For every year we move from the 80's and 90's, the worse the world gets.
That sounds alarming, and it should be. I'm not sure how many of you were alive in those decades, but for those who were will usually agree it was simpler. Better.
We weren't always online. Glued to our phones or addicted to social media. There were no such things as influencers. We weren't "hyper-connected" at all times. No matter where we go, we can be emailed. Face timed. Called or texted. There's rarely a break from it.
In the 90's, the internet lived in a room. The families computer room. When you wanted to go online, it was a conscious decision.
We had to decide to get up, move to another room. Sit down, turn on the computer. Open up AOL or another dial up service and connect to the internet.
We've grown so accustomed to "instant gratification". We've had too much of a good thing. We can stream anything we want, any time we want. We can order whatever we want and have it delivered the next day. From clothes to furniture, even fresh groceries.
We're like children not being taught that eating too much candy will give us a stomach ache.
And the worst part is, all of this is making us more and more isolated. Why call or go visit a friend when you can just like his profile post?
Why go to the store to buy or rent a movie when you can just stream it? Why even bother going out to eat? Just order it and it'll be dropped off at your door. No human interaction needed!
Same with groceries. Contactless delivery has becoming more and more of a thing and it's further isolating us.
Our world is becoming the four walls that make up our house. We don't go out much anymore. And if we do, we're on the phone. We can't just be here and now.
We need to go back to being more simple.
This is some ways I try to live simpler:
- I quit using Facebook in 2008 and never returned.
- I have a smartphone, but I have no social media on it. It's used to check news, play a game or listen to music.
- I like going out to shop. Walmart, Target, the mall or little hidden gems. It's the thrill of the hunt, the experience in itself. If I order online, it's usually a piece of old technology that isn't sold in stores or similar.
- I still go out to eat, if not I'll order a pizza and actually talk to the delivery driver.
- I still own CD's and only stream TV shows not available on DVD. I.e. The Mandalorian.
Comments
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K1ttyK1llz4
For real. When I was a teen, there was no real social media outside a profile page on AOL lol. We spent most our time being outside either chilling, skating, or getting in trouble!
To be an unc, kids these days don't know how good it was "back in my day". Just existing was fulfilling. 👌
by That 90's Guy; ; Report
Angell
But shouldnt we focuse on future and not the past tho? Think about the good things and your life will be better
Of course, it just feels so hard to look forward when it feels so alien. But as Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
I've been guilty doing that. I just "fly with the times" and reminisce and realize I missed so much.
I try to be more mindful of where I am both in physical and chronological space. I want to look more forward while keeping the past alive, but right now I'm only keeping the past alive.
by That 90's Guy; ; Report
seaoforcas
buring cds and collecting dvds has been something i revently started doing and it's been amazing. i recently got a small crt tv for my room and i use ti to watch movies/shows and play wii games. i also rent a lot of dvds from my university library and im getting a library card so i can get cds from the city libraries.
Nice! Burning CD's are such a mood. I used to rent CD's from the library and make copies and then burn it to a CD lol.
A wii and a CRT sounds like a good time! Have fun 💿
by That 90's Guy; ; Report
Apav
I think older Gen. Zers recognize this too. We saw the horrifying effects of constant internet exposure first hand, because most our parents didn't know what a simple iPod Touch could expose their children to. Now all the kids I knew who were constantly online, barely update their socials anymore. It felt like the internet and technology was better when it was still small, decentralized, and didn't follow us around. For the most part I'm doing the same thing as you. I've cut out Google and Meta from my phone, and keep my music offline. For the most part I refuse to purchase games that include DRM or don't have a physical release. And I've definitely cut back on my scrolling thanks to site like SpaceHey and FriendRewind.
However, I would say the internet doesn't have to be evil. I think a good balance is in order, but it's really sad that society isn't really pushing that. It would be so easy to teach kids what to avoid online when they are older, teach parents the dangers of unmonitored internet access, and create social media platforms, operating systems, and video game consoles that aren't downright predatory. It almost feels like we need some kind of Amish-adjacent movement of folks who are religiously convince we should stick to the 1990s.
Yeah, the internet has become "too much of a good thing" for many of us. And I totally agree, kids need to be supervised. I started out on the internet as a teen in 1997 and I ended up with a 40 year old woman wanting to come sneak through my window who I met on MSN chat lol.
It was exciting, but I knew just enough to know it was a bad idea. It happened so fast, so I think about kids now a days with all the predators out there and it's scary.
But in the end, the internet needs to be less corporations dominating the space and more user driven content doing so. Back in the 90's and early 2K's we didn't have megacorps trying to shovel ads down our throats, track us and leak our personal information. I miss those times.
That's why I've started "reverting" back to the old web with more user or indie sites like FriendRewind or old forums that are still around.
by That 90's Guy; ; Report