AOL has "become unfashionable," a time-traveling woman from 2015 told an inhabitant of 1995 in the (charming!) premiere episode of VH1 series Hindsight. I think we can all agree that she's not wrong, and that though America Online felt technologically imperative in 1995, most of us look back on it with rueful nostalgia today. Will we have a similar reaction to, say, Facebook in 2035?
Yes, I know, inevitable "too cool" commenters. You're wondering "who's still using Facebook?" already, because you are better than everyone else. Well, over a billion people are, but that doesn't mean that comedian Brett Weinbach doesn't have a point with his humorously-intended parody of an AOL commercial from 1995, this one intended to promote "The Facebook."
"The Facebook is making it easier to live, cleanse, work and play," an omniscient narrator intones as the VHS-looking parody begins:
AdWeek points out that the video is "a pretty perfect, almost shot-for-shot parody" of an AOL ad from 1995. Here it is for comparison:
It's true, every internet giant seems to fall eventually! Our future selves are likely to snicker when "Facebook" is said, the way we do now when someone says AltaVista. Maybe the best thing we can all do is enjoy the ride.