'Was the 2000s really the best time ever?': Singaporean misses days of outdoor games and genuine friendships 

SINGAPORE: Ah, the 2000s. A time when children actually went outside to find their friends, spent hours playing silly games, and could enjoy an entire afternoon without once checking their phones. For some millennials, those days are beginning to look rather glorious compared with today's screen-heavy social lives.

One Singaporean recently got a little nostalgic on Reddit, wondering whether the 2000s really were the best time to grow up.

“Was the 2000s really the best time ever? Kids going out, actually meeting their friends and playing rather than virtual ‘meets’ all the time, or even if meeting but just using a phone.”

“We had good shows like high school musicals, and even MediaCorp shows were good back then; talking about shows like ‘It Takes Two’ or whatever Christopher Lee acted in.”

Wondering how things had changed so much, he asked whether smartphones becoming an everyday necessity was the only reason behind the shift or whether something else had happened to the way people socialised and entertained themselves.

“What else happened?” he asked. “Why are the shows so bad and do kids just not treasure human interaction anymore since AI is a thing now?”

‘As a 90s kid, the 2000s were great’

In the comments, multiple Singaporean Reddit users agreed that the 2000s had a certain magic, with one recalling how easy it was to make plans and spend time with friends without all the fuss.

“Meeting at MRT control station seems like magic—that everyone just show up on time, every single time!” they wrote. “Those days were so simple: go cineleisure, watch movie, go LAN shop, eat mcd, if feel rich eat pasta mania, once in a while night cycling, after midnight movie no more bus take opportunity to walk the girl you like home..”

Another user missed the days when the whole family would gather around the television on weekday evenings. “Watching Phua Chu Kang, Under One Roof, Police and Thief, and My Sassy Neighbour on the TV with family on weekday nights hits different; local shows were so peak then.”

A third shared, “As a 90s kid, I would say yeah, the 2000s were great. Actual genuine friendships and interactions. Never dreaded going to school even though I’m not the studying type. I just want to meet my classmates and friends. 

“Those days when Pokemon cards were actually being played, basketball sessions at friends' places, every new phone launch was refreshing, Bluetooth sharing of MP3 files, class BBQ sessions, less crowded everywhere, actually cheap prices at restaurants with student meals for someone’s birthday.”

Despite the wave of nostalgia, a few users pushed back on the idea that the millennials' childhood was “extra special.”

They argued that their generation was overly romanticising that time simply because they had no worries as children, which is a universal experience.

One wrote, “I always maintain that the ‘best time ever’ is dependent on when you’re born, and it’s always when you were a child. Those born in the 60s will say the 70s were the best times ever.”

Perhaps there is some truth to that. After all, childhood tends to look rather lovely in hindsight. 

Still, there is something to be said about the pre-social media and AI era. Friendships felt more personal, fun didn’t revolve around screens, and just one simple afternoon together could create memories you’d hold onto for years.

Read also: Son worries age and MBA may be working against 67-year-old father’s job search