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Earlier this month we celebrated the coming of 2011, a new year full of promise and possibilities. But such a bright future inevitably means we will have to leave a few things behind.  We’ve come a long way from the days when motion pictures were completely silent, but not everything we’ve created since will come with us on our 2011 journey.  Not trying to make you feel old here, but here are a few things people born in 2011 and beyond will likely not remember, understand, or use:

• The Rerun: Try explaining to someone watching a new episode of his or her favorite show online the morning after it aired that there was once a time you had to wait, possibly many days, for that episode to be aired again on television.

• The TV Guide: Those born in 2011 will never know what it was like to flip though pages of schedules to find that one show you want.  Or the frustration of flipping to the TV Guide Channel and realizing you’ve missed the channels you wanted to see and have to wait for it to start all over again.

• Being the Only Fan: Today, a quick Google or Twitter search will locate millions of fans just like you.  But there was once a time when if your friends and family didn’t like a show, you had no one to share your theories with every week. Imagine keeping up with all the references in LOST without those handy online episode guides. Yeah, we can’t either.

• Life Before Viral Videos: Thanks to YouTube and other popular video sharing sites (okay, mostly YouTube) “viral video” is a household phrase.  A few years ago however, it wouldn’t have meant anything.  We didn’t get to enjoy hours of people falling into fountains while texting or cute cat videos.  What a dark place it was.

• Frustration of Recalling Movie and TV Facts: Imagine desperately trying to figure out who has that cameo in the Law & Order: SVU episode you’re watching without the help of Wikipedia and IMDB, or even your iPhone.  Actually, don’t imagine it: the horror of the world pre-Internet will give you nightmares.

• Rewinding: You know, there was once a time where you could actually be charged extra at a video store for not rewinding your VHS tapes.  Which brings us to our next point –

• The Video Store: That’s right, folks, there was once a time where if you wanted to watch a movie you had to get off your couch, drive to a Blockbuster or a Hollywood Video, and rent it. If you wanted to keep it, you’d have to illegally copy it while you had it at home.  Oh wait, that part still exists.

Historic ‘Blockbuster’ Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

• Watching a full episode: If you wanted to share a joke from last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, you would once have had to make someone watch the entire episode.  Or you’d have to spend time fast-fowarding and promising, “It’s worth it, I swear” over and over again.  Thankfully, the Internet gave us the ability to post and share clips so we can stop wasting each other’s time and enjoy only the funny parts.

• Missing a movie entirely: These days we can watch almost any movie at any time, thanks to DVDs, Netflix, and the Internet.  But once upon a time, if you missed a movie in theatres you would never be able to see it again. Ever. What pressure!

What media gadgets do you think will die out before 2021?  Will we still have Blu-ray players or Google TVs by then?  We’re not sure what the future holds, but we’re certainly excited to find out.