was a chunky nokia woman, because I loved playing snake.
Dial-Up Internet
The screeching sound of a dial-up connection was once the gateway to the online world. It tied up phone lines and tested our patience with its slow speeds. Today’s kids would be baffled by the idea of waiting minutes for a single image to load. Oh, the dial-up modem. And unless you were lucky enough to have multiple phone lines in your house, you couldn’t use the internet while someone was on the phone, and vice-versa.
That weird retro dial-up sound and achingly slow connection were completely normal and really didn’t feel “slow” at the time.
CD Players
Before streaming took over, pretty much every home had a CD player and a growing collection of CDs. I love music of all kinds, so naturally had quite the eclectic collection.
Before I forged my own career as a writer, I worked in Woolies (remember good old Woolworth’s?) and I was in charge of sorting out the entertainment section, including the singles and albums charts. So every week after 4pm on a Friday, I’d spend a couple of hours rearranging what felt like 5 billion CDs (and VHS, games, and DVDs) on the chart walls, moving CDs up or down, adding in new releases, and pulling those that fell out of the chart. On the plus side, I got to listen to all the new releases and play whatever (not explicit) music I wanted on the store’s antiquated CD system, and ended up growing a massive selection of my own (now totally obsolete) CDs.
VHS Tapes
VHS tapes were still common in the early 2000s, despite DVDs gaining popularity. The ritual of rewinding tapes before returning them to the video store is now a thing of the past. “Be Kind, Rewind” is a phrase lost on younger generations.
Floppy Disks
These small, square disks were once the primary means of transferring data between computers. With a storage capacity that seems tiny by today’s standards, floppy disks are now more likely to be seen as save icons than actual storage devices. Somewhere I weirdly still have a sack of floppies. Not really sure why, other than I don’t want to throw them out. Do you remember, when you were trying to run a big file or program from a floppy disc, you’d have switch the floppy discs in/out of the drive in the right order? How times have changed.
Pagers
Before cell phones became ubiquitous, pagers were the way to stay connected on the go. These small devices beeped or vibrated to alert you of messages. Now, they’re mostly used by medical professionals or in areas with poor cell coverage.
Map Printouts
Before GPS became a standard feature on smartphones, we relied on printed directions from websites like Mapquest and AA Route Planner. The struggle of following these paper instructions while driving is, thankfully, a distant memory for most of us now.
AOL Instant Messenger
AIM was the go-to platform for chatting with friends online in the early 2000s. Choosing the perfect away message and screen name was a serious business. Today’s messaging apps have replaced this once-essential social tool.
Disposable Cameras
These plastic cameras were popular for capturing memories at events or on vacations. The anticipation of getting your photos developed was part of the experience. Now, our smartphones serve as both camera and photo album. These little disposables weren’t exactly for professional photographers, but they made everyday photography – like candid holiday snaps – accessible for everyone.
Blockbuster Video Stores
Friday nights often started with a trip to Blockbuster to rent movies for the weekend. The pressure of choosing quickly and the late fees were part of the experience. Streaming services have made this ritual obsolete.
Tamagotchis
These digital pets were a huge craze in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Kids (and adults) spent hours feeding, cleaning, and playing with their virtual pets. While they’ve made a comeback, they’re nowhere near as popular as they once were. Some of the original tamagotchis are worth quite a bit of money today.
Portable CD Players
Before iPods, but after cassette Walkmans, we had Discmans. These portable CD players let us take our music on the go, as long as we didn’t mind carrying a book of CDs with us. The struggle to keep them from skipping while walking is a shared memory for many. If you tipped them, they’d skip. If you jostled them, they’d skip. If you put too much stuff in the same bag as your Discman, they’d skip. Carrying one of these bad boys was an interesting challenge, but made you totally cool.
Payphones
Once a common sight on street corners, payphones are now increasingly rare. They were essential for making calls when out and about before cell phones became widespread. Now, they’re often seen as relics of a bygone era. I can’t remember needing to use a payphone in the 2000s because I was an early mobile phone adopter, but they were a common sight.
Fax Machines
In the early 2000s, fax machines were still a common way to send documents quickly. The distinctive sound of a fax being sent or received was familiar in many offices. While still used in some industries, they’ve largely been replaced by email and digital scanning.
Video Game Cartridges
Before digital downloads and discs, video games came on cartridges. Blowing into them was a common (though not recommended) way to get them working. The satisfying click of inserting a cartridge is a nostalgic memory for many gamers. The 2000s was a time of significant transition in the gaming industry, being the dawn of the 6th generation of gaming consoles. Although the cartridge consoles were still commonplace, especially for handheld consoles like Nintendo DS, the game disc was entering the market, with new generation consoles, GameCube, Xbox, and PS1 all using disc technology. I still have and love my SNES, GameCube, and PS1.
Encyclopedias
Before Wikipedia, we had encyclopedias. These massive book sets were often sold door-to-door and were a prized possession in many homes. Now, all that information (and more) is available at our fingertips online. And do you remember the encyclopedia Britannica on those CD ROMs? At the time, it was amazing to think that all the information stored in a huge volume of books could be contained on a couple of CDs that you could pop in your disc drive and, once they’d loaded, access and search.
Palm Pilots
These personal digital assistants were cutting-edge technology in the early 2000s. They helped us keep track of appointments, contacts, and to-do lists. Smartphones have since taken over these functions and much more.
Portable MP3 Players
Before smartphones could hold thousands of songs, we had dedicated MP3 players. Devices like the iPod revolutionized how we listened to music on the go. While still used by some, they’ve largely been replaced by phones. Holy smokes, for a music lover like me who was eternally frustrated by her annoying Discman, the iPod was a revelation.
Film Cameras
While digital cameras existed in the 2000s, film cameras were still widely used. The process of getting film developed and the anticipation of seeing your photos was part of the experience. Now, instant digital photos are the norm. I take a lot fo original photos for my creative works, so I do have a good-quality DSLR, but it’s still digital. I can’t imagine having to wait for film to be developed (or developing my own) anymore, even though that was the norm for decades.
Katy Willis is a writer, master herbalist, master gardener, and certified canine nutritionist who has been writing since 2002. She’s finds joy in learning new and interesting things, and finds history, science, and nature endlessly fascinating.
