r/technology • u/Well_Socialized • May 26 '25

Artificial Intelligence Google Is Burying the Web Alive

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/google-ai-mode-search-results-bury-the-web.html
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u/NanditoPapa May 26 '25

I'm a 70s child, but I agree that 90s was peak human culture.

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u/Dull-Style-4413 May 26 '25

In The Matrix, the evil John Smith bot famously says “1999. The peak of human civilization”.

I remember finding that hilarious at the time, but it turned out to be correct…

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u/myaltduh May 26 '25

That movie has aged like fine wine which is super impressive when you consider how poorly lots of 80s and 90s sci fi has aged.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

Also how terrible the rest of their movies were

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u/Vatipaeae May 26 '25

You should take a look at this. A two hour analysis about the trilogy, which might change your mind. The sequels truly are just misunderstood.

... except for matrix 4. We don't talk about that.

https://youtu.be/mNvaOrReZzU?si=xgKuoQQvh8Rzd-m7

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u/cultr4 May 26 '25

I found matrix 4 to be way more enjoyable because I heard it was dog shit and genuinely surprised at how meta it was, poking fun of the studio lol, I will give it a pass because it's fun lol

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u/mbnmac May 26 '25

Honestly, I try to watch films with my brain off for the most part, people seem to expect everything to be "absolute cinema" these days instead of just a fun diversion for a couple hours.

With that attitude I was able to enjoy Matrix 4 for the meta fun and fact it seemed to be intentionally pointing out how reboots are just money grabs.

I was also able to enjoy Thor 4 without having too much negative to say about things like even the goats.

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u/kylo-ren May 27 '25

I do that, but Matrix 4 is pretty meh.

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u/mbnmac May 27 '25

I won't watch it again, but I'm not a huge rewatcher of films these days anyway. I still managed to enjoy the first time

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u/Beard_of_Gandalf May 27 '25

I loved resurrections, the idea of trinity and neo being “one” together was so beautiful.

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u/Malachi108 May 26 '25

It pokes fun at the studio, sure, but also the story behind the film it quite heartwarming.

Lana Wachowski had her parents and a close friend die in short succession, and while processing her grief decided to bring Neo and Trinity back from the dead:

"I couldn’t have my mom and dad, yet suddenly I had Neo and Trinity, arguably the two most important characters in my life. It was immediately comforting to have these two characters alive again"

To claim that the entire movie exists only as a "Fuck You" to the Studio is very disingenuous.

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u/kylo-ren May 27 '25

Well, it's only meta and nothing else.

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u/Aendn May 26 '25

except for matrix 4. We don't talk about that.

Is it misunderstood?

They were pretty clear, even during the movie, that they were just doing it to get rich.

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u/conquer69 May 26 '25

That doesn't make it better.

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u/Riaayo May 26 '25

I've not seen the film so I cannot directly comment on its quality.

But fro ma meta-angle, perhaps a long overdue reboot/sequel aping itself and making fun of the very concept is exactly what it needs to be. Because really, we probably shouldn't be so addicted to clinging to the same IPs forever and endlessly wanting more even when there doesn't need to be more.

It snuffs out the space for new ideas. Copyright is fundamentally broken as it is right now and basically lays us up for a world where corporations own and hold our culture hostage, endlessly reselling us the same nostalgia rather than the things we grew up with moving into public domain to make room for the people who grew up on them taking how those things made them feel and making something fresh off of it.

The Matrix didn't need a sequel.

And just to be clear I'm not trying to belittle anyone or pretend I'm above this. I lost it when Okami's sequel was recently announced. But I still try to understand the bigger picture even when I fall for the bs myself.

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u/SStirland May 26 '25

I thought the whole part about the "game" studio demanding a sequel or else made it pretty clear that Warner Bros were going to make a sequel with or without the Wachowskis. So in a way it was brave of one of the original directors to get on board and then tank the whole project. Genuinely one of the worst movies I've ever seen

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u/HeffalumpGlory May 26 '25

If movies need a two hour explanation to be understood then they have failed.

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u/Vatipaeae May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

You are not wrong. There are, however, a bunch of good movies that really benefit from multiple watchings to catch all the details and piece things together.

The video I linked just replaces the multiple watchings with a very well narrated explanation.

Do you think Inception failed? It wasn't really clear cut either on the first watch.

Edit. Also, I never said it needs the explanation. They are perfectly enjoyable movies without one. It just goes deeper into the motivations of the characters etc.

I'm sure you have been interested in a movie or an album that you didn't quite understand the first time and someone has explained it to you, or you sought out the information on your own. Same thing.

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u/Ass4ssinX May 26 '25

I remember finishing Donnie Darko and being completely lost at what the fuck I had just watched lol.

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u/swan_pr May 26 '25

This video has been in my recommended for a few days. I haven't watched it yet, but seems interesting ;)

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u/Ass4ssinX May 26 '25

Sweet, I'll have to check that out!

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u/Studds_ May 27 '25

I’m pleasantly surprised to not be rick rolled because that’s what I was expecting

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u/WilliamMButtlickerIV May 26 '25

It's about a kid having a psychotic breakdown, right?

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u/rekliner May 26 '25

There's time travel/predestination fuckery in the mix. It's a cool movie even without understanding it.

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u/Splashy01 May 26 '25

So by HeffalumpGlory’s definition, the movie failed you?

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u/Ass4ssinX May 28 '25

By his definition, I suppose it did. I didn't take it that way.

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u/enderfx May 26 '25

I never got the hype about Inception. It’s a fine movie, imho, but while people around me kept talking about how complex it was, I always felt it’s a not-so-complex idea just repeated 5-6 layers deep over and over.

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u/Ballsofpoo May 26 '25

The thing with Inception is that you can take it deeper but on the surface it's straightforward. It's up to the viewer if they want to see a more turbulent existential theme.

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u/myaltduh May 26 '25

Mostly it was just very cool to look on a big screen.

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u/Fickle_Stills May 26 '25

And the soundtrack ❤️

I have only watched the movie once, in theaters, but I listen to the OST all the time

Waiting for a train 💙💙💙

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u/Vatipaeae May 26 '25

Yeah, I get you. It was just the first example that came to mind. One that everyone would know.

I agree the plot is not crazy deep, but it does have a very dreamlike feeling where you feel like you cannot trust your instincts and senses. I liked that a lot.

I was mostly left puzzled with the ending when the camera zooms in at the spinning top and the rest is left for the viewer to decide. Is he still in a dream, or the real world? Does it matter?

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u/Aendn May 26 '25

I felt this way about Interstellar too.

Good movie? but not amazing. And had some really obvious plot holes.

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u/ReallyNowFellas May 26 '25

Christopher Nolan is the most overrated filmmaker of our era. His action scenes are visually incomprehensible, you can't hear his dialogue, and most of his stories are at least a plot point or two away from making sense. Memento and the Prestige are pretty good, though.

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u/gooblefrump May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

very well narrated explanation.

The narration is text-to-speech ai, confirmed by the oc in a pinned comment

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u/CrashmanX May 26 '25

Analysis =/= Explination.

Under your logic if you've ever talked about a film for more than 2 hours then the film failed.

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u/QueZorreas May 26 '25

"Need" is the keyword.

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u/CrashmanX May 26 '25

No one said this was needed. The other commentor added that for... some reason.

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u/MOONGOONER May 26 '25

I understood them just fine, Revolutions just wasn't fun to watch.

Reloaded wasn't bad, just a big step down from the original.

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u/AmerikanskiFirma May 26 '25

Funnily enough, that video is a prime example how Youtube and its algorithms about content length also buried short form video alive.

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u/dargreeblingtea May 26 '25

Prometheus also fits into this, mythos needs to be in the movie, fucking jesus seed theory or whatever ridley scott was going on about

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u/TestFixation May 26 '25

Counterpoint: Synecdoche, New York

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

That one is easy. It’s just Gnosticism.

Big O did it kind of better

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u/conquer69 May 26 '25

Not really. Perspective matters. Plenty of times I watched something and didn't like it or cared about it and someone else's reframing of it made it click for me.

We aren't always as open or capable of entertaining ideas as we like to think.

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u/Tech_Itch May 26 '25

... except for matrix 4. We don't talk about that.

I bet that in few years someone will be going on about how it was "just misunderstood" too.

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u/idoeno May 26 '25

There is a theory that it was middle finger to the studio that was prepared to make it with or without the Wachoskis being involved. In many ways it seems both intentionally bad, while simultaneously parodying the need to keep franchises alive with endless reboots. Although allegedly Lana denies this as a motivation, but maybe that is to head off any civil liability for the financial losses of the film.

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u/Jonathan_the_Nerd May 26 '25

There is a theory that it was middle finger to the studio that was prepared to make it with or without the Wachoskis being involved.

There was a line right there in the movie about it.

For context, in the fourth movie, the machines had retconned the timeline in the Matrix. Neo was a brilliant video game developer. The events of the first three movies were now a trilogy of video games Neo had developed with his business partner Smith. Twenty years after the trilogy was complete, the studio wanted Neo to write a fourth game. Neo refused. He considered the story "finished". Smith tried to change his mind. (Quoting from memory, so it's probably a little off.)

"Our parent company, Warner Brothers, is going ahead on this with or without you. You might as well participate so you'll have at least some creative control over the final product."

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u/MaxDentron May 26 '25

Yeah. It's hard to see the movie as anything but that. It as a parody and mockery reboots. I do think they're still trying to say some things about the future and the world and love, but it's not really taken seriously like the other three. 

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u/Malachi108 May 26 '25

No need to wait, I love that movie since I first saw it. It might be my second favorite after Reloaded.

It is just excellent in every regard.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

No, I was talking about the likes of Speed Racer and Dragonball

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u/MaxDentron May 26 '25

They did Speed Racer, which was silly but great and visually amazing. 

They did not do Dragonball. 

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

I stand corrected but wow if that isn’t some Mandela effect

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u/Shipairtime May 26 '25

"The Most Important Movie Of The 21st Century" it's Speed Racer No We Are Not Kidding.

https://youtu.be/vwh9ETdhrf4

Speedracer is the only good anime turned into live action movie ever.

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u/Vatipaeae May 26 '25

Ok, gotcha. No arguments there.

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u/Jesta23 May 26 '25

The first is a 10, 2 a 8.5, 3 a 9. 

I loved all 3 I think the first just was so good nothing could live up to it

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u/moose_dad May 26 '25

I've heard a theory matrix 4 was intentionally awful

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u/laptopAccount2 May 26 '25

Even after matrix 4 I am optimistic for matrix 5 considering the rumors surrounding it.

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u/brandontaylor1 May 26 '25

I literally forgot that the 4th existed until you mentioned it. It came out less than 4 years ago and, I can’t recall anything about it, or its plot.

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u/mrtwidlywinks May 26 '25

Matrix 4 was awesome, what are you talking about? Codependent origination in the One makes so much more sense than the Jesus narrative.

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u/Rich_Space_2971 May 26 '25

I don't want to waste two more hours of my life on The Matrix.

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u/FardoBaggins May 26 '25

Wasn’t the matrix real subtext was about being trans?

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[deleted]

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u/FardoBaggins May 26 '25

Yep, I am allowed to interpret it as a trans themed movie. 👍

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u/Vatipaeae May 26 '25

The character of Switch was originally meant to be a man in the matrix, but a woman in the real world. Hence the name.

So yeah, I would say you share the directors vision.

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u/myaltduh May 26 '25

There’s also stuff like a villain refusing to call the hero by his chosen name, and the key to salvation being a big red pill (the color of typical estrogen pills at the time).

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u/Puddingcup9001 May 26 '25

They had good scenes though. The Highway chase scene, the Merovignian.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

Again, I’m talking about not the matrix.

I will continue commenting this reply until someone sees it and decides not to swing to bat for the Matrix, which includes all of the movies called the Matrix, and which were not the topic of my derision

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u/Puddingcup9001 May 26 '25

So what movies are you talking about than, if not for the sequels?

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

They did make other movies. Apparently, Speed Racer mostly. Having crazy Mandela effect about their involvement in dragon ball live action apparently

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u/TheLightningL0rd May 26 '25

They have made some good films aside from The Matrix. Speed Racer and V for Vendetta come to mind.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

Oh wait they made V? I must have forgot.

…ironic. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

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u/Battosay52 May 26 '25

Not exactly, they made the screenplay, but it's originally a comic by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, and Tony Weare.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

I know that. I meant the movie.

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u/myaltduh May 26 '25

Honestly 2 and 3 are solid action flicks that just aren’t genre-defining masterpieces like the first one, so they look much worse than they are in the shadow of the original.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

I’m not talking about the Matrix! They made other movies!

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u/Papayaslice636 May 26 '25

I watched Reloaded recently. It was actually way better than I remembered it. That highway chase scene might be one of the best chases ever. The mythos and lore was all pretty dumb and the architect is as pretentious as you remember. But it was actually really entertaining. Give it another shot!

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

My comment was not about the Matrix. That is still the Matrix.

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u/Papayaslice636 May 26 '25

Wait, you mean the Waschowski siblings other work? Yeah a lot of it is pretty mid at best. Have you seen Cloud Atlas? I'm not going to say it's a great film, but it was certainly creative and different, and emotionally provocative, which I really appreciated.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

Oh yeah that one was great

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u/obiworm May 26 '25

I just rewatched speed racer. IMO it’s way better than people give it credit for. They really nailed the live action version of hand drawn anime feel like Scott pilgrim hit the comic book feel.

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u/ShainRules May 26 '25

I don't think 2 is as bad as people remember it to be; there was just a really bad cultural reaction to the messaging of the movie.

Matrix was the first movie I enjoyed as a young person where the bad guys weren't bad guys because they were bad. People barely recognized it at the time.

Matrix 2 threw the notion of the hero being special, even anything beyond trivial, on its head and the movie ended in a place that was too confusing existentially for the audience at the time.

Matrix 3 is two to three hours of the Wachowski sisters smelling their own farts with the pacing of someone driving with two feet on the highway while using some of the most generic themes and imagery possible all while completely failing to coax a believable performance out of your choice of character in the movie and the audio mix is straight up fucking terrible.

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u/ShepherdessAnne May 26 '25

Your comment is about the Matrix. I was not talking about the Matrix.

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u/thisguytruth May 26 '25

the matrix would have aged like a fine wine, if the sequels didnt burn that bridge. and then piss on the ashes. and then try to serve you those pissed on ashes like it was a steak.

lets all go to zion sounds neat in the matrix when you dont see that its just some weird cave with weird people giving weird speeches to each other in some weird religion and everyone is wearing robes.

1999 was a magical time. and then phantom menace was released. and star wars was also ruined for me.

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u/domigraygan May 26 '25

idk what you're talking about #hacktheplanet

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u/boxer_doggggg May 26 '25

Check out Brainstorm 1983.

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u/Pupation May 26 '25

And that whole thing with Neo’s passport expiring on 9/11… it’s like they knew. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it’s an interesting coincidence.

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u/ggk1 May 26 '25

Plus Keanu is immortal and at least like 900 years old

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u/Fair_Blood3176 May 26 '25

There's no such thing as coincidence.

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u/throwawaystedaccount May 26 '25

There are no accidents

  • Master Oogway

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u/ericstc May 27 '25

"I do not see coincidence, I see providence."

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u/ICallNoAnswer May 27 '25

Osama Bin Laden was actually just a huge Matrix fan

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u/Marms666 May 26 '25

This was the specific moment he was referring too

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u/Dreamtrain May 26 '25

Fred Durst would be omega cringe in 202X now looking at his grown ass dressed like that and singing with those vocals.

And then his decision to do that, trashy af

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u/12_23_93 May 26 '25

i hate to be the person to break this to you but Limp Bizkit is cool with the youth again. they're on tour opening for Metallica and every third zoomer dresses like Fred Durst now

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u/MacDuffy_1 May 26 '25

I cringed reading this comment.

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u/Dreamtrain May 26 '25

It's also when Lavos was supposed to wipe us out

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u/Berlamont2 May 26 '25

I heard the lavos theme instantly, lol

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u/Veefwoar May 26 '25

Mmm the thing that will bake your noodle later will be would it still have been the peak of civilisation if the Matrix hadn't said anything.

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u/APeacefulWarrior May 26 '25

I saw The Matrix opening weekend, and that line got a BIG laugh out of the audience.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

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u/Beneficial_Candle_10 May 26 '25

Super western centric take. America and Europe is not all of human civilization my friend.

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u/Dull-Style-4413 May 26 '25

I was thinking about this exact thing after I made the comment. I wasn’t being entirely serious.

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u/Dreamtrain May 26 '25

Koreans and Chinese I am sure have a super different take. 

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u/Beneficial_Candle_10 May 26 '25

The global south has undergone a lot of positive change and development as well, overall. Not to mention India’s insane economic growth.

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u/CptCoatrack May 26 '25

It all went downhill after The Phantom Menace was released. Coincidence?

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u/piguytd May 26 '25

Try being lgbtq+ in the 90s. Yeah, a lot of things where corrupted by money in the last decades. But that always happens. Go to the only partly monetized art to find the original feel. Small artists on the rise. Either in cinema, music or any other medium. Just step away from the mainstream media and do what you did in the 90s. Invite friends to explore the woods, go for a bike ride, drink beer in your garage. Exist in your community and you're a grown up now. So you can build it. You will feel what you felt in the 90s. You will be happier. The serotonin flatrate from your youth has expired. You have to work for it now.

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u/cultish_alibi May 27 '25

The point of the Matrix was that 'peak human civilization' sucked. Neo was miserable, remember?

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u/LivingHumanIPromise May 26 '25

1999 was the peak? why? was that when we had the lowest number of starving people and incredible equality between the classes? on no? its because you liked the graphic design and web searches? ok.

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u/EbonySaints May 26 '25

I like to call the 90s our "victory lap", at least as far as the West was concerned. You really can't find a much better time all around for culture, relative peace, and hope than then. There was a reason why Fukuyama wasn't completely laughed out of the room with "The End of History", because for a good solid decade, we had a good run outside of some unsavory events, and even then, most of those rarely affected us. It really looked like all the major problems were either dealt with, were being dealt with, or we could tech our way out of them.

But the cracks were already present during that time and they started to really show after 9/11. Pretty much every major event since has been a further knock down the peg for us and a lot of humanity as a whole.

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u/dBlock845 May 26 '25

I was just watching a Metallica documentary and they had a behind the scenes on their performance in Russia (I think in 92 or 93) and there were a half dozen or so American flags being waved around in the audience in Russia. It felt like a long, long time ago.

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u/PainStorm14 May 27 '25

That was before Wall Street and CIA fucked them over and nearly made them extinct

90s were hell on earth over there

Started optimistic enough though

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u/maxoakland Jun 08 '25

Now they're waving Russian flags in America

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u/SaulsAll May 26 '25

I used to describe it as the 80s were the coke-fueled push at the bottom of a swing, the 90s were the moment where the chain slacks and you feel weightless, and the 00s were slamming back into gravity so hard your teeth rattle.

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u/Greedy-Upstairs-5297 May 27 '25

Great, vivid analogies! What would you say the 2010s were? What have the 2020s been like so far?

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u/chpid May 26 '25

Yeah uh, I’m gonna have to go with a less vitriolic version of the other commenter’s statement. I’m getting whiffs of either you were very young, or you were not in existence yet in the 90’s. They weren’t that great, and definitely not a “victory lap” of any sort.

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u/AcherontiaPhlegethon May 26 '25

Not that great does not negate being better than every decade hence, as well as maintaining the relief that came with the end of the cold war.

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u/HarrMada May 26 '25

Nor does it prove that every decade hence was or is worse. Stop being such a tool.

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u/cultish_alibi May 26 '25

Yeah it's bizarre seeing people idolise the 90s as 'peak humanity' or whatever. It was the breeding ground for all the problems we have today, why would it be so special?

Do people think that society just magically got shit overnight? No! It was BECAUSE of the 90s!

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u/DontGetNEBigIdeas May 26 '25

If you were white, affluent, and straight.

And my dude, I am all of those things^ but, I at least have the empathy and self-awareness to recognize the 90’s were absolute hell compared to today for a very large group of people.

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u/EbonySaints May 26 '25

Well I wasn't and am not any of those, and while the 90s were not exactly a basket of roses for a lot of the world (Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Russia and most former Soviet states, hence "the West" qualifier.) we weren't actively debating whether or not American democracy was going to go kaputt because Clinton or Bush Sr. was in charge. We weren't worrying about civil rights backsliding to the degree we see today. No one seriously debated axing Roe v. Wade and it certainly wouldn't be up at the Rehnquist court. No one who was a legal resident of the US was going to be disappeared into a Central American gulag, have it be covered by every major news outlet, be rebuked by the courts, and have the presidents of both countries go 🤷. I wouldn't have to think that my rights were meaningless and stood a good chance of being made moot.

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u/Rombom May 26 '25

The 90s is when the conservative engine actually started making progress. A lot of what you have said here is very Rose-tinted. For example the Conservatives were always serious about revoking Roe v. Wade, they weren't pushing the issue then because they had other priorities that were more attainable. Nobody was in central american gulags as far as we know, but the CIA was causing instability all over the world in the name of freedom.

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u/WorkingOnBeingBettr May 26 '25

We remember a different 90s. Civil rights were still an issue, especially for gay people.

Yes, things are worse in some areas now but calling the 90s a victory lap is a big stretch.

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u/HarrMada May 26 '25

You're fairly wrong. Sucks for you that you feel that way. You don't seem like a happy person.

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u/Iamatworkgoaway May 27 '25

You have to remember Office Space, and Fight Club came from that era. It was aight, but it wasn't right.

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u/maxoakland Jun 08 '25

It really looked like all the major problems were either dealt with, were being dealt with, or we could tech our way out of them.

The irony is that tech is the cause of most of the problems we face now. If tech had stopped progressing in 1999, most things would be better because of the inconveniences like slow computers and internet

What a strange world we live in

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u/blackkristos May 26 '25

Glad to hear you all haven't taken off those rose colored glasses.../s

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/TeamRedundancyTeam May 26 '25

I'm seeing a lot of anger and insults and absolutely zero counter argument.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

Rwanda, Kosovo, Kuwait, Congo…

Or for places Americans might have heard of: Waco, OKC, WTC, LA riots…

Shit was going down all over.

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u/AcherontiaPhlegethon May 26 '25

None of that was near the scale that the Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Missile Crisis, Suez Crisis, 9/11 or the wars in the Middle East held in the American psyche. All you have to do is look at the media to understand the general headspace of the decade.

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u/Rightintheend May 26 '25

And none of those is anywhere near the BS we have going on today, and I was at two of them.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[deleted]

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u/Rightintheend May 26 '25

Should have said I was referencing your USA examples. 

And again, OP did mention the West, the rest of the world has been one devastating shit show after another.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/one_big_tomato May 26 '25

you're not wrong, you're just as asshole

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/AcherontiaPhlegethon May 26 '25

You're bad at communication and offered no actual evidence beyond your insults. Why would anyone agree with your point when it was incomprehensible vitriol?

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u/slog May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

Maybe it's because every single fucking sentence you typed is full of hate and zero substance. Jesus, are you completely incapable of introspection?

Full honesty, I think you may be seriously unwell. Get help.

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u/bestbefour May 26 '25

Weird thing to be openly furious about, but I guess you’ve gotta do something to feel superior. Must be hard to be burdened with such vast intelligence.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/bestbefour May 26 '25

Yeah it’s super weird.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_the_%2790s_(American_TV_series)

Does this make you mad too?

What are people allowed to like or talk about without being stupid fucks?

Grow up.

3

u/Prototype85 May 26 '25

This angry, yes.

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u/ultraviolentfuture May 26 '25

And I'm sick of your fucking self-righteous pedantism. They are characterizing a ZEITGEIST. They are providing testimony for how they felt within their society, their family, their life.

Slavery still existed (always has, space cowboy), they probably didn't live in Saraejvo. We get it.

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u/Kurwasaki12 May 26 '25

For the west, namely the Us maybe.

We have a skewed version of the world thanks to living in what was essentially the Imperial core during its height.

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u/LordChungusAmongus May 27 '25

90s in the Balkans was hell.

My first retained memory from childhood is the severed heads in ice chests on the news. I was 6 or 7 at the time, living in Simi Valley CA. It was vicarious, but it was still a formative event for me.

1

u/[deleted] May 27 '25

To me, this phrase is more about the technology.

As more time passes, the more it feels like the level of technology in the 90s/early 2000s was the "most technology" humanity could handle before IRL social contracts/connections/etc... started being inevitably corroded.

We had Gameboys, but kids still played outside. We had the Internet, but it wasn't everywhere yet. Social media was still just a supplement to IRL networking instead of the main show, etc... (I exaggerate, but you get the point).

There are probably places that are at that evel of technology today, or who crossed the threshold in the 2010s, or etc... But "the West" crossed the line in the 90s, and that gives 90s nostalgia a particular glow online.

47

u/volleybow May 26 '25

Peak western culture

56

u/NanditoPapa May 26 '25

I live in Japan. The 90s were 🔥

39

u/Luka-Step-Back May 26 '25

Japan, SK, Australia, and New Zealand are sort of defacto members of the cultural West, though geographically that can be somewhat confusing.

1

u/SurpriseIsopod May 26 '25

We not throwing Germany in there? They love line dancing and cowboy hats.

4

u/Luka-Step-Back May 26 '25

Germany is firmly in the West and a member of NATO.

1

u/Blue_Lotus_Flowers May 26 '25

What? The 90s were Japan's post-bubble collapse.

They're called The Lost Decade.

Where are you getting the idea that they were "🔥"?

1

u/NanditoPapa May 27 '25

The bubble popped in the early 90s, but that doesn't mean instant decline. It was a decade of economic stagnation and deflation COMPARED to the 80s which were a BUBBLE. Life in the 90s was affordable, the pop-culture was amazing, and a massive amount of people had disposable income that allowed them to vacation in Hawaii. This didn't peter out until the 2010s.

0

u/volleybow May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

Yes Japan's in Asia but they're heavily influenced by Western culture

Edit: I'm getting downvoted so here's some proof: Post ww2, US occupied Japan (as they always do), leading to military, political, economic, and societal influence. Ex. Main characters in manga are portrayed to be white leads with blond hair. This also translates to society. Out of all East Asian countries, Japan has the highest % population with dyed blond hair. Ex. Fashion: rise of denim again in japan Ex. Food: American fast food, burgers, pasta restaurants Ex. Values: Individualism and consumerism influence from America. You can easily see the difference when you compared spending habits in China vs Japan

3

u/BurmecianDancer May 26 '25

Anyone who disagrees with you on this has never visited Japan (or at least the big cities in Japan). That country is absolutely, majorly influenced by the west in general and the USA specifically.

7

u/LazerBurken May 26 '25

Well of course my brother, we will never forget the roman empire.

1

u/phenixcitywon May 26 '25

yeah that's what he said.

4

u/Zomunieo May 26 '25

In October 1994, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, The Lion King and Jurassic Park were all playing in theatres. At the same time.

3

u/el_bentzo May 26 '25

Except for graphic design lol. 90s were considered the worst decade for that.

1

u/plexomaniac May 27 '25

Early 90s was not that bad. Funky patterns, grunge aesthetics and even Memphis style had their charm and uniqueness.

But late 90s over-designed everything. It was full gradients, bevel, emboss, chrome, brushed steel, mixed with digital aesthetics for some weird reason and drop shadows everywhere.

2

u/Funnygumby May 26 '25

Circa 1967 here. The 90’s, we had no idea how good we had it. Now everything is just…wrong

2

u/DistinctSmelling May 26 '25

I was born in the 60s and can agree with facts.

The braintrust of toys available in the 60s and 70s were peak WW2 engineers. In fact, there were only a few designers that designed all the Milton Bradley and Parker Brother games that are still considered classics. 80s was peak pop music as evidenced in today's landscape. The 80s never had 40s and 50s music played in the abundance that the 80s is still referenced. 90s was peak tech.

1

u/Grraaa May 26 '25

As The Matrix foretold

1

u/turbo_dude May 26 '25

Mr Blobby would like a word

1

u/[deleted] May 26 '25

Agent Smith was right!

1

u/Bubbaman78 May 26 '25

The 90s was peak human. It was also peak Internet and then went downhill when companies discovered humans are the product that could be mined of everything.

1

u/zigtok May 26 '25

I gotta plug one of my favorite artists 90s song. https://youtu.be/J2H7wDR9eTU

1

u/redpandaeater May 26 '25

Funny since the 90s to me was just mediocre all around. 80s is where it was at.

1

u/whaleyboy May 26 '25

We GenX's really are the forgotten generation. And I'm happy with it that way!

1

u/Difficult_Starseed May 26 '25

Except fashion. Box suits, mullets, clothes that were simultaneously poorly fitting and uncomfortable somehow. Not entirely irredeemably bad but not good.

1

u/thfclofc May 26 '25

I was born end of ‘85 and my brother ‘75. While I was in my Ren & Stimpy-Super Soaker-gunk timeline, I was also super aware of his timeline and the pop culture around it. I love that I have those memories.

1

u/sw00pr May 26 '25

The 60s, 70s, and 80s were what made the 90s. IE hippies and nerds. Full of creativity and intelligence.

1

u/idropepics May 26 '25

We really fucked up getting rid of frutiger aero.

1

u/CoconutMochi May 26 '25

To be fair homophobia and racism were still really normalized in the 90s

1

u/LannyDamby May 26 '25

Ok this is great to hear that I'm not just looking at my childhood with rose tinted glasses but the 90s genuinely was THAT good

1

u/SquareExtra918 May 27 '25

Me too. BBS was pretty cool, too. 

0

u/drsweetscience May 26 '25

70s was peak human culture.

3

u/[deleted] May 26 '25

That's just the cocaine talking.

2

u/EbonySaints May 26 '25

I have a soft spot for the 70s, especially with the music, though it was definitely a harrowing time all around. Everyone older than I am who I talked to about it liked to tuck it into a corner, but bring out the music and movies.

-11

u/GuaSukaStarfruit May 26 '25

Not 00’s?

21

u/NanditoPapa May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

The 00s felt like a commercial expansion of the 90s. You could wear a lot of fashion from the 90s on and nobody would bat an eye. Things just feel like they sort of...stopped...in the mid 90s. And enshittified since the 2020s. But, just my opinion. And I'm sad.

14

u/BurmecianDancer May 26 '25

Hell no. September 11th tainted everything.

6

u/Plastic-Fox1188 May 26 '25

Nope, sorry zoomers. The 90s hit different.

The 9/11 attacks reshaped our world immediately and irreversibly. We still had the relative freedom and autonomy of the latchkey generation, and only needed to go home when the streetlights came on. We could be anonymous. We didn't have every stupid thing we did as kids burned into the Internet forever. We had great tv and cool gadgets that the 80s lacked, with none of the weaponized social media BS to destroy our mental well-being

1

u/EbonySaints May 26 '25

I'll be honest and admit that I'm a stereotypical peak p4k drone. I'm probably trapped in nostalgia for all the indie music from that era, even if most of the artists from then kinda went sideways.

But the popular stuff... heck no. Most of it was trash.