Life before computers

[jteezie]

This question goes out to some of the older members.

As I lock myself away studying for a huge test, I check my social media here and there, but I realize that I'm not actually socializing. What if I didn't have this portal to the world...

So, how was life like before computers and the internet became mainstream? Alternatively, if you do not frequent the internet (strange position if you visit these boards?), if you were in my situation, would you be locked away literally with nothing to do but study?

[GrimJack]

There are many variables to keep in mind besides social media and computers. When I was in my 20s, we called each other all the time or we had an apartment/house where everyone got together almost nightly. In my 30s, we all gathered at different homes on holidays or party days. In my 40s and 50s, it was just the 2 of us though some friends had bread and soup night or Sunday coffee socials on a regular basis. Now it is just us and maybe 3 or 4 'families' that we see on a semi-regular basis.

I think the acceptance of answering machines started to separate us from social interactions; to the point that people preferred to leave a message or let the phone go to machine. The extension of that is email, texting and so on. It is hard to tell whether it is us just getting older and our interactions change or it the technology that changes our interactions.

[Shewillbemine]

There was a lot more childhood activity (ie outdoor playing) that's for sure. People actually had to think of everything they needed before leaving anywhere because of no cell phones/pagers. If you wanted to reach someone, you'd leave a message at a possible stop you're guessing they'll go by. Malls would have announcements about lost children and family members to meet at designated locations. Airports announced phone calls that needed to be picked up. News was worth 1 hour of programming every night and breakfast tables consisted of dads reading newspapers. The only way to voice displeasure at your sports team was by writing into the editorials.

If you wanted advice, say about money, you'd ask friends, family and professionals, not a bunch of strangers on the internet. Porn was Playboys from the drugstore. People actually knew how to and practiced writing letters, especially in cursive. For payday, you received an actual check and rushed to the bank to save some money and get some cash back to spend. There were no ATMs. If you wanted pictures, you bought film for your camera, took pics, dropped off at the drugstore or Kodak kiosk and waited a few days to develop. If you thought about your loved one, you wrote him/her a note at a prominent location.

If you wanted to find a place, you used maps. People would rip out pages from Yellow Pages at phone booths so as not to forget a company's phone number. Typewriters were used to fill out documents and create papers. If you made a mistake, you used White Out.

And the list goes on and on...

[disneysteve]

This question goes out to some of the older members.

As I lock myself away studying for a huge test, I check my social media here and there, but I realize that I'm not actually socializing. What if I didn't have this portal to the world...

So, how was life like before computers and the internet became mainstream? Alternatively, if you do not frequent the internet (strange position if you visit these boards?), if you were in my situation, would you be locked away literally with nothing to do but study?

Let me preface my comments by explaining that I'm part of that "bridge" generation. Computers came into general use during my teens and twenties so I remember life without them as well as the whole transition that has occurred with them.

I'm not exactly sure what aspect of life you are referring to so I'll start by focusing on your specific situation - studying for a test. When I was in high school, I did most of my studying at home in my bedroom. When I needed a break, I had a TV and a stereo. I also had a telephone so I could pick it up and call a friend to talk for a bit. Or I could go outside and shoot hoops or ride my bike or go into our basement and play pool or play the piano. There were plenty of distractions, some social, some not. Computers were starting to be around and I did have a VIC-20 and later a Commodore 64 at home and my best friend had an Apple IIe so we did spend time playing with those. And don't forget about video games. We had an Atari 2600 and whatever the Coleco game was.

In college, computers were becoming more common though not nearly in the way they are now. Our campus had a computer lab but it was not personal computers - it was dummy terminals hooked to a mainframe. There were a couple of games including a massive (for its time) dungeons and dragons game later sold as Telengard. We spent hours and hours playing that and mapping the dungeons on graph paper.

In college, life was much more social since I lived on campus. There were always people around to talk to, grab a snack with, go to the mall, etc. I did much of my college studying in the library. Our campus was safe enough to leave your stuff unattended when you took a break. So I could walk over to the campus center and find a friend to hang with. Or go to the game room and play a video game or shoot a game of pool or have a snack. If we were in the midst of preparing for a show (I did theater), I might wander over to the theater and lend a hand in the shop building a set or assembling something. Or I'd go to a music rehearsal room and play piano. And yes, some time was spent on the computer playing games though there were only 2 or 3 terminals in the library so they were often in use. There was no internet or personal computers.

Not sure if that answers your question. If not, I'd be happy to elaborate more.

[GREENBACK]

I went to high school and college in the early to mid '80's. As I recall, personal computers were few and far between. I had an uncle who was a school teacher and he had some type of computer. He was the only person I knew that had one. Of course, there were no cell phones. Socializing for me was literally a face to face thing. I didn't like to talk on the phone a lot so I would just go to pay a visit.

Study breaks were usually something stress relieving like pick up basketball or just going down in the lobby of my dorm and talking to people. I don't use much social media so I can't say how much different it is for those who do. It does seem to take away from actually seeing someone laugh or otherwise express themselves. I'm sure previous generations said the same about telephones and other "new" forms of communication and entertainment.

[disneysteve]

Socializing for me was literally a face to face thing. I didn't like to talk on the phone a lot so I would just go to pay a visit.

This reminded me of something. I had 2 relatives (aunt and uncles) who lived within 2 blocks of my house. I could walk or bike to their houses and I would often stop in just to say hello and chat for a while. Of course, I also had many friends who lived in my neighborhood and would often end up at somebody's house where I'd sometimes spend hours, even staying for a meal, before making my way back home, and they'd do the same at our house.

[MonkeyMama]

I am only 35 but the internet did not take off, and I did not have cable or a cell phone, until I graduated college. I grew up in silicon valley and so have always had a computer, and we got an aol account when I was 18, but no one else I knew had internet/e-mail all through college. I find it funny when older people assume I grew up with the internet. I certainly remember life before internet and cell phones!! The computer I had as a child did little more than play pong - know what I mean? It was DOS.

Funny thing is I often wonder, "How did we do this?" before all this stuff. Heck, whenever we leave our kids we are immediately reachable. I can't wrap my brain about how people actually left their kids and were basically unreachable. To go on a date or to work or wherever. But we certainly had many years where we went places and met up with people and figured it out. I just don't remember how we did it!

I think a college experience today would be filled with a lot of digital distractions. I was a very broke college student, but my car was my lifeline. I would drive to my folks' house to do laundry and get a free meal. I spent a lot of time studying in the school library because I Was on campus anyway, and there were no distractions. I suppose today that might be the same (though a smart phone may be distracting!). All I could afford in those days was really to spend time with people. I remember spending a lot of time just hanging out with friends and classmates. I think today, considering my finances, I probably would shift a lot of that social interaction to the internet. IF I was in college today. & I think that is kind of sad, really. It really isn't the same. So, I guess I should consider myself lucky. Anyway, I was kind of thinking people were my distractions in college (boys were distracting, I remember goofing off in *study groups* - never went to actually study, and like I said, if I was bored I would go bum a meal off my folks or go on a date. The school I went to was more of a commuter school, so I spent a LOT of weekends visiting my friends who went away to college - driving distance. Those were probably my fondest college memories, and might have been replaced by skype in this day and age). I think today it would be easier to just hole up online and never go anywhere or interact with people. Certainly not as much as we did when we were younger. But, I think in this day and age, maybe my computer/internet would have been my college lifeline more than my car. It seems to me it would be harder to focus. I had plenty of distractions, but when I was home alone with nothing to do but study, there weren't so many *immediate* distractions. I didn't live in a dorm or with people my age - I am sure that is PLENTY distracting! So maybe the college experience is just as distracting as always...

[DebbieL]

This question goes out to some of the older members.

As I lock myself away studying for a huge test, I check my social media here and there, but I realize that I'm not actually socializing. What if I didn't have this portal to the world...

So, how was life like before computers and the internet became mainstream? Alternatively, if you do not frequent the internet (strange position if you visit these boards?), if you were in my situation, would you be locked away literally with nothing to do but study?

I didn't study a whole lot, but when I did I always had other things going on too. I would either have my headphones cranked up with some good music, or the TV would be on, etc. If you wanted a social break I guess you would phone someone (I really don't think I bothered with this).

[ecoadapt]

I would say that computers has changed the way we are living in this world! Mostly it has given us the most convenient ways it offers but just like other things which offers an advantage it surely has disadvantage as well!

[photo]

Even though I'm in my 40s, even I have to think back to our "before" lives.

To be honest, I think we were faster on our feet. We couldn't just Google something we heard in conversation, so we were forced to delve deeper into subjects. Our knowledge base was broader, and we were held more accountable for what we claimed as fact.

I was one of those weird people who studied best at the library where most often, research material was only available. If I needed a break, I might step outside or in a little vending machine area where a few tables were set up. We had to plan a bit more thoroughly because if we were meeting someone, we couldn't just instantly ring up the person (unless we called from a payphone and the recipient was home) to change or cancel plans.

It was also nice learning about a person through direct interaction rather than looking at Facebook pages.

would you be locked away literally with nothing to do but study?

I really don't understand this. If you're in a dorm or an apartment, there are always people to talk to. If you're in a library, you can always peruse old periodicals or bring some other kind of reading material.

Your question really reveals one of the awful truths about our current society: frequent boredom and decreased concentration because of a lack of constant entertainment.

The internet is amazing. However, sometimes people go beyond enriching their lives by its use and instead replace some essential elements that the internet can never duplicate.

[dawnwes]

Wait, you mean this question is for us old fogies who grew up

With a card catalog to look up books in the library
Kept a dime in our car in case we needed to make a phone call
Knowing what a dial tone sounds like
Listening to something called records
Without such luxuries as a VCR or cable TV



We talked face to face!

I was either in the dorm or at the library, usually studying with friends. Sometimes we went to a Denny's or IHOP and studied late into the night there.

Ah, those were the days.