Do you remember life before the internet?
Ahhhhhh yes when curiosity took longer to satisfy
And eyes just stared into space
When we more connected and knew what a person was like only by what they showed us in the moment
Which means we didn’t know much at all, except what was important
When we walked out a door and saw only the people we bumped into that day
And didn’t know when anyone was getting on a plane or what they were having for breakfast lunch and dinner
When the letterbox was full and the inbox was an overloaded paper file that could be cleared out by tipping it into the bin
When phones were attached to walls
When we all played outside
Or read books
And had hobbies
And crafts
But it wasn’t all good – arguments couldn’t be settled in an instant with a triumphant wave of a phone
Scrabble was dodgy and required a heavy dictionary alongside it
FaceTime required two people to be within metres of each other
But kids had more of their parents attention
Am I painting this with a rosy nostalgic paintbrush?
Possibly
Kate, I could not have said, all you said, better! Bravo!
It would be nice to go back just to see if it’s as good as I remember Tom, or just frustratingly slow 😂
Rosy nostalgic paintbrush? Maybe, not sure. But I know I’m way more connected to my kids than my parents were to me. Especially my daughter who is doing an out of state internship this summer and away at college the rest of the year. Plus blogging. We get to blog.
Yes! We get to blog and connect with people and ideas from all around the world. Like anything I think there is good and bad and we just have to enjoy the benefits and pay less attention to the things that don’t serve us. I’m so glad you are more connected to your kids Jeff – we are lucky to have ours close by still but I imagine there would be so many benefits to digital interconnection over vast distances.
Curiosity…yes. As wonderful as tech is, our reliance and habits that formed – like a drug – mean that we no longer have space for curiosity. We don’t sit with a problem, or ponder the answers, because it’s so easy to just Google it and find info.
30 years ago, we took to screens to get a break from reality. And now, we go to nature – the physical world – to get a break from screens. Amazing how things were inverted.
We weren’t reachable 24/7, and being uncontactable was more acceptable. The culture of instant gratification in 2-way communication was far weaker.
Truth be told, it IS easy to paint the past with a nostalgic brush. We largely retain the memories of the positive, rather than the negative. But back then, like now, was probably equally filled with ups and downs. It’s just *different* now.
It is just different now Yacoob and I don’t want to be one of those that pines for the past but rather embraces the future and all the amazing benefits afforded to us of living in a technological age that is available to nearly everyone. When we were in the city recently I saw even the homeless people have phones – which are computers these days so there are not many people that aren’t connected. As you say, we can always choose to disconnect and reimmerse ourselves in nature. It’s about balance – it always was and always will be.
I remember when we first got 911. Until then we had just seven digit phone numbers taped by the phone.
That’s such an interesting memory Martha.
The biggest change for me before the Internet would be the concept of public space usage in libraries. I miss the knowledge based ambience of getting lost in a sea of books.
We still have areas of public space in our libraries. That is a pity that you don’t – is it because they have taken over these areas for computer access?
Books are not necessarily the featured aspect of libraries where I live- Much space goes to digital instead.
I think it was a special time before the internet but at the same time I think the internet also helped us in so many ways. For example, when I was studying abroad I talked to my parents daily which I couldn’t have done without the internet. And I could never have met all the amazing bloggers I have, including you, if it wasn’t for the internet.
I love this answer Pooja. It was special then and it’s special now – just different.
Thanks and yes that’s exactly it. I think both times are special as long as we make the most of it and use the internet wisely.
Nice thoughts
Which made me remember my internetless days
Internet is a weapon ,if used well could save lives but if used with intentions of evil then it could turn out disastrous as well. It all depends on the hands it belongs to…
These kids will never understand the thrill of shouting “Its Oooooooooon” when our favorite program resumed in tv. Now they have Netflix ☹️
We were really backward. 😂😂😂
https://bloggate0.wordpress.com/2023/06/04/the-psychology-of-procrastination-understanding-why-do-we-procrastinate-and-how-to-overcome-it/
🙏😘
I remember I used to talk to my mother a lot before the Internet and after the Internet maybe not that much, and now I can’t even talk to her. missing those old days.