Latvijas Avīze recalls early-2000s items that once seemed prestigious
On 18 October, the Latvian daily Latvijas Avīze published a nostalgic list of eight things from the early 2000s that teens then considered prestigious but that now bring a smile. First on the list are polyphonic ringtones ordered by paid text message.
The Latvian daily Latvijas Avīze published a nostalgic overview on 18 October of eight things from the early 2000s that once seemed prestigious but now make people smile. The piece is aimed at those who were young or teenagers around the turn of the millennium. It recalls a time when personal style demanded serious sacrifice, pocket money went on text messages, and technology was heavy, plastic and endlessly exciting.
The newspaper notes that many people today find these things surreal, yet at the time they were regarded as the peak of prestige.
First example: polyphonic ringtones
Top of the list are polyphonic ringtones, which could be ordered using a code printed on the last pages of magazines. The routine went like this: spot the code on the back of a magazine, send a paid SMS costing roughly 0.35 cents, and wait for the chosen tune to beep out on the phone.
The examples named include "Crazy Frog", the 50 Cent song "In Da Club" and a Eurovision hit. The author describes this ritual as "a true art".
About the rest of the list
The overview is built as an eight-item list, and the first item is the only one described in detail here. The piece belongs to the paper's entertainment and lifestyle section and aims to evoke memories of everyday life and technology in the early 2000s.
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