Taking It Back to the Good Old Days
So far, Generation Z is becoming a fairly inspirational bunch with their fierce activism and proponents of sustainability.
And with all the advancements Gen Z will introduce to the world in the upcoming years, we can’t help but feel nostalgic for the revolutionary inventions that came before their time.
Here’s 25 things from the past that the younger generations will likely never understand.
Cassette Player
There’s definitely a lot of tech gadgets that Gen Z won’t recognize—like the cassette player. What’s even better is next came the Walkman, which they also probably wont recognize.
A Beeper
The original texting device, as we like to call it. Gen Z most likely wouldn’t have a clue what this would be for, or how to use it.
Jakez, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Transistor Radios
Transistor radios are a rare sight these days. Even some millennials have probably never seen one.
They were invented in 1947 and were revolutionary for their time as this is when music and information became portable.
Dial-up Internet
Generation Z will never know how it feels to have to wait for the internet to connect. Dial-up is burned into our brains as a strange, hollow, echoing sound that proceeded three “ding-ding-dings” that signaled you were connect to the internet.
Johann H. Addicks, Wikimedia Commons
Fax Machines
Believe it or not, a lot of Generation Z have never faxed anything. While they still exist today, fax machines are rarely used by the younger folk.
Dubbed, the original e-mail, fax machines would instantly send and receive messages and documents.
Pittigrilli, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Floppy Disks
Generation Z see the floppy disk as the save icon rather than as an actual media used for storing data on computers.
Iswoar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Projectors
Before classrooms were equipped with Smart Boards, we had projectors. Your teacher had to reserve it in advance and documents had to be printed or written on clear pages in order to be projected onto the wall or screen.
mailer_diablo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Landlines
Before there were cell phones, there were landlines. Generation Z will never understand having to call your friend to hang out, make the plans, and then leave the house and hope everything goes according to plan.
And before there were cordless landlines, the phones were connected to the base—so you had to talk to your friends in front of your parents.
A Telephone Operator
Younger generations will also never have to interact with a telephone operator. Back when telephones were still an evolving technology, companies relied on an operator to assist callers.
Now, everything is automated, making this profession obsolete.
Address Books
While on the topic of phones, most of the younger generations have never used an address book or a rolodex.
Everything is stored in their cell phones these days.
Mx. Granger, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The Yellow Pages
Generation Z aren’t familiar with the days before Google. When we wanted to look up a company’s phone number or address, we had to search through the Yellow Pages.
How can I recycle this, Flickr
Manual Window Cranks
Unless a young adult drives a classic vehicle, they likely have never used a manual window crank.
Before the invention of a button that instantly opened and closed your car window, people had to use a crank handle to open it manually.
Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Game Consoles
Older game consoles, like the Super Nintendo and N64 are completely foreign to Gen Z.
Not just the consoles, but having a physical game and wired controllers are both things of the past now.
Etch-a-Sketch
While you can still find these nostalgic toys in some stores, they are not used the same as they were back in the day.
These days kids can make masterful art on their iPads within minutes, whereas years ago, kids would spend hours playing on an etch-a-sketch.
Snake – Cell Phone Game
Back when cell phones were still evolving, they had 1-3 games on them, depending on the device itself.
Snake is said to be one of the best cell phone games for its time, and was popular on Nokia phones.
Pogs
While we’re getting a little nostalgic with toys and fun, pogs were like a little-kid currency back in the ‘90s. They were fun to collect, battle with, and trade.
In reality, they were just colorful cardboard discs, but they were awesome.
Newspaper Comics
Generation Z will likely never read the comics in the newspaper as they slurp down their morning cereal. Now they scroll through social media on their phones.
Calvin and Hobbes was an iconic comic strip by Bill Watterson.
Blockbuster Video
Since streaming has taken over, Generation Z will never know the joy of a trip to Blockbuster to rent movies.
With everything at their finger tips now, they also won’t ever know the disappointment of getting your hopes up for a new release and only to get there and find every single copy is already rented out.
Marky Mark
Almost everyone can recognize Mark Wahlberg, but few of Generation Z will know he got his start as a rapper named Marky Mark.
He was part of a hip-hop group called Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Together, they made hit singles like "Good Vibrations" and "Wildside."
Taking Backwards Phone Selfies
Generation Z will never know the skill it took to get the perfect selfie back in the day. Before front cameras, cell phones had to be turned around to get a selfie—and we would have to guess and hope we were in line with the camera lens.
VHS Tapes & VCR
Just like Blockbuster, Generation Z will also likely never watch a VHS tape or use a VCR. So, they’ll never know what it’s like to have to rewind a movie by hand.
Amtrak Guy 124, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Paper Maps
Generation Z will never experience the tension felt from the back seat while your mom and dad frantically searched through a large paper map the size of the entire dashboard to find which turn they missed.
MapQuest
After the big paper maps came Map Quest—an online direction service where you could print step-by-step directions on paper to bring along on your road trip.
There was nothing more frustrating than realizing you forgot the Map Question directions at home.
Burning CDs
Generation CD will very likely never burn a CD, or even know what that means.
Burning music to a CD took time and skill—and risked downloading viruses to your family’s desktop computer.
But, if you wanted a personalized playlist, this was what you had to do.
Saturday Morning Cartoons
While Gen Z can still partake in this Saturday morning tradition, they will certainly experience it differently.
Back in the day, cartoons were a Saturday morning staple and children would wake up bright and early to catch their favorite cartoons as they aired on cable.
