Time is a weird, elastic thing. If you’re sitting there trying to do the quick math on how many years ago was 2018 to 2024, you're probably hitting that strange mental wall where the numbers don't quite match the "vibe" of the decade.
Mathematically? It's easy. It's six years.
But six years in the 2020s hits different than six years did in, say, the 1990s. We aren't just talking about a calendar gap; we are talking about a massive cultural and psychological shift that makes 2018 feel like a different lifetime entirely. Back in 2018, Black Panther was breaking the box office for the first time, everyone was doing the "In My Feelings" challenge, and the phrase "social distancing" sounded like something out of a bad sci-fi novel.
The Raw Math: Breaking Down the Six-Year Gap
Let's look at the numbers because that's why you're here. To get from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2024, you are looking at exactly 2,191 days. That includes two leap years—2020 and 2024. If you’re calculating from today’s date in early 2026, 2018 is now eight years in the rearview mirror, while 2024 is just a couple of years back.
It's a blink. Yet, it isn't.
Think about the sheer volume of "stuff" crammed into that six-year window. We saw the rise and fall of entire social media platforms (RIP Vine, though that was a bit earlier, 2018 was the peak of the "Instagram Aesthetic" before TikTok took over the world). We saw a global pandemic that effectively paused the world's internal clock for two years. This is what psychologists call "Time Compression." When everything changes at once, your brain struggles to map out the sequence. That’s why 2018 feels like it was twenty years ago, even though it was only six.
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Why 2018 to 2024 Feels So Much Longer Than Six Years
Ever heard of the "Reminiscence Bump"? It’s a psychological concept usually applied to how we remember our youth, but it applies to "era-shifting" periods too. Between 2018 and 2024, the world moved through several distinct epochs.
First, you had the Pre-Pandemic era (2018-2019). This was the "peak" of a certain kind of globalism. You could fly anywhere. Offices were full. People still thought crypto was just a niche hobby for tech bros. Then 2020 happened. That "middle" period—2020 to 2022—is a blur for most people. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen actually found that people’s ability to recall when specific events happened during the pandemic was significantly impaired. It’s like a hole in our collective memory.
Then 2023 and 2024 arrived, bringing the "New Normal."
When you ask how many years ago was 2018 to 2024, you’re often asking because you saw a photo from 2018 and realized how much younger you looked, or you noticed that a "new" car from 2018 is now considered an old model. In six years, a child goes from kindergarten to middle school. A college freshman becomes a working professional with two years of experience. The biological change is real, even if the math seems small.
The Technological Leap
Technology doesn't move linearly; it moves exponentially. In 2018, Artificial Intelligence was something Google used to sort your emails. By 2024, Large Language Models were writing screenplays and coding websites. The leap in tech between these two points is arguably larger than the leap between 2000 and 2010.
- 2018: We were still excited about the iPhone XR.
- 2024: We were talking about the Apple Vision Pro and spatial computing.
It’s no wonder your brain is fried. You’ve had to upgrade your mental software about six times in that span.
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The Cultural Markers: 2018 vs. 2024
Let’s look at what was actually happening to give this some context.
In 2018, the top song was "God's Plan" by Drake. Fortnite was the only game anyone cared about. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married, and the world actually seemed to like them for a minute. The "Tide Pod Challenge" was a thing (let's not go back there).
Fast forward to 2024. The landscape is unrecognizable.
The way we work changed. Remote work went from a "perk" for freelancers to a standard expectation for millions. This shifted how we experience the passage of time. Without the daily commute or the physical markers of "going to work," days bled into weeks. If you feel like 2018 was a decade ago, it’s likely because your daily routine in 2024 bears zero resemblance to what you were doing back then.
Honestly, the "vibe shift" is the most significant part of the how many years ago was 2018 to 2024 question. We transitioned from a culture of extreme "hustle" to a culture of "quiet quitting" and "soft life." That is a massive psychological journey to take in just 72 months.
Practical Steps for Managing "Time Warp" Anxiety
If realizing 2018 was six years before 2024 (and even longer ago now) gives you a bit of an existential crisis, you aren't alone. Time moving fast is a symptom of a high-input life. Here is how to actually ground yourself so the next six years don't disappear into a fog.
Audit your "Digital Landmarks"
Go back to your Google Photos or iCloud and look at June 2018. Then June 2021. Then June 2024. Don't just look at the faces. Look at the backgrounds. Where were you? What were you eating? Seeing the physical progression helps your brain build a "timeline" that makes the six-year gap feel earned rather than stolen.
Stop measuring time in "Content Cycles"
We tend to remember years based on what was trending. "The year of the Stanley Cup" or "The year of Barbenheimer." This makes time feel fragmented. Start tracking personal milestones that have nothing to do with the internet. Did you learn a skill? Did you move? Those are your real anchors.
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Understand the "Pillar" method
Categorize those six years into three pillars: 2018-2019 (The Foundation), 2020-2022 (The Disruption), and 2023-2024 (The Reconstruction). When you group them this way, the math makes sense. You aren't looking at 2,000+ random days; you're looking at three distinct chapters of a story.
The reality is that how many years ago was 2018 to 2024 is a question about more than just a subtraction problem. It’s a reflection on how much we’ve survived and adapted. Six years is a long time to stay the same, but it’s a very short time to change as much as the world has.
Take a second to actually acknowledge what you were doing in 2018. Think about who you were friends with and what you worried about at night. Compare that to 2024. The "six-year" answer is the factual one, but the growth you find in the middle is the real story. Use this realization to audit your current trajectory. If six years can change the world this much, imagine where you’ll be six years from now if you start moving with intention today. Focus on creating "slow" memories—moments that aren't rushed—to ensure the next gap feels just as rich, but perhaps a little less like a blur.