Ah, the good ol’ days! We live in such a fast paced, technology-driven world that it’s easy to forget the way things once were. So, we thought it’d be fun to take a moment and remember how both simple and complicated life was before the Internet. Ready to take a trip down memory lane? (Or feel really old?) Here are 13 things Mississippians used to do before the Internet took over our lives.
- Played Board Games
Marcy Leigh/Flickr Long before the days of “Words with Friends,” board games were a major source of fun for the entire family.
- Used Reference Books
Horia Varlan/Flickr Do you remember having to use an encyclopedia for a school paper? Yeah, kids today have no idea how lucky they are to have Google.
- Wrote Letters
Cynthia Closkey/Flickr We’ve grown so reliant on e-mail, the art of letter writing is basically obsolete now.
- Maintained Photo Albums
Doug/Flickr With access to pictures just a click away, photos albums are pretty much a product of the past.
- Waited for Deliveries
Tracy Lee Carroll/Flickr In the days before the Internet, ordering items through the mail was such an ordeal. You scoured catalogs and magazines for the perfect product and then began the process of making the purchase, which normally entailed sending a check or paying over the phone. By the time the several-weeks-long delivery period elapsed, you usually forgot about placing the order all together.
- Made Calls from a Home Phone
lensletter/Flickr With today’s technology, you don’t even need an actual phone to make a call (thank you, Skype). So younger generations will probably find it really hard to believe that making plans to meet friends had to be done BEFORE leaving home.
- Played Outside
PearlsofJannah/Flickr In the past, kids (myself included) spent hours upon hours outside and had to practically be forced to come back inside, but the Internet has definitely changed that! Most of today’s children will never know the joy that came from building a fort or playing in the woods.
- Used Phone Books (and Made Prank Calls)
Steven Depolo/Flickr Today, finding a phone number takes a matter of seconds, but remember when you actually had to thumb through a phone book? And while technology has made finding numbers easier, it’s totally ruined the fun of prank calls. (You know you’ve called someone and asked if their fridge was running!)
- Watched VHS Tapes
bloodygoodhorror.com Who remembers the magazine inserts that offered ten VHS’s for a penny, or spending hours in the video store on a Friday night? (Or, for that matter, VHS’s?)
- Read Magazines and Books
Patrick/Flickr Prior to the Internet consuming our lives, reading was a really common pastime. And, often times, required a trip to the library.
- Went to Bowling Alleys and Skating Rinks
Ginny/Flickr Sure, people still frequent these establishments but not nearly as much as in the past.
- Made Mixed Tapes
Yohan Creemers/Flickr To think, creating a playlist once required hours of waiting for a song you liked to come on the radio rather than the few clicks it takes today to download it.
- Used Maps
davecito/Flickr Remember purchasing actual maps before heading out on a vacation? It’s hard to believe we didn’t always have that bossy GPS voice guiding us.
What are some other ways the Internet has affected our daily lives? Tell us in the comments section below!
Marcy Leigh/Flickr
Long before the days of “Words with Friends,” board games were a major source of fun for the entire family.
Horia Varlan/Flickr
Do you remember having to use an encyclopedia for a school paper? Yeah, kids today have no idea how lucky they are to have Google.
Cynthia Closkey/Flickr
We’ve grown so reliant on e-mail, the art of letter writing is basically obsolete now.
Doug/Flickr
With access to pictures just a click away, photos albums are pretty much a product of the past.
Tracy Lee Carroll/Flickr
In the days before the Internet, ordering items through the mail was such an ordeal. You scoured catalogs and magazines for the perfect product and then began the process of making the purchase, which normally entailed sending a check or paying over the phone. By the time the several-weeks-long delivery period elapsed, you usually forgot about placing the order all together.
lensletter/Flickr
With today’s technology, you don’t even need an actual phone to make a call (thank you, Skype). So younger generations will probably find it really hard to believe that making plans to meet friends had to be done BEFORE leaving home.
PearlsofJannah/Flickr
In the past, kids (myself included) spent hours upon hours outside and had to practically be forced to come back inside, but the Internet has definitely changed that! Most of today’s children will never know the joy that came from building a fort or playing in the woods.
Steven Depolo/Flickr
Today, finding a phone number takes a matter of seconds, but remember when you actually had to thumb through a phone book? And while technology has made finding numbers easier, it’s totally ruined the fun of prank calls. (You know you’ve called someone and asked if their fridge was running!)
bloodygoodhorror.com
Who remembers the magazine inserts that offered ten VHS’s for a penny, or spending hours in the video store on a Friday night? (Or, for that matter, VHS’s?)
Patrick/Flickr
Prior to the Internet consuming our lives, reading was a really common pastime. And, often times, required a trip to the library.
Ginny/Flickr
Sure, people still frequent these establishments but not nearly as much as in the past.
Yohan Creemers/Flickr
To think, creating a playlist once required hours of waiting for a song you liked to come on the radio rather than the few clicks it takes today to download it.
davecito/Flickr
Remember purchasing actual maps before heading out on a vacation? It’s hard to believe we didn’t always have that bossy GPS voice guiding us.
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