If today's tech and conveniences were a thing back in the day ...
Posted by Cheap-Shower-4340@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 25 comments
I was talking with my kids (25, 17, 15) about the stupid things we were known to do and how grateful I am that none of them were anything like me or what I did at their ages. (I wouldn't know what to do if they did!).
But I was thinking, if we had cell phones...whoa! Or prepaid debit cards. What if food delivery was more than just pizza back then? Then ...what if UBER was a thing, and a prepaid card and a phone . .. I promise you life as we know WOULD not be as it is. I know if my friends and I had Ubers instead of their tennis shoes, skateboards or bikes...
"What are we doing today, Brain?" "Pinky, Taking over the world"
No_Manufacturer_1911@reddit
These are burdens, not conveniences.
OstrichMean7004@reddit
I'm astounded how many people our ages seem to think that we wouldn't act exactly like the "kids today" if we were brought up in the same world.
If smart phones and social media were a thing back then, we sure as hell would have been spending all day on them, just like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
CynicalOptimistSF@reddit
Can you imagine how absolutely brutal to each other middle-school-aged GenX would have been on social media?
No_Fisherman_7848@reddit
Omg I had such a difficult time with some girls in junior high. I could at least escape the torture when school was out. It would have been a million times worse if we had today’s technology at that time!
OutSourcingJesus@reddit
I mean - we still had way more space to run around. They don't even have the nature space available
liddybuckfan@reddit
I spent a hell of a lot of time on my Atari.
Johnny_Radar@reddit
Yep. It’s hilarious the amount of “we eagerly left at dawn came in at dusk every single day” bullshit. I remember hearing plenty of parents, including my own, tell me and my friends “you’re not gonna spend all day watching tv! Go outside!” Because we were just as ready to sit around and watch Tom and Jerry, The Little Rascals, Star Trek and Batman all day if we could.
OldLadyMorgendorffer@reddit
Yep. We stared at screens too
bene_gesserit_mitch@reddit
Exactly. I had out and about days where I didn't see home until dark, but also tons of days where I played D&D most of the day, built a model, played Atari. I fondly remember one day entirely wasted watching an entire season of GI Joe. Some channel started playing an episode and didn't quit until the end. I think it was a holiday vacation day.
Obwyn@reddit
We would be doing exactly what kids today are doing. Anyone who legitimately thinks differently is delusional.
RealSignificance8877@reddit
Our grandkids would be like idiocracy.
contrarian1970@reddit
Most teenagers would still be broke haha! Technology doesn't matter if you can't afford it.
kichwas@reddit
A great thing about being genX is none of it was on film, photo, or permanent record in some place people could access for the rest of our lives.
We were allowed to make mistakes as young people and grow and mature naturally.
Young people today have to get it right on the first try or it’s on their permanent record that at age 14 they acted like a 14 year old and not a mature 50 year old…
I feel for them the inability to ever forget anything.
angepet_53@reddit
I was talking with a friend about her teenage daughter sending boob pics to her boyfriend, who then showed his best friend. My friend, said "We would never have done that!" , but, yeah, we would have. The only difference maybe would have been our parents wouldn't have found out about it.
Extra_Elevator9534@reddit
Back in the good olde daze it was Polaroids.
And people taking their film to development labs and either having an arrangement with the tech, or innocently assuming the techs don't look.
Historical_Touch_124@reddit
I still have no idea how I could go out to a bar in college and only bring a $20 bill with me.
satyrday12@reddit
Fun fact: Abe Lincoln could have used a fax machine if he had wanted to.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
...and he could have sent that fax to a Samurai!
soifua@reddit
I’m fairly confident I would have been arrested trying to cross the border in Mexico, age 8
Roguefem-76@reddit
Honestly most of the rest wouldn't have done me much good due to lack of money, but if I'd had the internet back then? Holy crap, that would have changed my whole life. Just being able to access so much information and communicate with people outside my shtty little town would have been amazing.
Phantomtastic@reddit
I’m not sure it would have made any difference for me. I didn’t have money back then so UBER or food delivery or cell phones being available would have been just as far out of reach for me as the pizza was.
cookiesandpunch@reddit
I remember half of the fun of a Friday/Saturday night was driving around trying to find your friends. I can’t imagine a world where they were all on a group chat with location services to narrow things down. How many of us know of things we did or friends did that would’ve been major trouble for them in the age of video feeds everywhere? Kids today deserve some grace. We were just as stupid, just more inconvenienced.
mike2ff@reddit
My life and myself would’ve turned out much different had cell phone video and location services been available when growing up.
rangerm2@reddit
If today's tech was a thing back then, I'd probably still not use it
Fact is, I didn't have enough money to pay double the price for McDonald's (read: door dash), and were I to get in a stranger's car as a young teen (read: Uber) I'd probably be locked in the house.
ranchoparksteve@reddit
I assume young people are rebelling and conforming in similar degrees as GenX kids. Even in other countries and cultures. It just looks different. I don’t think that human instincts changes very quickly over the centuries.