I really, really do. I was 16-20 back then and had everything ahead of me :\'( So much potential if I had made the right decisions.

I feel like I had everything I needed, technology was more than enough. The youth culture was more or less the same as it is now. I remember bemoaning the latest artists such as "Soulja boy" and popular youth TV series such as "Skins" and "The inbetweeners".

I remember when all the old stuff was current.

I just want to be in the "current" generation. Back when you are that age you immediately have things in common just because you are a "youth".

Everything is geared towards you when you are a youth but once you pass you're mid 20s you just fade into the background :\'(

Television appeals to all (adult) audiences, I feel. Some of the best conversations on Game of Thrones I've had were with a Gen Xer. In contrast, I don't know many teens/Gen Z who watch the show. They probably watch 13 Reasons Why and other shows more catered to that audience.

Only radio/popular music is specifically geared towards youth. Which is fine with me, because I never particularly liked it even when I was that age :P In the age of Spotify it is easy to find new music that is more age appropriate (or inappropriate if that's your thing, I listen to K-Pop idgaf)

I really, really do. I was 16-20 back then and had everything ahead of me :\'( So much potential if I had made the right decisions.

I feel like I had everything I needed, technology was more than enough. The youth culture was more or less the same as it is now. I remember bemoaning the latest artists such as "Soulja boy" and popular youth TV series such as "Skins" and "The inbetweeners".

I remember when all the old stuff was current.

I just want to be in the "current" generation. Back when you are that age you immediately have things in common just because you are a "youth".

Everything is geared towards you when you are a youth but once you pass you're mid 20s you just fade into the background :\'(

I want to go back to 1999-2003 (9-13)

Let's see here.  ;D

I was 17 to 22 during those years.

Persona life: The worst years of my life were 2009-2010.
Pop music: My opinion only; The worst era of pop music ever.
TV: 2006 and 2007 were okay, but after wasn't my favorite. Although Game of Thrones is okay, LMAO.
Movies: It was still very good. Comedies really went down the drain after 2005 though.
Politics: Never cared about politics.....so far. It may change one day though.

Overall, I'd say no, I wouldn't want to go back to 2006 to 2010. It was a personally and pop-culturally not my favorite years of my life!

I like that era, but I would either go back earlier to the early 00s or go back to 2008-2011.

I don't agree that youth culture was basically the same as now though. There was no Minecraft, people didn't say things were "lit" (they might have said they were "epic" though!), and the music was pretty different.

I like that era, but I would either go back earlier to the early 00s or go back to 2008-2011.

I don't agree that youth culture was basically the same as now though. There was no Minecraft, people didn't say things were "lit" (they might have said they were "epic" though!), and the music was pretty different.


What I meant was youth culture was still based around silly fashions/trends and all the youngsters thought were "cool" when they were anything but.

Just go back and look at a "Soulja Boy" video or any other new fangled nonsense from around that era to see what I mean!

In a weird (and albeit, slightly sadistic) kind of way, I do too. I was ages 10-14 from 2006-2010, which encompassed my middle school years (along with 4th/5th grade and freshman year of high school). While my personal life ranged from great (the years 2006-2008/maybe early 2009) to down in the dumps (2009-2010/2011), pop culturally it was a pretty cool time to be at an age where you were old enough to be of its target range and be involved in it clearly (such as middle school dances with kids bopping to Soula Boy's 'Move' dance or Flo Rida's 'Low'), while at the same time being young enough where you still felt pretty young (playing Wii/Xbox 360 at friends houses, being involved in town/school sports, having your first kiss/slow dance with the opposite sex, etc.).

https://i.redd.it/cdvfmh8jloc21.jpg

Overall, things were more carefree for my life, despite the world itself being set on fire at the time; between two unpopular foreign wars, an oil crisis, gay marriage being a 'hot button' issue, and a financial collapse, which all culminated to President Obama's successful ascension to the White House. However, at the same time it was an era of crazy transformative change, especially in a technological sense; between 7th generation game consoles, Hi-Def TVs becoming mainstream, WiFi being common, smartphones like Blackberry being huge along with the launch of the original iPhone, social media sites like Myspace & Facebook being huge, YouTube in its Golden Age when the platform was the 'wild wild west' along with video streaming being common. I could go on and on.

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/0*ARoYQR2Em0kMWaeI.png


dQDKFGGhvnM


Being at that age in that tumultuous/transformative time in American (let alone, world) history reminds me a lot of the show The Wonder Years for some reason. The characters were born in the mid 50s (archetypal Boomers), while I was born in the mid 90s (tail end Millennials). The late 2000s just has that 'mystique' essence to it, that it's hard to ponder why? It may had been the crappiest part of the 2000s decade in retrospect, but it is the part of the decade that left the biggest impression for most people, in the same way the late 1960s is what most people think of "the 60s". 2006/2007-2010 is going to be as iconic as the Late 60s has become, especially as more time passes, for better or worst.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/middle-school-trends-late-2000s
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/25-things-middle-schoolers-remember

For anybody else whom was in middle school/high school in the mid-late 2000s, I salute you! It was a cringeworthy time that only us can truly understand what it was like ;D.

In a weird (and albeit, slightly sadistic) kind of way, I do too. I was ages 10-14 from 2006-2010, which encompassed my middle school years (along with 4th/5th grade and freshman year of high school). While my personal life ranged from great (the years 2006-2008/maybe early 2009) to down in the dumps (2009-2010/2011), pop culturally it was a pretty cool time to be at an age where you were old enough to be of its target range and be involved in it clearly (such as middle school dances with kids bopping to Soula Boy's 'Move' dance or Flo Rida's 'Low'), while at the same time being young enough where you still felt pretty young (playing Wii/Xbox 360 at friends houses, being involved in town/school sports, having your first kiss/slow dance with the opposite sex, etc.).

https://i.redd.it/cdvfmh8jloc21.jpg

Overall, things were more carefree for my life, despite the world itself being set on fire at the time; between two unpopular foreign wars, an oil crisis, gay marriage being a 'hot button' issue, and a financial collapse, which all culminated to President Obama's successful ascension to the White House. However, at the same time it was an era of crazy transformative change, especially in a technological sense; between 7th generation game consoles, Hi-Def TVs becoming mainstream, WiFi being common, smartphones like Blackberry being huge along with the launch of the original iPhone, social media sites like Myspace & Facebook being huge, YouTube in its Golden Age when the platform was the 'wild wild west' along with video streaming being common. I could go on and on.

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/0*ARoYQR2Em0kMWaeI.png


dQDKFGGhvnM


Being at that age in that tumultuous/transformative time in American (let alone, world) history reminds me a lot of the show The Wonder Years for some reason. The characters were born in the mid 50s (archetypal Boomers), while I was born in the mid 90s (tail end Millennials). The late 2000s just has that 'mystique' essence to it, that it's hard to ponder why? It may had been the crappiest part of the 2000s decade in retrospect, but it is the part of the decade that left the biggest impression for most people, in the same way the late 1960s is what most people think of "the 60s". 2006/2007-2010 is going to be as iconic as the Late 60s has become, especially as more time passes, for better or worst.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/middle-school-trends-late-2000s
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/25-things-middle-schoolers-remember

For anybody else whom was in middle school/high school in the mid-late 2000s, I salute you! It was a cringeworthy time that only us can truly understand what it was like ;D.


Love this post!

Every era of the 2000s had something to it. Perhaps, the 2000s were better than now because we had just left the 20th century in that time. Bottom line, living in any year of the 2000s was nothing like today. The 2000s were ‘the calm before the storm’. From the 2010s to the 2090s, everything we have done and do will be for the 22nd century.

I don’t know why people like to look back to only the years 1967 and 1968 when remembering the 60s. ??? Those were the years of the 60s closest to the 70s. You might as well be nostalgic for 1967 to 1971 or 1972.

As a core Xennial, I would like to go back to the years 1986 to 1991. There will never be another time in history for someone like me! :D

Even though the pop culture sucked and I have little interest in reliving that, this was pretty much the prime years of my life. Going back to being 11 - 15 would be pretty cool! The experience of finding my first love, making friends in middle school, and finding myself as a person would be really great and awesome to experience again! Oh and it would be cool to use Windows XP again and not have nor need a cell phone and entertain myself by simply going outside for a walk. :P

But I know I would be very sick and annoyed with hearing "Low" on the radio constantly... Even in the state of music we are in today. If I wanna relive good solid pop culture, I would go back to anything pre-2006.

I hated my teenage years so I have no desire to relive them - however I am increasingly nostalgic for certain aspects.

2006 and 2007...some of the best years of my life! Still have my journals from 06 and 07. Will take some time to read them later today.

I was 13 in 2006. I was 13...13 years ago lol.

2006 is an underrated year. I enjoyed a lot of the pop culture and the new technology that was becoming popular.

Love this post!

Every era of the 2000s had something to it. Perhaps, the 2000s were better than now because we had just left the 20th century in that time. Bottom line, living in any year of the 2000s was nothing like today. The 2000s were ‘the calm before the storm’. From the 2010s to the 2090s, everything we have done and do will be for the 22nd century.

I don’t know why people like to look back to only the years 1967 and 1968 when remembering the 60s. ??? Those were the years of the 60s closest to the 70s. You might as well be nostalgic for 1967 to 1971 or 1972.

As a core Xennial, I would like to go back to the years 1986 to 1991. There will never be another time in history for someone like me! :D


That starter pack was made by a girl (me) born in 1997 by the way it’s on the Gen Z/millennial sub on reddit if you wanna check it out

That starter pack was made by a girl (me) born in 1997 by the way it’s on the Gen Z/millennial sub on reddit if you wanna check it out


The starter pack was very well done. Every image in the starter pack reminds me of 2008 and I wasn’t in middle school then.  ;D

The starter pack was very well done. Every image in the starter pack reminds me of 2008 and I wasn’t in middle school then.  ;D


Thank you 💗

Thank you 💗


You’re very welcome.

I was 1-5 years old in 2006-2010. I don't remember anything at all. My recollections from 2011 and after are more clear.

I was 1-5 years old in 2006-2010. I don't remember anything at all. My recollections from 2011 and after are more clear.

Wow! You're the same age as my oldest niece.  :o

same, altough i would pick 2005-2009 because thats when i was 16-20

2007 - 2009 were great years personal-life wise. 2006 was okay but I didn't have as much freedom as in '07 I guess I felt very young still.

Not me.  Record high gas prices.  Work layoffs.  Housing crisis.  We also had a governor who was running the state into the ground.  Don't know what was on TV as I couldn't afford TV service.

I'd gladly go back to 2008, and to the age I was (late 20's) and live in Japan again. The only thing I would do differently is not marry my first wife.

For me 2006-07 5th grade was like the best school year for me 2008-09 was of 2010 was meh for me. Like ZeldaFan said it was a an overall carefree time for my life but I wouldn't group those 4 years as one era for my life since my life really changed after September 07 when I moved from NYC to North Carolina.

That starter pack was made by a girl (me) born in 1997 by the way it’s on the Gen Z/millennial sub on reddit if you wanna check it out


The only thing I would question was the PC, I guess it could pass as mid 2000s but it looked more early 2000s to me ;D

I think something with an LCD (or "TFT" as they were called back then) screen would have been a bit more iconic of the period.

But the smaller square ones rather than a widescreen.

That's a little detail I noticed as a nerd, but don't let it put you off!


I was 1-5 years old in 2006-2010. I don't remember anything at all. My recollections from 2011 and after are more clear.


It's very weird to read about people who are adults now talk about being kids in the mid 2000s. As I was 16 in 2006!

Very, very weird, which is one of the reasons I want to go back in time.

I was 1-5 years old in 2006-2010. I don't remember anything at all. My recollections from 2011 and after are more clear.

You should be overall be thankful you don't remember those years.

Huh I can't believe someone exists who doesn't remember the 2000s.  ;D

Ah, the Myspace years as I call it. I don't miss 2006-2010 much because my personal life was in shambles but at least my mom was still alive then.

I was 13 in 2006. I was 13...13 years ago lol.

2006 is an underrated year. I enjoyed a lot of the pop culture and the new technology that was becoming popular.


2006 was the year I ditched my Discman for a lime green ipod nano. It was that Christmas in 4th grade for me. I was so happy I didn't have to carry that clunky CD player on the school bus anymore lol. Plus I cracked so many CD covers because of it😭. I think 2006 is pretty underrated tbh, a lot of cool music and technology came out in 2006. The world was starting to become more modern.

2006 was the year I ditched my Discman for a lime green ipod nano. It was that Christmas in 4th grade for me. I was so happy I didn't have to carry that clunky CD player on the school bus anymore lol. Plus I cracked so many CD covers because of it😭. I think 2006 is pretty underrated tbh, a lot of cool music and technology came out in 2006. The world was starting to become more modern.


I second that, 2006 was when I was 16, a couple of years before becoming an adult. Damn, if I could live my life again from 16...

I like being a young adult, I think a lot of people here are quite childish going on and on about they're childhood years and being "more innocent" blah blah blah. To each to they're own, but being a young adult definitely has the potential to create the best memories to look back on, being a child is boring, mostly!

So do I. Aside from improved LGBT+ rights I hate what passes as cool in the 2010s.

I like being a young adult, I think a lot of people here are quite childish going on and on about they're childhood years and being "more innocent" blah blah blah. To each to they're own, but being a young adult definitely has the potential to create the best memories to look back on, being a child is boring, mostly!


Agreed. I liked becoming a teenager (even with all the upheavals and hassles and emotional ups and downs) and young adult because worlds and worlds of consciousness open up. There's a whole universe of meaning to discover. Childhood has none of that. It's boring and it stinks. Innocence is overrated.  ;)

Agreed. I liked becoming a teenager (even with all the upheavals and hassles and emotional ups and downs) and young adult because worlds and worlds of consciousness open up. There's a whole universe of meaning to discover. Childhood has none of that. It's boring and it stinks. Innocence is overrated.  ;)
I fear getting into older adulthood (from 30+ years will have none of what young adulthood has to offer too).

I fear getting into older adulthood (from 30+ years will have none of what young adulthood has to offer too).


Don't worry about that yet, it's a waste of time. When you get there it takes care of itself. 

Don't worry about that yet, it's a waste of time. When you get there it takes care of itself.
For a variety of personal reasons I'd feel like I'd wasted a lot of my life by then. Then again, a lot of stuff that's happened during the first two decades of my life has been generally outside of my control.

I was 13 in 2006. I was 13...13 years ago lol.

2006 is an underrated year. I enjoyed a lot of the pop culture and the new technology that was becoming popular.

I wouldn't mind going back to 2006. I'd prefer to live in a time where social media did not have so much power over pop culture and trends.

I was 1-5 years old in 2006-2010. I don't remember anything at all. My recollections from 2011 and after are more clear.

You missed out on the great TV shows, better music and video games that didn't drain your wallet for basic content.

Agreed. I liked becoming a teenager (even with all the upheavals and hassles and emotional ups and downs) and young adult because worlds and worlds of consciousness open up. There's a whole universe of meaning to discover. Childhood has none of that. It's boring and it stinks. Innocence is overrated.  ;)


Wow, you summed up exactly what I meant! Yeah, being a child has never particularly interested me. What I remember from early adulthood was the heady feeling of excitement/anxiety about the future from around my mid to late teens to my early 20s. There was a show called "Skins" when I was a teenager, which is basically a highly exaggerated and stylized portrayal of this. That and other "coming of age" movies/tv shows represent what we are both referring to.

At 30 I have none of that, it feels like everything significant that will happen has happened.
I remember going to the community youth club and community college between about 16-19, seeing all the young women there and wondering if anything might happen in terms of getting a girlfriend etc. Nothing did, in the end, but there was always that hope just by virtue of being young and in that age group where a lot of people are mingling and making friends etc. My biggest regret was being always in a state of anxiety and depression at the time, but there were several things causing that which I can't go into on here.

Like you said, there is "a whole universe of meaning, to discover" and you kind of have things in common with others just by virtue of being in that age group.


So do I. Aside from improved LGBT+ rights I hate what passes as cool in the 2010s.


The whole gay rights thing has been fairly strong since at least the mid 2000s, though. Look at anything contemporary from the time, there is always a storyline about a gay character, in shows like Lost etc. But I'm not gay so I'm just an outsider commenting. As for what passes as cool, I've never been much into contemporary culture myself, I've only got a vague idea of what was in fashion in the 2000s and the 2010s, but to me it all seems to blur into one. 2000s would be like, baggy jeans, baggy top, sneakers, 2010s would be tight jeans, hipster beard, snap back baseball cap.




I fear getting into older adulthood (from 30+ years will have none of what young adulthood has to offer too).


That is true. Even if you might have a "younger" personality, people will still judge you somewhat by age. It sucks especially if you are just "coming onto the boil" towards your late 20s/early 30s. Like if I got with an 18 year old girl when I was 21, no one would bat an eyelid, but if I did at 31, people would want to be a lot more judgmental due to the age difference. And this isn't just in terms of relationships, but in all terms. I feel very out of place as a 30+ year old and it does seem that there is very much feel like my days are numbered. It's sad, because I was never really a "person" when I was young and have very few meaningful memories.


For a variety of personal reasons I'd feel like I'd wasted a lot of my life by then. Then again, a lot of stuff that's happened during the first two decades of my life has been generally outside of my control.


Sounds similar to my experience. I had a lot of stuff that was out of my control happened. Then I had severe mental health issues in my early and mid 20s which I didn't get addressed and blamed my depression on unemployment.

I fear getting into older adulthood (from 30+ years will have none of what young adulthood has to offer too).


That is true. Even if you might have a "younger" personality, people will still judge you somewhat by age. It sucks especially if you are just "coming onto the boil" towards your late 20s/early 30s. Like if I got with an 18 year old girl when I was 21, no one would bat an eyelid, but if I did at 31, people would want to be a lot more judgmental due to the age difference. And this isn't just in terms of relationships, but in all terms. I feel very out of place as a 30+ year old and it does seem that there is very much feel like my days are numbered. It's sad, because I was never really a "person" when I was young and have very few meaningful memories.


I wouldn't mind going back to 2006. I'd prefer to live in a time where social media did not have so much power over pop culture and trends.


What difference does it really make, though? Pop culture has always been nonsense and always will, that's why it's pop culture, designed for the stupid masses ;D


You missed out on the great TV shows, better music and video games that didn't drain your wallet for basic content.


That's not really true though, is it? The garbage then was garbage, the garbage now is garbage ;D A lot of people just look back with rose coloured glasses. Recent video game releases have always been expensive. There is good and bad music of every era. Remember nonsense like "Soulja Boy"?  TV shows were okay, again, there was garbage and good. I liked "Lost", hated "Big Brother" and all the celebrity culture nonsense that went with it.

The whole gay rights thing has been fairly strong since at least the mid 2000s, though. Look at anything contemporary from the time, there is always a storyline about a gay character, in shows like Lost etc. But I'm not gay so I'm just an outsider commenting. As for what passes as cool, I've never been much into contemporary culture myself, I've only got a vague idea of what was in fashion in the 2000s and the 2010s, but to me it all seems to blur into one. 2000s would be like, baggy jeans, baggy top, sneakers, 2010s would be tight jeans, hipster beard, snap back baseball cap.

2000s Doctor Who had at least one LGBT+ character in it and even the writer is a gay man, so I guess I got that. I was more into children's shows back then so LGBT+ stuff would have mattered to me a bit less but I would have at least wanted some gender non-conformity. Then again the aesthetic of the 2000s has lended itself quite well for that to me compared to the 2010s (even though stuff like Steven Universe exists, the show's 80s and Calarts aesthetic don't really appeal to me).

Also I generally hate what passes as cool since around the mid-2010s. Too strongly traditionally gendered for one and it doesn't feel like it has the same sort of punch or melody to it compared to the 2000s.


That is true. Even if you might have a "younger" personality, people will still judge you somewhat by age. It sucks especially if you are just "coming onto the boil" towards your late 20s/early 30s. Like if I got with an 18 year old girl when I was 21, no one would bat an eyelid, but if I did at 31, people would want to be a lot more judgmental due to the age difference. And this isn't just in terms of relationships, but in all terms. I feel very out of place as a 30+ year old and it does seem that there is very much feel like my days are numbered. It's sad, because I was never really a "person" when I was young and have very few meaningful memories.

I am in a few online communities where the age of the users range from 13 to like 25 or so. I don't want to date anyone, I just prefer to talk about interests; I'm fine being single (although it is natural for me to want relationships, but I think being single is better for me).

Interacting with younger people alienates me because I generally don't relate well to the pop culture of the 2010s; I currently feel a little closer to them since they're either more gender non-conforming or more willing to experiment with gender, and if not that, I could more easily relate to them in regards to their living situations in that they're all living with parents most likely.

Interacting with older people alienates me since they lived through a more grown-up version of the pop culture that I was a child in, and in some cases lived through societies I didn't even exist in. They may have more likely dated views too on everything, but sometimes they may have views I totally agree with them on.

I wish to interact with those closer to my age but somehow I can't; even if I can though, many people my age seem to be fine with the pop culture they grew up in, only if for LGBT+ rights, awareness of racism and the conveniences of some tech at the cost of their dignity. For those who don't like the decade for LGBT+ rights and/or tech (not sure if I've met many such people) then I don't know if this decade appeals to them but if it does I don't know how besides some countries worldwide literally going backwards on everything or if not the more strongly gendered aesthetic or "classy" aesthetic for instance? This is likely going to be outside the scope of the topic though.



Sounds similar to my experience. I had a lot of stuff that was out of my control happened. Then I had severe mental health issues in my early and mid 2000s which I didn't get addressed and blamed my depression on unemployment.

I feel like I have to deal with some rather unhealthy obsessions which I believe can potentially be harmful if I don't get them under control (I prefer not to discuss it too much). The pandemic is really slowing things down in regards to this and other issues.

I second that, 2006 was when I was 16, a couple of years before becoming an adult. Damn, if I could live my life again from 16...

I like being a young adult, I think a lot of people here are quite childish going on and on about they're childhood years and being "more innocent" blah blah blah. To each to they're own, but being a young adult definitely has the potential to create the best memories to look back on, being a child is boring, mostly!

I think your perspective will largely depend on your own circumstances - if you’re unhappy as an adult then you’ll generally yearn for childhood.

Personally I am quite happy with my adult life so far. My life has been like a U-curve in terms of happiness, bottoming out in high school and going up from university to now. Even just from 20 to 25 I feel like I’ve experienced a fair amount of personal growth and development, both mentally and emotionally. Still, half of my 20s now being behind me is pretty crazy.