Everything has changed dramatically in the past two decades. We are living in the age of countless social networking platforms where connections and chit-chats can be easily done online. You should at least be familiar with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, etc. But, have you ever thought about how social media life was back in the early 2000s?
How did people connect with each other? Is it the same as it is now? Are you curious about this? So, let’s dive in to see how the 2000s people’s social life was.
What was popular at that time?
From the mid to late 90s, the Internet became more popular among a wide range of people. That is not the case these days when almost everyone has access to the Internet. Back in the late 90s and early 00s, not many families had the conditions and a computer to be online. At that time, the Internet connection was still kind of slow. To make it easier to imagine, if the average Internet speed of the 2010s was 108 Mbps, then the speed of the 2000s was only 0.8 Mbps. What is more is that the computers in the past were much bigger in size than their recent-day versions – which are getting thinner and more convenient.
Besides, we can’t help but reminisce about the days of iPods, retro gaming consoles and popular phone lines such as Nokia, Motorola, BlackBerry, and iPhone. Especially, it is impossible not to mention those external webcams. Back in those years, most computers and laptops did not have built-in cameras. That’s why sometimes people still had to purchase one, along with a micro and a speaker, to have a chat with their buddies and families. When it comes to technology in the old days, there are so many things that we can not tell them all.
The early 2000s were also the beginning of the new social media age. It was the start for the popularity of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, etc. in later years. The first social platform to be launched was Six Degrees in 1997. This platform may not be familiar to many Gen Z-ers, but Millenials might know it.
Following was the appearance of Yahoo! and MSN Messenger – where people can chat instantly with each other, along with some features like video and voice calling. Myspace made its debut later in 2003, which also caught the eye of most people. Back then, these platforms were especially popular and in the favor of young people. Things like chat rooms, newsgroups and forums were so common as well.
The widespread of these social networks last long for years until the launch of Facebook and Youtube in the mid-2000s. This appearance has marked a transformation for a new era of social media like today. Just by the end of the decade, these platforms began to take over the world and gradually replaced the position of other social networking and video-sharing sites. That success was followed by a series of births of those sites that are familiar with us nowadays, such as Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn in the 2010s.
We can already see that there were countless social networks popping up at that time and they were quite successful as well. However, there were still many factors that make our social media life today completely different from life in the 2000s. One reason could be the evolution of technology and the changes in living conditions. So, how was people’s social media life back then in the early 2000s?
People still had time for their offline lives
Although there were quite a few social networks appearing at this time, they did not have as much addiction and temptation as they are now. They were just simply the platforms to send messages, have some conversations and keep in contact with others. That is the reason why people were not overly dependent on them. They still had times for their own lives, for their friends and families.
As people living in those years shared, they felt like they had more times than today. Instead of looking down at the smartphone, they talked in person, and actually went places together as opposed to chatting online. Instead of texting in class, they passed notes to each other just for some chit-chat. Each morning waking up, they did not have to think about checking their notifications or their newsfeeds just to be updated.
There was enough time a day for them to spend on reading books, doing what they love, and being around their loved ones.
People care less about others
Not being exposed too much on social platforms like today helped them to concentrate only on their lives and a few people around them. Jealousy and envy were less prevalent then. There was no Instagram at that time to show off their lives. People all did what they love and things like gossip online could barely affect how they should live.
They think life was more positive then than now. Not seeing and hearing about other people’s lives made them feel a lot better. They did not know much about what was happening to other people on the other side of the globe. Instead of checking out hot news, they spent time creating values for their lives. Lots of people could feel the sense of gratitude and satisfaction back then.
People don’t fake to look flawless.
When social media was not as dominant as it is now, people did not try to create a perfect life online for others to see and admire. They did not spend hours just taking hundreds of selfie pics to post on their social media sites, or taking pictures of their new dresses or fancy dinners every day. Instead of lying on their beds for hours, surfing the feed and liking people’s beautiful photos, they were living their real lives.
People did not add too many filters, edit their pics and post them online just for likes from others. They did not have that much condition at that time to obsess over others’ beautiful faces and fancy lives. They valued real relationships and the good traits of others when interacting with them. It is not about how many likes they have online.
That was basically how the social life of people in the 2000s was. It was so positive and peaceful in many terms of life. What about you? How was your life back then?
Thao Van Nguyen
A passionate content writer and social media enthusiast that loves playing around with ideas and turning them into enticing words. Delivering great and useful content to our readers is what I’m working on.
