Imagine calling your boyfriend, girlfriend, or crush, and their parent picks up. An awkward conversation follows before you finally get to talk (or whisper) to the actual person you just phoned. That’s if you aren’t told to call back another time because they’re busy, it’s ‘too late,’ or it’s a school night.
It might sound cringe, but that was standard for many of us who grew up in the days before smartphones. And if we weren’t making the call from a big bulky phone plugged into the wall, it’s not unlikely we’d popped a few pennies in a payphone hoping they’d give us enough minutes to say all we needed to.
If you aren’t part of the ‘payphone generation,’ it might all seem a bit weird to you. But believe it or not, many of us would argue that there were a lot of benefits to growing up without being able to send an instant message or call home at any time, from anywhere.
Someone recently asked, “For people who grew up before smartphones, what is something that the newer generation won’t get to experience?” and the internet didn’t disappoint. No less than 15,000 nostalgic replies came forward, many likely (and ironically) sent from smartphones.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the best. Don’t forget to upvote your favorites and let us know in the comments below whether you feel life is better with, or without mobile phones. We also explored what it’s like to live a little without a smartphone in the digital age. You’ll find that info between the images.
Ah, the good old days. A carefree era when we were often uncontactable, and unrecorded, while out and about. What a time to be alive. As many of the replies here prove, smartphones seem to have stolen some of our freedom. And a bit of our fun.
I was lucky enough to have been part of the ‘pay phone generation. I remember a few placed around my primary school. I also remember how amazed we were when the more ‘modern’ version hit the streets. Suddenly you didn’t constantly have to carry coins around all the time. Nor did you have to keep popping more coins into the box every time you heard the beep signalling your call was about to be cut.
You could now simply load airtime onto a card and voila, so many problems solved all at once. Boy, did we think we were cool. It was like another giant step for mankind. Never in our wildest dreams did us kids think that one day we’d be able to carry a tiny phone around with us, make a call from (almost) anywhere. And we for sure didn’t anticipate being able to video call from a device just a bit bigger than that payphone card.
The closest I’ve come to those childhood days of being smartphone-free was when I checked into a meditation center high up in the mountains. It wasn’t because of a lack of network, but rather because I was there for a 10-day Vipasanna retreat. If you’re unfamiliar with the word, it’s basically a silent retreat. Lots of meditation, no talking, no eye contact, no reading, and no phones.
I think that was the hardest part for a lot of the people who took part, especially the ones with kids. In fact, by the second and third day already, I watched people quietly pick up their meditation mats and pillows and slink out the door. They never returned. They had gone to pack their bags, picked up their phones and car keys from reception, and hotfooted it all the way back home.
I almost did the same at one point, but I pushed through. The whole point, after all, is to learn that ‘this [insert whatever painful, uncomfortable feeling or experience] too will pass.
A life that’s not recorded. The ability to make mistakes and not have them follow you online for the rest of your life. They’ll never grasp the level of anonymity we enjoyed as a society. .
By the end of the 10 days, when the bell rang and we were finally allowed to speak to each other, the one thing I remember is seeing a lot of tears of relief. The other is that instead of face-to-face conversations, many people rushed to get their phones, so they call home or whoever they’d been thinking of. To check if the outside world still stood as it had when they checked in so many days earlier. God forbid, we’d all missed some massive breaking news.
I too fetched my phone. But I didn’t make any calls for at least a few hours. I still remember, quite vividly, how strange the device felt in my hand, how big and bright the text on it looked, and how even owning or using a phone seemed like a distant memory, and a skill I’d need to brush up on.
I also knew that once I switched on my phone, the peace and quiet would be gone. I’d be inundated with messages from everyone who had been trying to reach me, a journalist who was expected to be contactable 24/7.
I’d be lying if I said the entire Vipassana experience was pleasant. It definitely was not. But one thing I did learn and appreciate was the immense benefit of living sans smartphone, if only for 10 days. I must admit, I’m tempted to try it again – without the 4am wake-up bells, dinners at 4:30pm, super long hours of silent meditation, and sitting still in one spot.
Of course, to me it currently seems impossible. Our smartphones have become an extension of our bodies. We panic if we think we’ve lost them, or if the battery is about to run flat while we are out.
According to WebMD, research shows that about 61% of people admit they’re addicted to the internet and their digital screens. While another another study found that around 25% of smartphone owners between ages 18 and 44 don’t remember the last time their phone wasn’t right next to them.
Being away from your phone isn’t a bad thing. “Several social experiments found that taking a scheduled break away from your smartphone or digital device can lower your stress levels,” reads the WebMD site. “It can also help you focus on the present and pay more attention to things around you.”
Letting go of our phones for some time can also lead to better productivity. Who hasn’t put off that task they’re meant to do and instead scrolled mindlessly through social media? Our smartphones have become the ultimate accessory in crimes of procrastination.
“mom im going to ride my bike” – “ok honey be back before dinner” – proceed to go and get into absolutely ridiculous and often unsafe situations in places my parents didn’t even know existed while they had zero way of contacting or finding me and my friends.
“How was riding bikes honey”
“Oh good, we just rode up the bike path to so and sos house and played some video games” as I’m processing some sort of trauma because we just almost got killed for some reason.
Of course, our phones are often also to blame for keeping us up way later than we should be. “When your body knows it’s time for sleep, your brain releases a chemical called melatonin to help you relax and drift off,” explains WebMD. “Staring at your phone right before bed keeps your brain alert and active and delays that melatonin release. Lack of sleep over a long period of time can affect your mood and health.”
The key to your insomnia may not lie in sleeping tablets, but in a digital detox, especially before bed.
But that’s not all. Experts say time spent without a smartphone can also do wonders for our physical health. “Staying glued to your smartphone for several hours can lead to eye strain, dry eyes, blurry vision, teary eyes, and headaches,” notes WebMD. “You may also hunch over as you look down at the phone or screen. This can cause lower back and neck problems. Disconnecting can provide relief to various parts of your body.”
The joy of slamming a phone receiver down in someone’s ear when they pissed you off. It wasn’t just the “click” of a call disconnecting. There was an actual, loud BANG when you did it. Very satisfying in the moment.
The busy signal that meant you couldn’t reach someone because they were on the phone was frustrating, but looking back at it now, it kept our lives more simple than they are now.
Omolara Oseni writes about once doing a 2-week smartphone and digital detox. “I started the detox by suspending all social media and instant messaging apps on my phone using the Android app Freezer, which restricted all notifications and messages from the frozen apps,” she explained.
“For a proper smartphone detox, I used a feature phone with just phone call and text functionality. This really took me back to the early 2000s when I didn’t own a smartphone,” the journalist continued. “Since I couldn’t do anything that required WiFi or data outside of work, I did all the work that required Internet connectivity at the office.”
Snake.
a phone that could be dropped 3 floors and still work
a battery that would last a week on a single charge
3210 i miss you.
Oseni admits the first few days were difficult, saying she constantly wanted to pick up the phone and check for notifications. By the second week, she’d broken the habit. The writer also says it was a relief to not have to always worry about charging the phone. The battery wasn’t being overworked, or pushed to its limits, and lasted longer.
She reveals that as we’ve indicated before, she got a better night’s rest. And her stress levels were lower. Oseni says this is likely because instead of scrolling through social media before bedtime, she spent the time reading. She also found she was getting more work done without the smartphone distracting her. This, in turn, added to her relaxed state.
You could go to the record store (or movie rental store), shop for music, and there would be other people there who liked the same music as you. Now the record store is on your phone, and there is nobody in there to talk to.
“Prior to this, I would pick up my phone without cause to check for notifications. And when there were none, I’d scroll through my contact list and start inconsequential conversations that led nowhere,” reveals the writer. “But realising this helped me focus on work, increased my levels of productivity, and made me more sensitive to my environment.”
Oseni says she’d recommend a smartphone detox to anyone who feels their phone is taking too much of their time, social media is preoccupying their mind, or if they are continually and habitually reaching for their device. But she adds that it’s not necessary to go cold turkey.
Having fun arguing about daft things that you could solve easily by googling. “Who was the actress in such-and-such?” “What year did that happen?”
I miss those daft pub chats.
The joys of leaving your home in the morning with a pocket full of coins and knowing that not only were you not expected back until sundown, but they couldn’t find you even if they wanted to lol
I can still remember the 6 digit phone numbers of my three closest friends, my parents house at the time, and our next-door neighbours (my parents were over there all the time, especially during summer).
It’s okay to start by muting notifications and choosing when you want to check updates, advises the journalist. “It is also okay not to respond to all notifications you receive depending on their order of importance,” she adds. “A smartphone detox can also mean keeping your phone out of sight when you’re at work unless it’s necessary you use it.”
Oseni concludes that a smartphone detox isn’t just about avoiding something in a certain space. “For some, it gives them a chance to reflect and appraise life’s issues in an order of priority. For others, it’s a journey of self-discovery in relation to some paths of life, career growth, family, and other relationships,” she wrote. “For me, it gave me the opportunity to get some rest, focus more, and be more productive.”
The ability to just… f**k off.
You can still do it by leaving your phone at home for the day or whatever, but it’s not really socially acceptable. If someone wants to get ahold of you, you’ll come home to piles of calls and voicemails as the people on the other end assume you’re dead.
In the 90s, it wasn’t just socially acceptable to “disappear” for a day, it was assumed that’s how things would work. If someone couldn’t get ahold of you, they just shrugged and dealt with it. If you went out shopping or something, you got home when you got home and that was that.
Even disregarding how difficult it is for people to willing “switch off” from digital engagement (which is a huge problem in its own right) the shift from people assuming you’re unavailable and feeling lucky if they managed to connect, to assuming you’re available and being offended or worried if they can’t connect, is a truly massive shift in how humans interact with each other.
Your boss can’t get ahold of you if you don’t want them to, and that was perfectly acceptable because it was the norm.
These days many employers expect someone to be available by phone 24/7 and, to me, that’s b.s.
Born in 78.
Someone brought up what we did on our work breaks before smartphones and that was weirdly kinda nostalgic.
I’d b******t with coworkers, read a magazine, everyone always had a book on hand. As technology advanced, someone with a gameboy/psp the DS was really popular. But sometimes people would just listen to their ipod.
Not trying to be old man things were better back in my day about it… but just carrying around long form content and utilizing it. Like it was easy and encouraged.
Or you’d get like a 15 minute break at work, couldn’t really go anywhere, so you’d be sitting in the breakroom and just b******t about the day with other coworkers or get to know them. You were on your break and wanted to relax/unwind so everyone tended to be cordial.
The lack of pressure. I was a teen in the 80s. I have told my kids (who are teens) I wish they could have one summer in 1986 just so they could experience what life is like without the contestant firehose of social media posts and ads and messages… and expectation that you have to constantly check your socials and post about your awesome life.
Teens now live under the weight of insane social pressure.
Going to a concert and actually watching the concert with your eyes, not through a screen trying to “capture” the experience.
Getting yelled out for calling someone’s home and getting their sibling or parent for bad phone etiquette.
“May I please speak with”….
Using a payphone to place a collect call and cramming your entire message into the “State your name” pause. “Would you like to accept a collect call from ‘MomPickMeUpAtTheMall!!'”.
That song finally comes on the radio, vaulting over your bed to press Record, having each track on your mixtape begin with “…only on Q101!”.
Hanging out with friends and having to come up with games outside or stay up late talking about silly things. With the ideas only you and your silly little friends can dream up, influenced by your personal experiences in your day to day life and stories you hear by the spoken word.
A sort of freedom that is hard to explain. Even if you get rid of your smartphone now, society has a different view of that and you will be blamed for your desition. Also there was a focus on creating that was bigger.
Accepting that you have no clue about which actor was in THAT movie, or whether Tina Turner is dead or just old, or what the weather will be like in 2 weeks…
Rather than “oh, let me google that!”
I’m guilty of it myself, but it’s still annoying sometimes. We’re having a good conversation, who cares, why pull out your phone now and search for this or that??
Predicting the future. Before smartphones if you were at your computer, you knew someone was gonna call sou before the phone rang. Im not gonna say how. If you know, you know.
Calling to get the precise time when you were setting a clock.
“At the tone, the time will be…”.
Encyclopedias to do homework.
Going to your neighbors’ house because you got locked out.
“Be in this house when the streetlights come on!”.
Watching a big season finale at the exact same time as everyone else and then talking about it the next day at school. Having to be home by a certain time to watch a show and timing bathroom breaks with commercials. Cutting out your favorite ads from magazines to decorate your locker.
The telephone ☎️ on a special table in the hall..
The only one in the entire house..and a small timer ⏳ to ensure you didn’t run up a big bill. Sometimes the dial was locked so only incoming calls.Or was that just in my house 😆.
Having a street map in the car and looking up the grid reference for the street.
I’m sure most of these have already been mentioned…but being forced to have face to face interaction, playing outside, having to come up with your own ways to k**l time, being able to do something without it being recorded, having a follower count not influence who wants to be your friend.
Just rocking up at your local bar in your 20s after work and seeing who’s there. I actually got close to a few friends of friends this way. It made me mingle outside my friend zone more. .
You only had the TV /radio news or newspapers to tell you what was happening around the world. You had to actively hunt out your news or you would know nothing. Nowadays we’re bombarded with information, news, advertising and propaganda constantly. I definitely think life was far less stressful and depressing then in part due to that.
Back in the day you couldn’t call someone to ask where they were. If they answered, they were at the location you called. Now anyone can be anywhere.
When I was a kid, parents did not know where their child is, just that they are “out”. That was normal, at least in my hometown.
Rule in my family was, I had to be home by the time the streetlights are turned on.
Dailup internet and waiting 15 min for a picture to download.
Latchkey kids, my mom came home from work and caught me playing run-around-the-shoe which is exactly what it sounds like. The rules were whatever I made up right then. But I think mostly we all had to learn to self-entertain by whatever means we had. So, we did a lot of hanging out back in the day or playing ball in the street. Whenever you didn’t have something to do, you kind of made something to do. I’ve noticed that gadget-obsessed people–young and old alike–don’t seem to tolerate being bored very well.
The satisfaction of slamming the phone down when hanging up on someone!
Crank calls
Looking up numbers in phone books and facts in encyclopedias.
Talking on the phone for hours. Now we text as a warning or permission to call.
Knowing a plethora of phone numbers by memory.
Playing outside in the roads. I remember being outside most of the day and even at night just running around with friends playing games and football. It is kinda a cultural shock for me nowadays to see kids playing outside.
Not taking photos of what you see or eat — just enjoying the moment.
The sound of a robot being sacrificed every time you started up the internet.
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