ADVERTISEMENT
Nostalgia plays an important role in designing the technology of the future. Do you remember the sound of the dial up modem? Or how AOL would tell you, "You've got mail?"
Maybe that dates us. But, Facebook did just bring back the away message in a new sidebar status feature. *bRb walkin into spiderwebs, lv a msg & i’ll call u back!* Clearly, what's old is new again, and we're seeing that pattern in a big way.
From the Furby to the floppy disk, the past serves as a reference point, giving us the dos and don'ts for the next wave of products. And, it's not just form and function — it's how yesterday's tech made us feel. Sometimes it's powerful enough that we want to bring it back. Just look at these examples.
ADVERTISEMENT