The passing of 2025 wasn’t just the end of another year: we wrapped up the a quarter century. Note that centuries tend not to define themselves until we’re roughly two or so decades in.

Looking back to the 1900s, Voices from History noted that “The 1920s…saw the birth of numerous inventions that transformed everyday life and laid the groundwork for future technological advancements… These innovations touched various aspects of society, from transportation to leisure activities.”

Kind of like, well, now, considering electric and self-driving cars, connected kitchen appliances and beds, et al.

Or so it would seem.

Given the advancements in and ubiquity of AI these days, you’d think that the focus is on pushing the envelope further, barreling towards a utopian/dystopian future – time will tell.

Yet, we’re seeing nostalgia rearing its head on multiple fronts, or to put it differently, a barreling towards the past, or certain aspects of it.

More than anything, the Roaring 20s, visually, were defined by flappers, “young woman known for wearing short dresses and bobbed hair and for embracing freedom from traditional societal constraints,” says Brittanica. Flappers pushed the social norms.

Enter Gen Z:The Power of Nostalgia: How Gen Z’s Love for Vintage Fashion Reflects a Deep Cultural Shift, observes C2 Fashion Studio. “Gen Z vintage fashion resonates on an emotional level. In a world of digital overload and fleeting trends, vintage offers a sense of grounding and permanence.” It also fits in lockstep with Gen Z’s focus on sustainability – and (affordable) natural fabrics.

In the 1920s, people enjoyed sitting together and listening to the radio – a novelty where voices were brought right into their living rooms. In the 2020s, there’s ChatGPT, and it’s capable of conversing with people, right in the privacy of their homes (“The mother of a man who killed himself after conversing with ChatGPT says the AI chatbot romanticized his death, even though he did not want to die,” Courthouse News Service reports).

Remember online community Digg? Which was a Reddit precursor. “Digg launches its new Reddit rival to the public,” reports TechCrunch. “The company is back under the ownership of its original founder, Kevin Rose, along with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian” – and that’s a huh??? “They’re betting that AI can help to address some of the messiness and toxicity of today’s social media landscape. At the same time, social platforms will need a new set of tools to ensure they’re not taken over by AI bots posing as people…“The beautiful thing about this launch is we’re finally at the place with Digg where it’s just that the foundational stuff is done, and now we can really start having fun,” Rose said.” Remember when ‘community’ and ‘fun’ in the same breath were not oxymoronic? The rollout begins this Wednesday, Jan 21.

“Want Your MTV? A Rogue Site Is Bringing Back the Videos. The unofficial website MTV Rewind has recreated the channel’s classic era, pulling in thousands of clips. Its developer says it’s an antidote to the algorithms,” reports The New York Times.” On Jan. 3, (FlexasaurusRex — the online handle of a self-proclaimed “conceptual creator”) unleashed one of the internet’s most fanatical new projects: MTV Rewind, an unofficial website and app archive that aims to recreate the experience of grabbing a remote control, clicking over and seeing and hearing music, not the reality shows that dominate it now. “Arranged by era or genre, each of the dozen-plus channels on MTV Rewind spews a nonstop stream of clips that take you back to the days of hair metal and heartland rock (the ’80s) or grunge and goth (the ’90s). Channels named after the network’s benchmark programming, like “Headbangers Ball,” “Yo! MTV Raps” and “Club MTV,” restore metal, hip-hop and dance music videos. In the mood for some Catherine Wheel or Mercury Rev videos? A recreated “120 Minutes,” the channel’s alt-rock forum, awaits you. For added period flavor, Flex interspersed commercials featuring the California Raisins.”

A return to the soil: Billionaire Rams owner Stan Kroenke becomes America’s biggest private landowner. ”Los Angeles Rams owner… is now America’s largest private landowner after buying nearly 1 million acres of New Mexico ranchland in December, according to The Land Report, said CNBC. “At 2.7 million acres, Kroenke’s holdings are larger than Yellowstone National Park — or the equivalent of roughly 2 million football fields. Other boldface names like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Ted Turner also made the annual rankings of private landowners. Billionaire entrepreneurs are gaining ground as farmland investing becomes increasingly popular and more heirs choose to sell legacy properties. Consider: it’s a limited assets and there’s a reason why it’s called real estate.

Are we witnessing nostalgia and a return to simpler times? Or a backlash/firm middle finger to bots. algorithms and AI slop? As the NYT’s piece says, “Flex acknowledges the Gen X nostalgia aspect of his creation, but he also feels it’s a needed alternative to today’s algorithm-generated playlists.”

So what’s the ‘Roar’ in this century’s roaring 20s? It was AI that came in with a roar, while the ‘roar’ of the last century was about the roaring economy, although along came 1929, and we know how that ended. Specifically, with the stock market crash and the Great Depression, so take heed, Sam Altman, with the circle jerk borrowing from Peter to Pay Paul Open Ai financing we’ve witnessed and are continuing to witness (OpenAI faces a make-or-break year in 2026 One of the fastest-growing companies in history is in a perilous position…OpenAI expects to burn through $17bn of cash in 2026, up from $9bn in 2025, and that its losses will continue piling up in each of the subsequent three years. It has already raised over $60bn from investors, more than any private company ever, nearly all of it since late 2022 when ChatGPT shot the previously obscure AI lab to prominence,” notes The Economist).

Although always ready to break new ground, “OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT as it burns through billions,” Ars Technica reports. Banner ads, specifically, and wasn’t that a 90s thing? With all due respect and considering that the software is eliminating countless jobs across verticals, that’s the best Open AI could come up with?

So it goes, or as George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Speaking of which, although always ready to break new ground, “OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT as it burns through billions,” Ars Technica reports. Banner ads, specifically, and wasn’t that a 90s thing? With all due respect and considering that the breakthrough software is eliminating countless jobs across verticals, that’s the best Sam Altman could come up with? As the saying goes, “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” Although all things considered, we’d say it’s more like Sam old, Sam old. Onward and forward.