A Blast From The Past—Life Before The Internet Through The Eyes Of Millennials And Gen-Xers

What did you do for fun back in the days before the internet?

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• March 13, 2024

Picture this: you're breezing through your Instagram feed, double-tapping on the endless stream of memes and cat videos. Then bam! The dreaded words "ERROR" flash across your screen, and your phone just goes dark. 

You try to restart it, but no luck, and panic sets in as you realize it's not just your phone—the entire internet has gone kaput. Now you’re stuck there staring at a blank screen, wondering what the heck you’re supposed to do with yourself; was it even possible to survive like this? 

Well, news flash! Once upon a time, this was a typical day for our beloved Millenials and Gen-Xers who didn’t even know what the internet was and thrived nonetheless.

Yep, you heard that right. People actually once survived without constant connectivity. Crazy, right? Long before Snapchat streaks and Instagram likes, life was a mixtape of creativity, adventure, and the occasional phone call interrupted by call waiting. 

But wait, what did the cool kids actually do for fun back then? Well, thanks to the good folks at r/NoStupidQuestions, we've uncovered the secrets of pre-internet entertainment.

From mixtape-making to claymation adventures, our beloved Gen-Xers and Millennials spilled the beans on their favorite pastimes. Here's a sneak peek into their world before the digital takeover:

As you can see, the options were endless.

Imagine recording your favorite songs off the radio. Patience was key, and the payoff was priceless..

Ever wondered what "Pulp Fiction" would look like in clay form? Ask xmadjesterx and their friend.

A lot of people spent their leisure time hanging out at the mall with friends or going to the movies. Good old days

If you didn’t get your mom mad for keeping the phone lines busy, can you even call yourself a ‘90s teen?

Petrosinella94 was the ultimate boredom buster. When you could get lost in books, music, or go on adventures, boredom didn't stand a chance!

Trampolines, bicycles, and deep teenager-thoughts: the trifecta of '90s joy.

SCA_CH confesses to hours of phone calls and dreaming of a life with Eddie Vedder. Ah, the teenage fantasies!

Rooms were the first runways where outfits were mixed and matched with edgy makeup looks, way before fashion influencers even became a thing.

A lot of people today don’t know what VHS tapes or cassettes are

Forget online multiplayer; the Gen-X multiplayer experience involved actual people, outside, playing until the streetlights came on. And yes, the landline was their lifeline.

Cold, hard proof you don’t need the internet to experience fun.

Six-way phone calls, a designated rendezvous time, and fancy landline tricks to keep the buzzkills out of the loop? Sign me up.

The satisfaction of creating something from scratch? Unbeatable.

It was all sunshine and scraped knees for this exuberant bunch. You can’t go wrong with outdoor fun

The emotions were raw, and the rhymes? Well, questionable.

Interestingly, attention spans were longer before the internet

Because a little lie here and there never killed nobody.

For some, it was all work and rest

Friendships were built on bike rides, lengthy phone calls, and the kind of face-to-face interactions that emojis can't replace.

So, what's the takeaway from all this nostalgia? Well, maybe it's time to put down the smartphone, step away from the screen, and embrace the timeless pursuits of yesteryear. After all, sometimes the best memories are made offline.

Do you have any interesting memories about your life before the internet? Share it with us in the comments section.

Jesse