The Illusion of the Past: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

It’s quite common to hear people reminisce about “the good old days” and make grand statements about how things were so much easier in the past. But let’s take a moment to question the validity of such claims.

For example, you might hear someone say, “In 2008, the internet didn’t even exist!” or “No one was using Facebook in 2012.” These statements create an illusion that the past was drastically different from the present. But is that really true?

It’s important to recognize the fallacy in assuming that people in the past had the same perspective and information as we do now. This concept, often referred to as “the historian’s fallacy,” suggests that we should not analyze past events solely based on our current knowledge.

The truth is, success has never come easy, regardless of the era. Selling an app on the Apple App Store has always required effort and effective marketing strategies. Building a great product alone has never been a guaranteed path to success.

Sure, the internet may have evolved since 2008, but that doesn’t mean it was non-existent back then. We simply didn’t have the same awareness and understanding of its potential as we do now. Similarly, in the future, people might look back at 2021 and make exaggerated claims like, “How could anyone achieve success without the internet?” or “Launching a product and gaining organic reach without marketing was so effortless!”

The reality is that every era comes with its own challenges and opportunities. Instead of getting caught up in the illusion of a golden past, let’s focus on adapting to the present and embracing the possibilities of the future.

Tags: illusion of the past, historian’s fallacy, success in the past, marketing strategies, evolving internet, exaggerated claims, adapting to the present, embracing the future