Memory Lane
Remember all those random things we grew up with that just don’t exist anymore? Stuff like blowing into game cartridges, waiting for your favorite Saturday morning cartoon, or actually writing notes on paper? Yeah, Gen Z will never get it. This list is a little trip down memory lane for anyone who’s been around long enough to know what life was like before smartphones and streaming took over.
VHS Tapes
Back in the ‘90s movie night meant grabbing a VHS, feeding it into the VCR, and listening to it clunk and whir. And if you skipped the rewind afterwards, the video store clerk would get mad at you. Streaming services didn’t exist, even DVDs didn’t exist! Watching movies was a totally different ritual.
Dial Up Internet
Remember that screechy dial‑up connection noise? It could take minutes to get online, and if someone picked up the landline, your whole session failed. And you couldn’t use the internet if someone else wanted to use the phone at the same time. Gen Z have no idea how lucky they have it with their 24/7 access to internet.
Landline Phones
Landline phones were what we all had before cell phones. If Granny was calling, the whole family would gather around the same phone to speak to her. And if someone called and you were out, they had to just wait – you couldn’t be gotten hold of unless there was a landline nearby.
Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies were the collectible obsession of the ‘90s - each stuffed toy came with its own poem and birthday, and kids would carry them everywhere. Even grown adults swapped them, hunted them down in stores, and hoped their collection would be worth something one day. Alas, the little cuties are worth precisely nothing now, unless you got a really rare one.
Keypad Texting
Texting on flip phones was actually a workout for your fingers, as you hammered the number keys three times for a “C” or five times for an “L.” It was ridiculously primitive when you think about it. No emojis, no autocorrect, and limited characters meant you got creative. Gen Z doesn’t know the struggle or the pride of texting faster than your friends.
Blockbuster
Heading to Blockbuster was a Friday night event, something to look forward to during school. You’d wander the aisles, argue with your siblings over which VHS to get, and hope your pick wasn’t already rented out. It smelled like popcorn and plastic and childhood dreams. But now, that shiny Blockbuster card is just a sign that you’re too old.
Walkmans and CD Players
Remember the weight of a Walkman or Discman clamped to your side, with tangled headphones and CDs that skipped if you jogged? You curated your own mixtapes and sometimes even recorded songs off the radio, which was probably illegal but no-one really cared.
Payphones
Running late at football practice? You’d scramble for change, find a grimy and graffitied payphone, and make a collect call. If you were cunning, you’d cram your message into the “name” section to avoid charges - “Pickmeupat6Bye!” Gen Z has never even seen a payphone, let alone used one to communicate.
MSN Messenger and AIM
Long before DMs and group chats like Discord, there was MSN and AIM. You’d rush home to see who was online, drop cryptic away messages, and use ridiculous screen names. It felt like an extension of school social time, for better or for worse.
Disposable Cameras
You snapped 24 blurry shots, waited a week for them to be developed, and hoped at least one turned out okay. Gen Z are staggered to this day that millennials and older were able to take good photos without previewing them first. Yes, it was hard and unpredictable, but it still worked for the most part.
Pagers and Beepers
Before everyone had a phone in their pocket, pagers were the go-to gadget. If someone beeped you, it meant “call me back now.” Doctors had them, businessmen had them, and cool teens had them. But they’re absolutely incomprehensible to Gen Z.
Photo Albums
Back in the day, memories lived in big, bulky photo albums, not on your phone. When a new boyfriend or girlfriend came over, your mom would dig out the family album to share with them. You’d laugh at bad haircuts, cringe at outfits, and just generally be wholesomely embarrassed.
Saturday Morning Cartoons
There was no streaming or pausing here - just you, your cereal, and a strict Saturday morning ritual. If you missed your favorite cartoon, that was it until next week. Shows were loud, colorful, and slightly manic (parents usually disapproved of them) and they made weekends magical.
Writing Notes on Paper
Before texts and group chats, people actually wrote things by hand. Yes, even homework was done this way, and students were judged on how neat their handwriting was. Some people think it’s about time Gen Z learned to write properly on paper as well.
Playing Outside With Friends
Back in the 80s and 90s, you didn’t need a phone to make plans - you just showed up, grabbed your bike, and ran around until the streetlights flickered on. That was your cue to head home. No texting, no tracking, not even any bike helmets were required.
Using a Rolodex
Before smartphones, people kept all their contacts in a spinning Rolodex - flipping through cards to find a number was totally normal. Gen Z will never know the satisfying click of flipping through contacts the old-school way.
Using a Map
Before GPS, you had to actually read a paper map - fold it just right, get out the car, and figure out where you were. Getting lost was pretty much guaranteed in those days, so schools taught map-reading… and a lot of people think we should bring it back.
Riding in the Back of a Pickup Truck
Riding in the back of a pickup truck driven by your parent was the way to travel back in the day. No seatbelts, wind messing up your hair, cars zooming past – it was pure freedom. Admittedly it wasn’t the safest, though, and it’s been banned now.
Nintendo 64 and Playstation 1 Games
Call of Duty isn’t it. The real video game magic was in the games people played on the old consoles – Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, etc. There were also racing and party games that you could play with your friends who were sitting right next to you, you just needed an extra controller.
Trading Pokemon Cards
The big craze in the early ‘00s was Pokemon, and kids went wild for Pokemon cards. They would bring them into school and trade them… or sometimes sell them for money. Some of the rare “shiny” ones actually still fetch a fair price on Ebay.
