If you think back to your childhood, there are probably some aspects of everyday life that younger generations will never experience. Well, Redditor historical_Trifle735 asked, “What has gradually disappeared over the last 20 years with people realizing it?” Here’s what people said about things that have slowly faded from society.”
1.
“Boredom. My kids don’t quite understand why I ‘lose’ the remote control of the TV or why they don’t have full access to electronics. I tell them that they need to learn to be bored. I was raised on a farm, and the moments without electricity or when the TV wouldn’t work because of the wind made me discover and try new things. All my great ideas came when I was doing boring things at work or home.”
2.
“Physical movie rentals. It was not uncommon to rewind a movie and IMMEDIATELY watch it again (unless it had turned out not to be very good). I remember having to get the most out of fun films during the single day I had them.”
3.
“The 9 to 5 workday. It has quietly become more like 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
4.
“Live television programing. I organized my activities around TV show times because once the program was shown, there were no reruns the next day, no VCR, no internet or streaming, nothing. You snooze, you lose.”
5.
“The act of just ringing your friend’s doorbell to see if they want to hang out instead of sending a text or calling by phone.”
6.
“Looking up answers to questions in the encyclopedia. I had the Encyclopedia Britannica from the year I was born. I know a lot of weird knowledge because whenever I asked my mother a question, she would get angry and yell at me to look it up.”
—CourtesyFlush
7.
“Insects. In the mid-2000s, bumblebees, butterflies, wasps, and ladybugs flew everywhere. There were hordes of mosquitoes. There were so many flies that it was impossible to open the window. You couldn’t take three steps in May without stepping on a bug. I haven’t seen a single butterfly or bumblebee for about eight years. I hardly even see fruit flies. Insect extinction is no joke.”
8.
“A free and open Internet. Everything is siloed and paywalled today, and we just let it happen.”
9.
“Hearing a song on the radio but not knowing the title or band name, so you had to wait until the DJ said ‘That was Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes’ (or whatever song just played).”
10.
“Patience. Everything is instant now, and it’s as if we’ve lost the art of waiting.”
11.
“Children playing outside. Maybe there are areas where this occurs at the rate it used to, but 20 years ago, walking down the streets in my area, any house with kids, they were outside with bikes and toys, just chatting, laughing. I walk all times of the day, and I seldom see any kids, although the neighborhood has children.”
12.
“Where I live, snow. When I was a kid in the eighties and nineties, we’d often get our first snow at the end of November. And it could reasonably stay until April. And that wasn‘t even in the mountains. Even fifteen years ago, there were still winters when you suddenly got a meter of snow overnight. It snows for maybe a day or so these days, and it barely remains on the ground for a few hours.”
13.
“Apart from 4KUHD discs, I feel physical media has largely disappeared; 20 years ago was when VHS finally went out the door with the last releases, and now I don’t really see or hear about DVDs or DVD players that much.”
14.
“Paper maps. I grew up with one of those thick Rand McNally map books in the car when we took long road trips. Navigating in a completely foreign area was a fun activity.”
15.
“Ownership. Especially of apps. There are no more one-time purchases. Everything is a subscription now. A freaking calculator app wants a monthly fee. A ruler app (yes, an app that displays a jpeg image of a measurement system) wants $3.99 a month to use.”
16.
“Red eyes in photos. My five-year-old son saw an old printed photo of me from 20 years ago and asked why my pupils were red. It’s complicated to explain this concept in a smartphone world.”
17.
“Inspirational boredom. The kind that has you seeking out new things. Now people just doom scroll and cannot reach the trigger point that sets them off on new paths.”
18.
“The ability to get lost. I used to print MapQuest directions or rely on actual paper maps for road trips. Sometimes getting lost led to the best adventures. Now, with GPS, that sense of mystery and discovery is pretty much gone.”
19.
“Parents allowing kids to go off and explore on their own. I grew up in the suburbs where I would meet random kids at parks. We’d hit it off and then we’d bike over and go hang out at their houses. My parents didn’t have a clue what was happening, and I was around middle school age. As a parent now, the idea of this makes me shudder. As a kid, though, it felt awesome, fun, and natural.”
What is something that is gradually disappearing from society or something you experienced growing up that younger generations won’t understand? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.