Watching The X-Files Today: A Nostalgic Longing for the Pre-Digital 1990s
By
Midnight Murmurations
An everything bagel for the brain. Substantive, layered, well-seasoned.
Summary
A personal reflection on watching The X-Files for the first time in the present day, exploring how the show evokes nostalgia for the 1990s — a pre-digital era of analog technology, genuine human connection, and slower-paced television. The author contrasts the show's world of Motorola brick phones, Buick Centuries, and community-driven fan culture with today's fragmented, algorithm-driven online landscape, expressing a longing for a time they never actually experienced.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledDriving in a Buick Century through a rural town in middle America, pulling a Motorola brick cellphone from their suit jackets; Mulder and Scully have pulled me into their world, and I think I want to be there, even with the supernatural baggage.
In a time before crypto, Twitter, and AI slop, we had communities, real experiences, and beautiful TV…
I can’t pinpoint why, but I felt an urge to finally watch it this year, maybe as a show to fill the Doctor Who-shaped void in my
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