The good old days ....Did modern life peak circa 2000-2005?

Deleted User wrote: »

Late 90s and early 2000s was the sweet spot. We had the old way of life real friendships, no selfie culture, time felt like it moved slower but we also had the internet and mobile phones so were very connected.

Yes, I always thought that roughly 1998 - 2001, maybe 2002, was the sweet spot. I can imagine that if any of us living today were transported back to that time we would immediately be struck by how slow-moving, quieter, simpler, less information-intense life would feel. I would imagine the modern phenomenon of not knowing your neighbours was less of an issue back then. Looking at old footage from then, people seem more primitive in their grooming, less brash. I recommend anyone to observe the demeanour of contestants on old episodes of Who wants to be a millionaire (filmed during the years I listed) and compare it with that of the contestants on Jeremy Clarksons modern version of the quiz; the contestants from the late 90s/early 2000s seem shyer, less brash, frumpier and seem less devoted to their appearance, don't see themselves as performers for the crowd, they defer to the host Chris Tarrant and seem genuinely delighted to win their various amounts of money compared with modern contestants (even accounting for inflation). The modern contestants seem to think they are naturally meant for tv, they aren't awed in any way by Clarkson who is a "famous person", they make sarcastic remarks and try to perform for the crowd, and they don't seem to be as genuinely delighted with the money they win. Was just an observation I made recently.