I think you might be post-hoc rationalizing an emotional feeling, as clearly this meme is emotionally triggering to everyones nostalgia/pessimism nerve (hence why it went viral).

I'm 100% positive more people would guess the far left icon is a text editor compared to the far right icon. Not that I like the left icon aesthetically. Both are pretty weak icons.

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Dylan16807 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Leftmost is probably a pen, rightmost is definitely a pen and specifically a fountain pen. I've never seen these icons before, and I'm trying to be the fairest I can, and I think rightmost wins at evoking "text editor". But the one exactly in the center wins by a mile. Pen on lined paper, hard to do better.

	▲	spookie 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Same thought. The one on the left just conveys "notes" to me. Middle actually seems to be about a more "well put together" document. A fountain pen by itself doesn't necessarily mean documents to me, but signing them. As you, never seen these icons in my entire life.

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dpark 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Neither extreme looks like a real word processor. The left looks like maybe an icon for notes. The right looks like it’s for a drawing program.

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pseudalopex 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Pages is a word processor. Not a text editor.

The far left icon's color gradient and Apple Pencil shape made me think it was for drawing.

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mlyle 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It's a page layout / word processing program. I see the icon and I think "maybe text editor, maybe drawing program".

#4 or #5 are best at conveying what it is for and for being distinct from other icons.