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While it’s fun to guess and debate what the next big thing will be, regardless of whether it’s technology, political or social situations, or any other aspect, it’s much more fun to take a look at the things people said would be the next big thing that never did.

Reddit has recently been discussing just that—all of the things that people thought would be huge, but that most of us have now forgotten (or didn’t even know) about.

The online community’s user u/LineOfDeath (very appropriate given the question) asked people “What was supposed to be ‘The Next Big Thing’, but totally flopped?” and over 50,000 comments later, the AskReddit post blew up with over 76,000 upvotes in under a day.

Bored Panda invites you to take a look at the things people answered in the list below. And while you’re there, vote and comment on the best ones. Well, OK, not the best ones, but you get what I mean.

More Info: Reddit

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Not entirely relevant, but I liked the trend where everybody wanted the smallest cell phone possible. For 20 years cell phones got smaller and smaller. Often being the main selling point of the phone.

Then all of sudden you could watch videos on your phone, and almost overnight the trend reversed to “larger is better”

Buttsquish , Unknown Report

Final score:
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Andrew Gibb
Andrew Gibb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like the reversion to Nokia burner phones- not being pestered by the internet. Snake in colour

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#2

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Google Glass

novato1995 , Tim Reckmann Report

Final score:
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#3

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online 2020

FairMiddle7 , Gwydion M. Williams Report

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#4

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online The Segway. It was supposed to change the way everyone lived. The invention of the century or something like that. A really big deal.

xxzzxxvv , David McKelvey Report

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#5

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Airship travel. These were the next, awesome way to travel long distances; in fact the spire on top of the Empire State Building was meant as an anchoring point for airships.

The Hindenburg kind of put a damper on it, though

Creative_Waltz_9462 , Unknown Report

Final score:
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#6

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Google+ was supposed to be the answer to Facebook

Puzzleheaded-Art-469 , Unknown Report

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#7

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online 3D TV

colin_staples , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Aurelia!
Aurelia!
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

why would you want to feel like YOU are getting attacked by zombies every time you watch the walking dead? The point is to enjoy OTHER PEOPLE getting attacked by zombies.

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#8

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online The European Super League.

Relevant-Door1453 , Paul Report

Final score:
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#9

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Hoverboards? I remember in a span of 3 months everyone had them and showed them off and then they just disappeared.

tashasei , JrTech Report

Final score:
164points
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Shelby P
Shelby P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

because they break down so easily and quickly after purchase

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#10

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online The Panama Papers

dont_dox_me-bro , Frederik Obermaier Report

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#11

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online The area 51 raid.

NuclearBreadLauncher , Wikimedia Commons Report

Final score:
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Chillace
Chillace
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ah i remember me and my friends were joking about going there even though we were like 1000 miles away

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#12

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Mini disc

Bluedogan , Wikimedia Commons Report

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#13

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online This one might be a bit obscure just because I've only ever met one other person familiar with it, but Google's Project Ara modular smartphone was looking like it could've been the end all be all of smartphones.

Based off the Phonebloks idea of having a Lego-like hot-swappable module phone, the idea was that you could switch out any components of the phone on the fly. Camera, fingerprint scanner, even different quality screens. Conceptually, it really looked like it could take over the phone market, as it would lead to people not having to buy whole new phones anymore, but rather replacement or upgraded parts to a phone they already liked, thereby reducing costs and increasing utility.

You don't want a phone with 5 cameras that inflate the cost unnecessarily? Just buy a one camera module. You want a 1440P Super Amoled screen to replace your 720P regular screen? Buy one and swap it in.

However, like many Google projects, it died off for myriad reasons and the longstanding era of $1000 dollar smartphone slabs lived on.

ShartinMyKrelis , Maurizio Pesce Report

Final score:
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JLH
JLH
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a PC guy, this was the holy grail, but noooooo, we can't have nice things.

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#14

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Windows phones.

-eDgAR- , Felix Wong CC BY-SA 4.0 Report

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#15

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online What ever happened to those curved televisions? I remember seeing one on an advert a few years back bit havent seen or heard about them since.

having_a_nosey , Wikimedia Commons Report

Final score:
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tomruns12
tomruns12
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are still out there and someone what popular with videophiles but IMO its just a gimmick to make TV's more expensive.

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#16

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online The "Dark Universe" cinematic universe, starting with 2017's THE MUMMY.

JSanzi , imax Report

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#17

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Asbestos

Technically it was a hit! Right until it flopped when people figured out the whole 'inhaling rockfibers is not healthy' thing...

Th3Cooperative , Wikimedia Commons Report

Final score:
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GirlFriday
GirlFriday
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is still one of the most effective insulations and flame retardants of all time. It is just that whole "poking holes in your lungs" thing that killed it.

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#18

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Dip N Dots...



Been the "Ice Cream Of The Future" for 40 years now it seems.

T-Rex3131 , newwavegurly Report

Final score:
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Mifa
Mifa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair Dip N Dots were luxury items in elementary school. I remember begging my friends for money on field trips so I could get one.

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#19

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online McDonald's pizza.

BuckNutley , merfam Report

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#20

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Xbox Kinect

mr_bigbadjas , Jung-nam Nam Report

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Chillace
Chillace
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

aaah memories. i remember they were trtying to be lik the wii

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#21

Lazer discs the size of records.

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Tim Haight
Tim Haight
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember those. Few places sold them. Everyoine sold and rented VHS tapes. And people could program their VCR to tape their favorite show.

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#22

QR Codes.

After so many years, they're finally getting some traction during Covid. I wonder if it will last.

Quesabirria Report

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#23

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online HD DVD

Still remember half the movies being blue and the others red.

BigMilk0 , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Matt Du
Matt Du
Community Member
3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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#24

Amazon’s shopping buttons. They pushed really hard for those and I never saw the point.

GarrettSLB Report

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#25

The 2010 live action avatar: the last air bender movie

agentjakethedog Report

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#26

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online At the time video calling with your phone completely flopped because 3G couldn't support it. There was so much advertising about this thing that was meant to be huge but the tech really didn't work yet. But it did blow up later on with 4G, better phones, wifi in more public spaces.

clockworkapple14 , Karl Baron Report

Final score:
75points
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Andrew Gibb
Andrew Gibb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

video calling is doomed to fail. I have to admit that zoom and skype are tedious.People like to do other things while speaking to others, which is why people still phone each other.

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#27

Hydrogen cars were a promising new form of motorized vehicle. They were supposed to be incredibly good for the environment, emitting only water as the exhaust. They exist, but not like how some people imagined. I was a pretty big hydrogen car believer at the time. There are some hydrogen stations, but mostly centered around California. Thing is that the hydrogen is quite expensive and not very efficient compared to smaller engines, hybrids, and EV’s. The hydrogen is also somewhat inefficient to produce, store, and distribute as well.

You can actually get a hydrogen car though, they’re out there. The Toyota Mirai is a really good example. Out of all hydrogen cars, that one is definitely most popular. In fact, Toyota pays for $15,000 worth of hydrogen in your first few years of ownership since it’s so expensive. This means that for your first 3-ish years of owning one, you might not have to pay a penny in fuel. As you can see I’m still a hydrogen advocate. Don’t expect to be able to take it very far from your nearest hydrogen station though.

Yung_Onions Report

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Ray Heap
Ray Heap
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cars like the Honda Hindenburg were doomed to crash and burn.

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#28

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Elizabeth Holmes.

DudeFromSaudi , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Easily Excitable Panda
Easily Excitable Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Read "Bad Blood." She not only conned hundreds of people, she single-handedly set back the credibility of women in the tech industry.

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#29

The Wii U

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Romery Wells
Romery Wells
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

YES. i still have my Wii U pad and all the acceseries to this day. and they work perfect

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#30

hat streaming service that lasted like two months. ‘Qubi’ or ‘Qupi’ I think?

Even bad timing aside (a mobile based streaming service at a time when no one could really leave their house) the marketing was just horrible. I saw ads for it for nearly a week before I realized it was a new video streaming service, and by that point was so annoyed by the ads untrusting everything I didn’t care at all, just out of spite. Also I mean it was just YouTube you have to pay for and got worse content.

EDIT: it was Quibi. It made so little impact I couldn’t recall at first.

Disreiley Report

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#31

Zune

-eDgAR- Report

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tuzdayschild
tuzdayschild
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved my Zune. Remember the day they went offline world wide. It was like a day of dysfunctional unity.

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#32

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online Google Wave. It was supposed to replace email with a more collaborative approach. Essentially it was like a dynamically-created discussion board you'd share with select people and you could have a more readable discussion than one with a bunch of forwards and CCs and the like.

I thought it was a good idea, but it flopped big time and Google got rid of it after a few years.

jahvidsanders44 , Elias Bizannes Report

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#33

Sega’s Dreamcast

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Guy MacGregor
Guy MacGregor
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well... The dreamcast is technically the first XBox... So it does have a good legacy

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#34

The Sabre Triangle Tablet

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#35

Quadraphonic entertainment systems in the early 1970s, were supposed to replace stereophonic systems. Now they are chiefly remembered for inspiring the name of The Who's second rock opera.

TheSanityInspector Report

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M O'Connell
M O'Connell
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The concept still lives on in the form of 5.1, and 7.1 surround systems. But those are being surpassed in availability by Atmos, which automatically mixes to best fit the speakers you have.

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#36

The virtual boy

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#37

Johnny Manziel

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#38

Here Are 30 Things That Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing, But Ended Up Forgotten, As Shared By People Online MoviePass

booksoverppl , Wikipedia Report

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#39

Ouya and microconsoles in general

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Jill
Jill
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We still have our Ouya for one reason only, BOMB SQUAD! It is the most fun and well done party game ever. The developer never sold it to any other platform and doesnt make any money from it. Win-Win! (Except for him, I would really love it if he had made some money on it.)

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#40

Smart diapers!

I’m pretty sure Pampers sells them but imagine it won’t be long before they’re discontinued.

It’s an idea that’s been posted on Mommy blogs, childcare forums, magazines, news articles. Every so often I’ll see a story online while doing some childcare research.

I don’t know a single parent, nanny, early childhood educator, caregiver that has or wants to use a smart diaper. The only way I could see it being useful is for night or for a special needs child.

The idea is still being pushed as a “luxury” item for millennials but it’s just nonsense. What’s even funnier is that the tech is almost backwards. Cloth diapering has become insanely popular!

cleaning-meaning Report

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Shelp
Shelp
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smart diaper? What a b*llshit... Just use cloth instead, it works perfectly and you don't have to buy anything "smart" that probably costs an arm and a leg. Plus, I don't need a smart device to notice that the baby has soiled themself.

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#41

Mixer, Microsoft's Twitch.

Failed spectacularly.

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ARandomPerson
ARandomPerson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when they payed 40 million for ninja and then gave up on mixer a couple days later

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#42

Solar roadways

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Niffler_13
Niffler_13
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They have them in European countries. It's actually a really good concept.

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#43

P.T. demo

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RoseTheMad
RoseTheMad
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not that it flopped, it's that Hideo Kojima ( main developer of P.T. and what would have become Silent Hills) left Konami, and Konami thus cancelled Silent Hills in favour of making pachinko machines. Honestly, since that move, Konami has gone downhill and has, imo, certainly flopped as a company. Silent Hill however, is still popular and many wish for a reveal of a new entry to the series someday, and there have been a few hints over the years but so far nothing, and the SH following has been dissappointed. (but honestly the Silent Hill games, especially 1-4 are some of the best horror games ever made imo)

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#44

Allstar Weekend

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