Not that we wish to go back to the Stone Ages, but there’s something about the good ole days, the quality of life people led, and the connections they built that somehow look superior from a nostalgic lens. No, this is not about the standard of living, and under no circumstances would we want to fly back in time in terms of development and technology. But what we are referring to here is the pre-Internet and the pre-hyper-connectivity era.
Like when reading books wasn’t a taxing affair when people meant the question ‘How are you?’, when the thirty-second-ad break wasn’t as intolerable, when physical get-togethers were a priority…basically when life seemed uncomplicated, and we didn’t need validation to feel good about ourselves. People, both online and offline, have shared the one thing that the Internet ruined for them, and the answers make all the sense.
1. “My patience/attention span. I was at a graduation and wanted to fast forward to the part where my friend walked across the stage.”
2. “Playing Nintendo video games was such a vibe. No computer or phone game can compete with that setting and experience.”
– Harshita
3. “Music. It’s not that we don’t have good music today but a lot of it is also auto-tuned manufactured solely to cater to reels and impressions and nothing else. Also, the music that is actually great becomes boring because it’s overplayed on reels. It’s a rabbithole”
– Raghav
4. “In this era of FaceTiming, I miss the luxury of sitting with my grandparents and having a heart to heart conversation. Now, it’s mostly done out of formality cos everyone is just too invested in their cellphones.”
– Aaliyah
5. “Liking movies or TV shows based on your own opinion. There have been so many times I’ve seen a movie and thought, “That was a pretty good movie, I wonder what other people thought about it…and my opinion was apparently wrong and I’m a horrible person.”
6. “Ruined being sick! Now every time I’m sick I Google my symptoms and start calling my family members to tell them I’ll be leaving soon.”
7. “Renting movies. I remember when going to the video store, picking out a movie with your buddies, and watching it that night was so much fun. It was amazing how that was the entire evening event. Now you can pretty much watch any movie at any time for little to no money, but it doesn’t have the same effect.”
8. “The Internet has ruined not having internet for me. My internet has been out for almost 3 weeks now… All I’ve been getting by with is my cell phone, but I’m almost out of data… Send HELP.”
– Lotomos
9. “Communication. When I was a kid, and we wanted to talk to our friends, we walked to their house and talk face-to-face. We would go to the park or play on the street. Kids these days spend all their time on online games and cellphones.”
10. “Literature. It was a great hobby and pastime, but now, I have the attention span of a dog. I really like books, but never take the time to spend a weekend reading a good novel, like before the ubiquitous Internet.”
There’s no answer to the boon-bane debate. Technology is both a marvellous necessity and a sinister distraction at the same time.