The key thing in this list is not whether or not the item in question is still messed up. It’s that at some point in the past it got messed up. It may still be messed up, but it may also be fixed. The idea is that it was fine just the way it was and then something happened that made it worse. Of course, this tends to happen with most perfectly good things.
While some of the changes were and are objectively bad, others are more subjective. For example, from a user’s perspective, youtube ads are a bad thing. They get in the way of what we want to see, and they are annoying. From a content producers perspective, youtube ads are a great thing. They generate income and allow people to make a living just creating youtube videos. Of course, in the end, the youtube ads lead to more and better content so they actually help the users as well, but we aren’t considering such indirect and long term effects in our list (as valid as they may be). Without a doubt this means that this list contains a strong element of subjectivity, but c’est la via. These are 25 Perfectly Good Things That Just Aren’t What They Used To Be!
Featured Image: pixabay
Journalism
Thanks to the internet, clickbait has become the norm. There’s no time for fact checking.
Blockbuster
Image: wikipediaRemember going to the neighborhood Blockbuster with your parents, choosing a movie, and then have the excitement build up on the ride home? Netflix took care of that.
US Presidential Elections
It used to be about issues. Today it’s about things we can’t even mention here.
Disconnecting
Image: wikipediaThis used to mean going for a walk. Now there’s the internet.
Strawberries
Image: wikipedia, Source: redditBefore they figured out how to make them all bright red, you used to be able to tell if they were ripe just by looking at them.
Privacy
Image: pixabayNo matter what they say, it doesn’t exist anymore. Not like it used to.
ISIS Ice Cream
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaThis was an actual brand of ice cream in Denmark. They rebranded.
Prank Calling
Image: pexelsThanks, caller ID.
MTV
Image: wikipediaRemember when they showed music videos on music video television? Kids these days probably don’t even know what MTV stands for.
Black Friday
Source: redditThis used to happen only in the brick and mortar stores, but now it happens online too. Hello, price gouging. Right before Black Friday, all the prices skyrocket, and they fall again. Because sales!
Being an artist
Image: pexels, Source: redditWhether it’s musicians, writers, whatever, these days you don’t even have time to focus on playing your instrument. It’s more about being present on facebook, snapchat, twitter, instagram, etc. The signal to noise ratio is deafening, and while artists used to focus on their art, these days it’s more about running non-stop social media campaigns.
The Library of Alexandria
Image: pexels, Source: wikipediaThe burning of the largest and most significant library in the ancient world has become a symbol for the loss of cultural knowledge.
Keep Calm And Carry On
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 1939, this was how the British government was planning to instill hope into its people during the middle of the Nazi bombing campaign. Today it has become one of the most trivialized phrases in history. And no the Chive did not start this phrase.
Entering the airport terminal without a ticket
Image: wikipediaTo everyone born post-911, yes, you used to be able to accompany your relatives all the way to the gate.
The Weather Channel
It used to do exactly what it advertised…tell us the weather. Then came talk shows, documentaries, and a barely navigable website. What happened?
A lot of movie franchises
Image: wikipediaTerminator?
Snow
It was so awesome when we were kids; now it’s just annoying.
eBay
Image: wikipediaIt used to be for picking up good deals, now it’s basically just an online shopping mall that consists of thousands of smaller stores.
European cities during WWII
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaAlthough some cities (like Prague) managed to escape the mayhem, most of the big ones had to be almost completely reconstructed.
Discovery/TLC/Animal Planet/History Channel
Source: redditThey used to actually show good content. Now they show reality TV.
It used to be about your circle of friends. Now it’s about…well…stuff.
Youtube
Gone are the days when you didn’t have to watch ads before each video.
The Arab Spring
Image: wikipedia, Source: bbc2011 was supposed to be the year of democratic uprisings in the Arab world. Instead, they just sort of became…uprisings. And now much of the Arab world is even worse off than it was before.
Pushing people into pools
Thanks cellphones for ruining a perfectly good prank.
DSLR Cameras
Image: wikipedia, Source: redditIt’s become more of a fashion statement than an art form.
Did you enjoy this list? Take a look at 25 Things That Have Been Completely Ruined Beyond Repair.
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