Here's How A Modern Seth Cohen Would Look

In 2003, when he was just 23 years old, Adam Brody entered our lives as the socially awkward — yet somehow devilishly handsome — Seth Cohen on Fox's hit series The O.C. At this time, many a teen was sent into full-on, lovestruck hysteria. What was it about Cohen that made us all swoon? His big, kind brown eyes? His affinity for plastic horses? His love for bagels and "underground" bands like Death Cab For Cutie? Or, was it just the fact that TV had never really featured a character like Seth before? I have a feeling that a lot of it has to do with the latter. If he popped up on our screens in the year 2016, it's possible that Seth Cohen, nonconformist boy of our dreams, would be totally different.

Seth's not the only character who would change with the times, either — the entire cast of characters in the series likely would as well. In a recent talk, Brody told AOL Build that being on something like The O.C. "would be so different now" for its stars. "You would be bombarded so much more and have so much less privacy. I still feel like I had a fair amount of privacy," Brody said. He's right. Considering social media wasn't as prevalent in 2003 as it was now, it was much easier to be a celebrity living outside of the spotlight, even as part of a show as widely popular as The O.C. I think both Brody and I can agree that The O.C. came at the right time.

However, I have to wonder: if The O.C. had premiered in 2016, how would Seth have been different, as a character? There are so many possibilities:

Seth Would Have Been Internet-Famous

Mostly because he invented Chrismakkuh — but also, possibly for a witty Twitter account. I assume he'd have two accounts: one for himself, and one for Captain Oats. Also, let's not forget the possibility that he would have been a viral star for that kissing booth incident, because come on, someone would have filmed that and put it up on YouTube.

He Would Have Found Like-Minded Individuals On The Internet

Obviously, the internet was around in 2003, but there weren't as many places for people to find their digital tribe as there are in 2016. It's great that Ryan came around to befriend Seth eventually, but Seth could have also used some support elsewhere. If the series was set today, he would have found them on Livejournal or something.

He Wouldn't Have Sailed Away

Let's be real, everybody would have known about his intentions. With social media, Seth would have had zero privacy, so his peers and family would definitely have known about his plan to skip town.

He Would Have Been Obsessed With Netflix

His love of films would have led him straight to Netflix — and you better believe that Cohen would have been a fan of all the streaming service's original shows, like Daredevil and Stranger Things.

He Would Have Been Even More Of A Music Aficionado

I mean, how excited would Seth be would be to use an app like Spotify? He would be able to discover so many new bands on there. Like, think of all the band tees.

His Comic Book Career Would Have Taken Off Earlier

I truly believe that Seth could have put Atomic County in the right hands much earlier if he had the type of resources that sites like Twitter and Reddit would have afforded him in 2016. (Technically, Twitter and Reddit were around before The O.C. went off air, but they had a much smaller user base than they do now.)

Seth Cohen, you beautiful nerdy teen dream, I only knew you in the early to middle aughts, but boy, would I have loved to know you now, too.

Images: Fox; Giphy (6)