In Focus

Graduation season is here and the Class of 2023 is about to move on to the next chapter of their lives.

Thanks to the help of the internet, here are some fun facts about the Class of 2023 that are going to make most of us feel much older than we are...

The graduates are the same age as Facebook which began in February 2004. I remember when you had to be a college student to get on Facebook.

Finding Nemo is older than them as it was released on May 30, 2003.

PlayStation and Xbox have existed their whole lives in one form or another. I remember Atari and classic Nintendo.

The Lord of the Rings (2001 and 2003) and The Matrix (1999-2003) movie trilogies came out before they were born.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a politician and an actor their whole life.

Their relationship with Limp Bizkit, Britney Spears, and Blink-182 is similar to their parent’s relationship with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Bruce Springsteen.

They’ve only known Will Smith as an actor.

9/11 has always been a part of history to them, in the same way, the Vietnam War was to their parents.

YouTube launched before they were walking (February 2005).

Phones have always had cameras. They have never known the joy of the Nokia brick phones and endless hours of playing Snake on the phone. Or even having to push a number multiple times to get the letters you want to text.

They’ve never known a world without a mobile phone connected to the internet, online shopping or social media. Seriously, what would we do now without this massive convenience?

They have probably never rented a physical movie.

Bill Clinton’s presidency is as much a part of history to them as JFK’s was to their parents. Who could forget that saga?

The United States was in Afghanistan for nearly their entire lives (2001-2021).

They’ve probably never written a check, heard a busy signal or had a TV that could crush your foot. Or had to deal with the dreaded dial tone to get online. And this one...waiting hours for a song to download, just to have it interrupted by a phone call and you would have to start the download over.

Now I feel like I have aged another 20 years.

Congrats to the Class of 2023!