The pace of technological and cultural change over the past few decades has been staggering. Here are 18 things Gen X-ers and Millennials did that today’s younger generations might find utterly bewildering.
Rewinding VHS Tapes
Before streaming and DVDs, watching a movie involved VHS tapes that needed to be rewound after every viewing.
Getting Film Developed
In the pre-digital era, taking photos meant waiting to get your film developed to see how they turned out.
Using Payphones
Before the ubiquity of cellphones, making a call when out and about often meant fishing for change and using a public payphone.
Carrying Walkmans
Portable music once required a Walkman or Discman and a bag full of cassette tapes or CDs.
Dial-Up Internet
Gen X-ers and Millennials remember the screeching sound of dial-up modems as they connected to the internet.
Physical Maps
Without smartphones or GPS, navigating to a new place involved unfolding a large paper map and deciphering the route.
Phone Books
Looking up a number involved flipping through a bulky phone book rather than a quick online search.
Writing Checks
While not entirely extinct, the use of paper checks for everyday purchases has dwindled significantly.
Smoking in Public Places
Once a common sight, smoking indoors and in public places is now largely outlawed and socially unacceptable.
Manual Windows in Cars
Power windows are now standard, but older vehicles required a good old crank handle to roll down the windows.
Floppy Disks
Before cloud storage and USB drives, saving and transferring data involved these flimsy squares of plastic.
Encyclopedia Sets
Google has replaced the need for physical encyclopedia sets, once a staple in many households for homework and research.
Passing Notes in Class
Before texting and social media, covert classroom communication often involved handwritten notes.
Renting Movies
The ritual of going to a video rental store to choose a movie for the weekend is now a thing of the past.
Making Mixtapes
Before playlists, expressing your musical taste or creating a personalized gift involved carefully recording songs onto a cassette tape.
Landline Phones
Many younger individuals have never had a landline phone, let alone one with a cord that limited how far you could roam while talking.
Typewriters
Even the most basic word-processing software makes typewriters seem ancient, yet they were once essential tools for writing.
Using a Darkroom for Photography
Digital photography and editing software have made the need for darkroom photo processing obsolete for most.
Looking back at these once-common practices can seem both nostalgic and a little amusing. As technology and societal norms continue to evolve, today’s normal activities might one day seem just as strange to future generations.
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