10. “Road maps. The person in the passenger seat would tell the driver where to go — otherwise, you’d never make it to the destination. For long trips, there was almost always a stop at a gas station to get directions when driving through unfamiliar areas. Those were great times — always an adventure!”
11. “The satisfaction of flipping open a newspaper and bending it in a way where it would stay open in front of you while you held it, crinkling slightly (and turning your fingers black). I didn’t realize I missed this until recently when I needed to use some newspaper at work. There was a stack of them, and I flicked open a double page expertly, despite not having done it for…decades?”
12. “Encyclopedias and other reference books — there aren’t many left now except ones on subjects that students might need. There used to be books for everything, and you’d always end up learning about more things than you wanted to whenever you opened one up.”
13. “I miss the early internet in the mid-1990s, when there weren’t all these ads!”
14. “The newer generation will never know the feeling of slamming a phone down when someone pissed you off on a call, then slamming it two or three more times for good measure. Hitting a button on a touchscreen to hang up on someone’s stupidity just doesn’t give the same satisfaction.”
15. “Albums and perusing record stores. The posters, album artwork, and incense smell were something else.”
16. “There was nothing like folding up a manual convertible top in the rain. That, or you left the top at home and had to drive in the rain while people stared at you for being an idiot.”
17. “Being able to buy tickets at concert venues without having to worry about associated fees and shitty broker companies.”
18. “There was a high standard in journalism. Striving for facts and objectivity was required. We had a limited number of channels on the TV, so all three broadcast news programs chose and reported pretty much the same news stories with identical, essential facts. Opinions of political parties over bills and whatnot were reported, not critiqued.”
19. “I loved waiting for the mail to see if you had a card or a letter.”
20. “The communal experience of television or radio entertainment. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, we didn’t have cable. We had like four TV stations. Everyone was pretty much watching the same thing in the evenings, and folks would discuss the shows at school or work the next day. Same with radio — as teens, we all tried to catch Rick Dees or Casey Kasem on the weekend so we knew what was cool and new.”
21. “Party lines on the telephone. That was when you were literally sharing a phone line with someone else and were able to listen in on their phone conversations. It was annoying, though, when the ‘other party’ was using the line and you needed to make a call.”
22. “The feeling of sitting alone in your room, sobbing over some guy when you are 16, moving that needle to play the same sad song over and over again on your record player while your Bonne Bell black eyeliner and Yardley of London white lipstick melted down your face.”
23. “The younger generation will never know the anticipation of waking up, seeing snow on the ground, turning on the radio, and waiting for the announcer to say whether your school will be closed. The announcer would have a list and would be reading it aloud, and you’d wait for him to get to your school. Almost there…here it comes…and then, ‘YESS!!'”
24. “It was always the best when you were sitting at a red light, jamming to a good song on the radio. Then you’d look over and notice the neighboring driver was jamming to the same song, so you both started an impromptu jam session until the light turned green.”
25. “It was always nice walking a loved one all the way to the departure gate and watching their plane take off.”
26. And last: “The freedom that came with your parents not really knowing where you were was awesome. We just rode our bikes, all without being tethered to a cellphone.”
I don’t know about you guys, but I personally miss being able to slam the phone down in anger too. Are there any things you miss from the past that technology has basically made obsolete? Let me know in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Share This Article
More Like This
- People Are Sharing Things That Were Totally Normal To Have Or Do 10 Years Ago, But Would Be Strange Today
- Gen X’ers Are Sharing The So Historically Inaccurate Things Young People Have Said To Them That They Had To Do Some Generationsplaining
- Gen X’ers Are Sharing The Disproved And Useless Things They Were Told Growing Up — And Some People Still Believe Today
- 17 People Over 30 Shared How They “Wasted” Their 20s, And It’s Eye-Opening For Younger People
- People Are Sharing What Was Normal In The 1990s But Rare Or Nonexistent Now, And It’s Truly A Reminder Of Simpler Times
- A Redditor Asked People To Share The Dumbest Things They Believed As Kids, And It Turned Out That Some Of These Were Really Common
- 35 Products So Genuinely Beautiful They Will Haunt Your Cart Until You Buy Them
- 37 “Treat Yourself” Products That Actually Make Your Life A Lot Easier
- 40 Life Hack Products For Anyone Who Needs A Win
- 53 Simple Tips That Will Improve Your Air Travel Experience
What do you think?
- 15
- 10
- 5OMG
- 4WIN
- 3FAIL
- 1WTF
- CUTE
- LOL
71 comments·Sign in to comment
Order by:Selecting the radio button will refresh the page with new results ordered by either likes or date.Most HeartsMost Recent
p46bf3ddf06 hours agoAs someone who was bullied terribly in high school, knowing it was over at the end of the day. When I left school, I left the bullies there too. Now with kids on their phones every second of the day, it never stops. You don’t get to “leave the bullies at school”. They follow you home… Read more53people love this commentShow replies (7)
thisisnothappening6 hours agoGoing to the movies! I mean, we have some real nice theaters and amenities nowadays, but I miss how simple and spontaneous it used to be. Having to find a newspaper for listings, calling the movie phone, or just showing up to the theater.18people love this commentShow replies (3)- jennies4783ed5b86 hours agoWhen I was 6 years old I used to take my dolls in my stroller for a walk around the block, by myself without an adult. This was in the 90s. Nowadays kids can’t go off on their own like that.12people love this commentShow replies (3)
Load more comments
Pages: 1 2
I miss traveling abroad with no devices to distract or keep me so in touch with home that I don’t really feel away. There’s freedom and loneliness to be experienced when away from being truly “away.” Room to grow and feel gratitude.