We caught everything.
We had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood. We played outside till the streetlights came on, but we also learned how to burn CDs, code MySpace layouts, and send AIM messages on dial-up.
We saw Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron.
We watched hip-hop go from golden era to global takeover.
We went from Nintendo cartridges you had to blow on, to PS5s that update while you sleep.
We saw America at its cultural peak — before social media turned everything into content and algorithms. We saw the transition from optimism to cynicism in real time.
We had Blockbuster nights and Netflix accounts.
We experienced music videos on BET and streaming on YouTube.
We remember life before 9/11, but we were still young enough to adapt to the world after it.
We got the best balance of freedom, technology, and real-world interaction.
Old enough to respect what came before, young enough to master what came next.
When you really think about it…
1981–1984 might’ve been the best years to ever be born in this country.
We had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood. We played outside till the streetlights came on, but we also learned how to burn CDs, code MySpace layouts, and send AIM messages on dial-up.
We saw Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron.
We watched hip-hop go from golden era to global takeover.
We went from Nintendo cartridges you had to blow on, to PS5s that update while you sleep.
We saw America at its cultural peak — before social media turned everything into content and algorithms. We saw the transition from optimism to cynicism in real time.
We had Blockbuster nights and Netflix accounts.
We experienced music videos on BET and streaming on YouTube.
We remember life before 9/11, but we were still young enough to adapt to the world after it.
We got the best balance of freedom, technology, and real-world interaction.
Old enough to respect what came before, young enough to master what came next.
When you really think about it…
1981–1984 might’ve been the best years to ever be born in this country.
)
