Nostalgia for the 1990s, some of it undoubtedly misguided, fuels much of the internet, and Twitter is no exception. Many users of the social media site clearly yearn for the days of virtual pets, Hammer pants, and compact discs, as evidenced by #90sABook, a trending hashtag that asked people to combine great works of literature with classic ’90s references. Twitter’s user base was only too happy to respond to the clarion call, and the results were often clever and resourceful. It helped that the topic was broad enough to encompass films, toys, fashion, and more. Some got right to the heart of what made the decade great, while also paying homage to the literary masterworks of centuries past:
Others chose to pair their ’90s references with more contemporary books:
Harry Potter and the Virgin Who Can’t Drive. #90sABook pic.twitter.com/ur5yfsa6pZ
— Lauren DeStefano (@LaurenDeStefano) March 24, 2016
Still others decided to forego pop culture references entirely and simply invoke the world-weary cynicism of Generation X:
#90sABook 50 shades of whatever
— Friedrice Nietzsche (@tinynietzsche) March 24, 2016
Can a single tweet fully embody the essence of #90sABook? Yes, if it doubles down on the concept, joining a seminal 1990s book with an equally seminal 1990s fashion trend.
It’s difficult to summarize 10 years in the history of the world in a tweet, but that one just about does the job.