If you’ve opened TikTok in the last 48 hours, you’ve likely seen the carnage.
There’s a new viral trend taking over the FYP, and frankly, it’s a hate crime against anyone who remembers the sound of dial-up internet. Creators are asking their coworkers, friends, or partners one simple question: “What year were you born?” And if that number starts with a “19,” the video immediately cuts to a green-screen edit of that person standing next to a T-Rex in Jurassic Park, or perhaps a grainy black-and-white photo of a Victorian coal mine.
The Anatomy of the Burn
It’s called the “Ancient Relic” trend (or the “Jurassic Edit”), and it is ruthless. Here’s how it usually goes down:
1. The Bait: A bubbly 22-year-old social media manager asks their “favorite work bestie” their age.
2. The Reveal: The victim, thinking they’re just having a bonding moment, says something totally reasonable, like “1994.”
3. The Betrayal: Cue the Jurassic Park theme song played on a recorder. The screen fades to sepia. Suddenly, Steve from Accounting isn’t just a guy who likes craft beer—he’s a prehistoric specimen being studied by archaeologists.
Why We’re All Screaming
What makes this “spicy” isn’t just the ageism—it’s the sheer audacity of the “born in 2007” crowd. These are people who think a physical DVD is a “vintage coaster” and that 2016 was “the olden days.”
“I told my intern I was born in 1991 and she asked me if I ever met a Neanderthal. I’m 34, Kaylee. I’m not a fossil; I’m just tired.” — Every Millennial right now.
The Verdict: Is 2026 the New 2016?
Between this and the massive “2016 Nostalgia” wave currently hitting the internet (yes, people are unironically doing the Bottle Flip and the Mannequin Challenge again), it seems the internet has officially run out of new ideas and has resorted to bullying anyone who actually lived through the first iteration of these trends.
We’re trapped in a loop where we’re simultaneously too old to exist and yet our “aesthetic” is being farmed for likes by people who still get a “participation trophy” for waking up before noon.
Are you a “Jurassic” survivor or part of the “Baby Brigade”? Let me know in the comments—unless your phone’s battery is as old as your birth year.
