‘Somewhere on Google Earth, I’m still 17’: People are treating Google’s satellite service like a photo album

When taking a trip down memory lane, some might flip through a photo album or scroll through their phone’s camera roll. But would you think to check Google Maps?

Since 2007, Google’s Street View cars have been quietly documenting neighborhoods around the world. Now, in what’s been dubbed the “Google Earth trend,” people are searching for their childhood homes on Street Views, taking screenshots, and pairing them with heartfelt memories. These images, originally snapped by Google’s cameras, offer glimpses of everyday life frozen in time.

The trend took off after TikToker @bladehall posted a slideshow of his childhood home. Alongside the images, he wrote: “And somewhere on Google Earth, I’m still 17. It’s summer, I’m back in my childhood neighborhood. Zero worries.” The post has since racked up more than 902,000 views and sparked a wave of nostalgia.

In another video, TikTok user @jayeyou revisits a younger version of herself crouched beside her car. The text reads, “somewhere on google maps, it’s 2012 and I’m a junior in high school crying because my car got egged.” 

Others take comfort in seeing glimpses of beloved family members who have since passed away. TikToker @itsleeuhhh shared a particularly poignant post, now with more than 3.3 million views. “Somewhere on Google earth it’s 2011, I’m 17 having a ‘first date’ in my driveway,” she wrote. In the next slide she added, “& somewhere else in 2016 my dad is still taking the trash out (RIP), followed by: “And my momma is still coming home from work in 2017 (RIP) (This trend destroyed me).”

The comments section beneath these videos reveals just how deep the nostalgia goes. One commenter wrote: “Our Google Maps picture hasn’t been updated since 2008. I would have been 8. You can still see our playhouse in the yard and bikes in the driveway.” Another person added, “My dog has been seen on Google waiting on the steps for me to come home from school for 13 years now. She passed away 6 years ago.” 

For those eager to search up their own address and walk through old memories, it’s easy to join the trend. Open Google Maps, enter an address, click “Street View,” and select “See More Dates” to access the backlog of images. As one commenter warned, “I need to wait to do this on a day that I have all day to cry.” 

https://www.fastcompany.com/91254433/somewhere-on-google-earth-im-still-17-people-are-treating-googles-satellite-service-like-a-photo-album?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss