요약
"It's funny, isn't it? How we talked for hours on the phone back then, but now that we all have a phone in our pockets, we rarely talk on the phone."
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by Haein JungBuzzFeed Contributor
Having a cellphone these days is practically synonymous with modern life. I honestly wouldn't know how to survive without one, considering our entire lives seem to exist on these tiny little black boxes. But what would our everyday lives actually be like without them? There's now a whole generation that has never experienced it.
That brings me to a question posed in this Reddit thread: "People who lived before cellphones — was life actually better?" Those who lived in the B.C. era (before cellphones) wrote in, and their answers offered a flashback to a time of more outdoor adventures, closer relationships, and, perhaps, simpler times. The nostalgia is heavy here, folks. Here's what people said:
1. "It was boring. Mind-numbingly so, to be honest. But we filled our lives up with a lot of fun stuff to combat it. We practiced at it, built it. We had to hone our dopamine factories over years of self-discovery. We made it up as we went."
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"Or, if you were lazy, you could just do drugs. But even that took a bit more initiative than staring at a screen for hours."
2. "I think you were far more able to detach from work, outside groups, and extended family more, and had more ability to be alone with your own thoughts for short periods of time. I resisted getting a cellphone for a long time because it was obvious the world was losing its ability to respect boundaries. Folks that grew up with smartphones and the addiction that goes with it can't understand why anyone would not have wanted those welded to their hand as far back as possible."
3. "I was born in '64, and had such freedom! When you were a kid, you could do a lot of stuff, and often it depended on your comfort level or being able to go along with the others. I knew my boundaries and didn't push them too hard, as my mom would have killed me if I did anything bad. It was a great way to 'learn a lesson' without being lectured to. I'd love to go back and feel that sense of an endless summer, full of possibilities."
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4. "When I was a kid, I learned real fast to never say I was bored to my mom, as she would put me to work. Another great response was: go outside and find something to do. And I did. Lots of good things came out of being bored. I feel bad for today's parents who must feel like they have to keep their kids happily entertained 24/7. I also miss the days of yelling, ‘I'm going out,’ and leaving for however long. You wandered in for lunch, then for dinner, and came home when it got dark and/or when the first parent yelled for the kid to come in. It was a lot less stressful, and I think friendships probably were weightier. We talked and laughed about all kinds of stuff. And yes, it's true, phones can provide useful help. But does it have to be constantly?"
5. "I remember when dating, when the house phone rang, and it was her — yippee! Then we'd go to the movies and watch a movie in the theater. Movie theater parking lots were always full back then. They are all gone in my area for the most part, torn down, and sold to make room for houses or new businesses."
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6. "People were more aware of their surroundings, rather than just burying their heads in their phones. We passed the time by talking to each other. When we got together, we actually focused on what we were doing and weren’t checking our phones every five minutes. It was better in terms of human interaction."
7. "There was something great about having an argument about something factual and not being able to settle it right away. You had to ask someone you trusted or go look it up in the library or something. It's hard to fathom now."
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8. "It's funny, isn't it? How we talked for hours on the phone back then, but now that we all have a phone in our pockets, we rarely talk on the phone."
9. "I used to read a lot because we didn’t have internet. People used to connect. We were creative. I miss that time so much."
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10. "God, I remember when it was considered the worst social faux pas to ask if your guests wanted to see your holiday photos."
11. "I’m so glad my teenage years were not recorded. We could just be silly, try things, fail, and rebuild without life-altering consequences."
12. "Born in '79. I still remember the phone numbers of childhood friends. My favorite: let's meet on Saturday at this place at 4 p.m. You don't talk to each other for five days, but on Saturday you are both there at 4 p.m!"
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"It involved more effort. But we were infinitely better for it. People made plans and stuck to them. There was no last-minute text, 'I need to cancel, I have a headache,' etc. You just got on with it and committed."
13. "I think a lot of younger people’s anxiety these days is because of phones — being ‘always available’ because you have a phone. Parents or friends are able to keep hounding you. You never get a chance to periodically disconnect from the world during the day, and be at peace, or have the solitude to get on with whatever you want to do."
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14. "Life was less performative and fake. We had expectations of privacy in a way that no longer exists. People did things for experience, not content."
15. "Life was so much better without smartphones, AI, and neoliberalism. The '90s were amazing. Communism was dead, and all I could see was optimism and a bright future. Middle classes were thriving. It's not a coincidence that the emergence of so many billionaires coincides with the impoverishment of so many others."
16. "Yes, and no. I love the Internet and cellphones; however, we don’t interact with each other as much individually. It’s changed the dynamic of our relationships for the worse. We don’t appreciate simple pleasures as much, like nature. I remember what a big deal it was to get to go to the movies. Now, I turn on my TV with my gigantic screen and stream them."
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"I also think it has something to do with our entitlement mentality. Everything happens in a flash. We pay in a flash, we connect in a flash, and we text without even having to talk in a flash, so there’s this expectation that everything should be done quickly and we should be catered to. I know this is only a small part of that mentality, but it’s added to it."
17. "There was a golden age in the early 2000s when most people had flip phones. All the convenience of a smartphone without the whole mind-numbification."
18. "It's not the cellphones; it's the smartphones and social media. It was better before those two things."
19. And lastly, this: "Moments were quiet. And it's in these moments that you learn who you are with your own ideas. Otherwise, you're just a mix-mash of memes and internet noise, and you never gain a self-identity."
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"Those moments when you're lying in bed unable to sleep, sitting in a lobby waiting for the dentist, hanging out at the theater before the movie starts. Those moments were thoughts about your life, contemplation about the future, making up stories in your head, imagining a better world, and just getting lost in your own thoughts. I don't think a lot of teenagers know how to do this. The moment they have 20 seconds of downtime, they're looking at a meme or a video."
Have you experienced life before cellphones or smartphones? What was it like? Were times better? Let us know in the comments! Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can fill out the form below!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.