What a superficial collection of things to care about. Those things may tickle you a little when you’re taking advantage of them, but they really don’t make a substantial difference in whether you’re spending your days well and happy.

The 1990’s weren’t some dreary hellscape. You worked, you talked to people, you went out for dinner, you did some chores, you traveled. You had some crises that sent your life reeling, and some magical moments that made you grateful for what you had.

It was quite fine.

And in the ways that it was characteristically different(not better or worse), people were more engaged with what was right in front of them, had more shared experiences of life and media to relate about, and were less flooded with constant stimulation.

All the things you mention as accumulating in the years since are about as meaningful as the aisles and aisles of plastic toys I longed for at Toys-r-us as a kid. I thought they mattered, but they really don’t.