Facebook Nostalgia

Facebook people are posting nostalgic images and asking friends if they remember the Mercurochrome or potato mashers once used long ago.

Mom and Dad, ever since you joined Facebook, things have changed.

What used to be a place for 20-somethings to focus on mundane details of the present, such as the lingering effects of last night's party or pointless pictures of one's lunch, has more and more become a place to reminisce about the routine aspects of the past. Perhaps you've noticed that one game in particular is popular among the over-50 Facebook crowd. It's called, "'Like' if you know what this is," and the premise is simple. A user posts a photo of something that was once very common but is now ... not so much.

You know what we're talking about: an 8-track of Donna Summer's greatest hits, a roll of S&H Green Stamps or the key that opens a can of Spam. Others who then recognize the relic hit their "like" button, passing the photo on to more and more friends. The end result is a moment of shared nostalgia for Facebook's older users, who are familiar with roller skate keys and metal ice cube trays.

Or a black-and-white ...