‘Somewhere on Google Earth, I’m still 17’: People are treating Google’s satellite service like a photo album
While traveling down memory lane, some may flip through a photo album or flip through their phone’s camera roll. But are you thinking of checking out Google Maps?
Since 2007, Google Street View cars have been quietly documenting neighborhoods around the world. Now, in what’s known as the “Google Earth trend,” people are searching for their childhood homes on Street Views, taking screenshots and linking them to heartfelt memories. These images, originally captured by Google cameras, provide a glimpse of everyday life frozen in time.
Trend Takes Off After TikToker @bladehall posted a slideshow of his childhood home. Next to the images, he wrote: “And somewhere on Google Earth I’m still 17. It’s summer, I’m back in the area of my childhood. Zero worries.” The post has since received over 902,000 views and sparked a wave of nostalgia.
In another video, TikTok user @jayeyou revisits the younger version of himself crouched near the car. The text reads: “Somewhere on Google Maps it’s 2012 and I’m in high school and crying because my car got totaled.”
Others find comfort in seeing beloved family members who have passed on. TikToker @itsleeuhhh shared a particularly poignant post that now has over 3.3 million views. “Somewhere on Google Earth it’s 2011, I’m 17 and have a ‘first date’ in my driveway,” she wrote. On the next slide, she added, “And somewhere back in 2016, my dad is still taking out the trash (RIP) and then: “And my mom is still coming home from work in 2017 (RIP) (This trend has ruined me). »
The comments section below these videos shows how deep the nostalgia runs. One commenter wrote: “Our Google Maps photo hasn’t been updated since 2008. I would have been 8. You can still see our playhouse in the yard and the bikes in the driveway.” Another person added: “My dog has been spotted on Google waiting for me on the steps when I get home from school for 13 years now. She died 6 years ago.”
For those who want to find their address and remember old memories, it’s easy to join this trend. Open Google Maps, enter an address, tap Street View, and select View More Dates to access its image storage. As one commenter warned, “I need to wait to do this until the day I have to cry all day.”
2025-01-03 09:26:00