> life is genuinely worse today than it was 20 years ago, mostly because of technology

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Almost everything today in absolute terms is better than 20 years ago, even more so outside the developed world.

What specifically today is worse than 20 years ago?

I’m 20 years older than I was in 2005. My kids moved out of state, and I barely get to see them. My hip hurts most of the time.

Of course I’m joking, but people do generally look back fondly on their youth. I think that’s a big reason for the perception that everything is awful now compared to the recent past.

To quote one of my favorite movies: “In prison I learned that everything in this world, including money, operates not on reality... but the perception of reality”

We are much more constantly aware of the chaos of our world through social media. And in regards to mental illness, perception is reality.

That and of course, housing prices. Jebus, 20 years ago I paid $400 per month for a studio apartment in the downtown of a major city.

I do find this an interesting retort though. I would argue that if a few numbers go one way, and broad sentiment goes another way, things _have_ gotten worse. Like this whole argument on “life’s gotten worse” is inherently subjective so subjective measures have more validity.

Housing costs, social life (2005 is pre-iPhone), the value of an education, future outlook for careers/jobs, the mere existence of certain jobs pre-AI (i.e. writing), political polarization, to name a few off the top of my head.

To take the example of a minor little necessity like shelter, housing affordability is far worse today than it was 20 years ago, despite the fact that we were near the peak of a huge credit-driven housing bubble at that time.