A nostalgic look back at the days of Friends Reunited

Friends Reunited. Photo: PA WireFriends Reunited. Photo: PA Wire
Friends Reunited. Photo: PA Wire

There are some things in life you don’t miss until they’re gone – such as your school days, having free time and the ability to lie in until midday.

Nostalgia is what evokes these stirrings for things you once took for granted, even if in reality you have no desire to be transported back to that period.

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It was with fond nostalgia many of us reminisced with the announcement the old school social media site Friends Reunited was shutting down.

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For those young ’uns who make me feel old by not having a clue what I’m on about, Friends Reunited was the trailblazing site launched when the internet was still in its infancy as a way for people to find their old school friends.

As well as sending e-mails to former friends, many used the site to rekindle old flames and it was even cited in a number of divorces.

It may only have been 2000, but the world was a very different place back then and everyone was excited at the prospect of tracking down their old pals, if not to reconnect, then have a snoop at their lives by reading their biog.

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It was amazing in its day … even if you did have to wait for someone to get off the phone before you could use the internet.

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Friends Reunited grew rapidly and at its peak, it boasted 23m users and the world seemed its oyster.

Then along came Facebook and killed off Friends Reunited, even though it had bizarre beginnings where people spent their time throwing sheep at people or poking them.

With the massive technological advances there have been since then, Friends Reunited has been limping on, but has now admitted defeat and closed down.

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And even though it’s been years since I’ve logged into Friends Reunited, I did feel a pang of nostalgic regret about the closure of the site which once gave me a glimpse back into my school days

But like many things consigned to the past, the memories are perhaps better than the realities and given the choice, there is no point in my life where I’d choose to return to, however much I enjoyed it, simply because I am at my happiest now, with hopefully many more good times to come.

I think a lot of the fascination with nostalgia and memories is the thought of a time when life seemed simpler, even if it wasn’t as technologically advanced.

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