Fads
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is titled "Wacky 90s Fads!" and shows a nostalgic grid of four items. The first two are genuinely remembered 90s fads: wide-leg jeans and grunge music. The third panel, however, reads: "Believe that universal internet access would promote knowledge and make humans more reasonable, decent, and caring toward each other." The fourth panel shows a Tamagotchi, another real 90s fad.
The Humor
The comic sneaks a devastating cultural observation into what appears to be a lighthearted nostalgia list. By placing 1990s techno-utopianism alongside genuinely silly fads like wide-leg jeans and Tamagotchis, the comic implies that the sincere belief that the internet would make humanity better was just as naive and laughable as any passing fad. From the vantage point of the 2020s, the optimism about the internet's democratizing and enlightening potential looks as quaint and misguided as a virtual pet. The joke is structurally effective because it relies on the reader not expecting the gut-punch third panel amid the nostalgic fluff.