The world is constantly changing . So much so, that it doesn’t take long for something we grew up with to become obsolete. The world we grew up in won’t be anything like the ones are kids will grow into.
Recently, Reddit user incramentaler posed a simple question to the site: “What is something your generation got to experience that no other generation will be able to experience?” And boy, did responses come pouring in.
“Picking up a phone and saying “hello!?” not knowing who it is. Heck, even talking on a phone at all anymore.” – johnnybok
I remember not having caller ID on my first cellphone because the service provider classified it as a “premium” feature. I’m sure in a couple generations, though, no one will even have phones anymore. It’ll be the next new thing.
“Bankers hours.” – vieniaida
“Banks were opened from 10:00 a.m. and closed at 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. As there were no ATMs and banks were closed on weekends when I was a growing up, you had to visit your bank to withdraw enough cash to last you for the entire weekend.”
Meanwhile, I can’t imagine a world without online shopping…
“Recording from the radio to cassette to make a mix tape.” – liftheavyrunfaster
And then we moved to burning CDs from files we got off Limewire, and then straight to making Spotify playlists. The process is completely different, but at least the spirit of making a mixtape/playlist is the same.
“The classic cartoons of the 2000s.” – Safer_Sephiroth_998
“Some cartoons nowadays are good, but the ones when we were little are just BEAUTIFUL!”
I have a feeling every generation is going to think the cartoons they watched while growing up are the best ones ever. Just wait another decade, and we’ll start hearing about 2010s cartoons.
“Standing in line at a record store to buy concert tickets.” – StupidOldAndFat
Ah, yes. Kids today will never get to know the pains of physically waiting in line for a concert ticket sale. Now, they just have to worry about virtual queues for online ticket sales.
“I know what it’s like to have multiple floppy discs. I know that the ‘save’ icon represents a 3.5 disc.” – Meatros
It’s funny how, despite the fact that floppy discs have been obsolete for decades now, they’re still used to represent save features in most computer applications. A true artifact of an ancient civilization.
“Dial up internet. Be grateful you young people don’t have to hear that.” – Yourshadowhascompany
Actually, I beg to differ. That dial-up sound is, like, kind of satisfying to listen to. I can’t be the only one who thinks so, right?
Maybe it’s just the nostalgia of the times talking, though…
“In the days before you could save your progress in a video game:” – gleepglop43
“We would hit Pause, and then turn the TV off and leave the game system running (NES mostly). Sometimes for days and weeks.”
Or, when your parents wanted you to get off your game right away, but you couldn’t turn it off until you got to a checkpoint so you could save. Kids today don’t know how lucky they are with autosave.
“Video games that required cheat codes rather than credit cards to unlock features.” – Leesider1
I have to admit, it’s kind of hard not to be tempted to pay for microtransactions these days. Hopefully, though, today’s parents will do a good job of keeping their kids away from their credit cards…
“Waiting for 3-4 years to watch a movie in television if you miss it in the theater.” – MsOpinionatedDonut
It was especially bad when it was a movie you really wanted to see, but just didn’t have the time to go. Now, you just have to wait a few months, or weeks, or no time at all. I love technology.
“Malls being the town hub. They were always really crowded.” – Ohsoeasy
Do kids even go to the mall anymore? Anytime I’ve gone in the last, like, five years, I haven’t seen a single group of teens wandering around. It kind of makes me feel old.
“I’m surprised no one has mentioned Blockbuster yet. Renting a moving as a kid was a treat.” – Triggytree
Going to Blockbuster on a Friday night, finding a VHS to take home and picking up a pack of Twizzlers on the way to the register? Yeah, that was the life.
“The period from 2000 to 2010 was insane.” – solidsnake885
“From dial up Internet to iPhone 4’s. Also covered the transition away from CRT’s (so many old TVs on the side of the road!) and the rise of high def. VHS to DVD and then streaming.”
Kids today will never experience that weird period of time where everything went from standard to high def.
“Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.” – gleepglop43
Every generation will have their “greats;” great sports stars, movie stars, musicians… And there really isn’t anything like seeing them become the greatest of all time (or at least, for the time) as it happens.
“People smoking cigarettes indoors everywhere, even on planes.” – NickG513
Yeah, definitely don’t miss this. I, for one, love being able to go into a public building without being hit with the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke.
In fact, less people smoke nowadays than they did a few decades ago.
“If something bad happened to you, there was no video of it.” – RoriksteadResident
Hey, if you don’t want to get caught doing something bad, dangerous, or even illegal, just don’t do it. You never know who could be holding a phone camera in your direction.
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“Changing the channel on the TV and having to go outside and turn the antenna until my older sister yelled ‘OK!'” – NagromTrebloc
Yeah, that was before my time, too. And quite frankly, I’m glad I didn’t have to experience that, and that no one will ever have to experience it again.
“The middle period between pre-internet, and post-internet.” – No_Significance4311
“We grew up ‘normal,’ and then when we were nearly adults the whole world changed. It’s very surreal.” Yeah, I can’t really see us having another technological revolution of that scale anytime soon…
“Leaving the house at sunrise to wander around aimlessly wherever I pleased coming back for lunch, and then doing the same thing until it gets dark.” – humorous_anecdote
Meanwhile, I couldn’t even go to the end of the street without telling my parents exactly where I was going to be. People just a little bit older than me got to have all the fun.
“Being a kid and a teenager without social media.” – paksman
It’s so weird to think that there will never be another generation that grows up without social media (unless it all disappears, but I seriously don’t see that happening anytime in the near future).
