Imagining a life without the internet sounds like a dystopian dream these days. But there has been a time when people lived without the internet and went along with their day without any hassle. We found a Reddit thread where teenagers who lived in the pre-internet era shared what they did in their rooms during their spare time. The answers will fill you with nostalgia and show how fast times have progressed.
Take a look at the answers below.
1. “Back when I did not have as free access to the internet as a kid, I used to read a dictionary. I would read some random entry and follow some other word used in that entry. It was my equivalent to following random links on Wikipedia articles and reading them.” – XpRienzo
2. “I was always either watching Cartoon Network or playing outside with my friends.” – kdotsaviour
3. “I don’t recall spending a lot of time cooped up in the room. I would either be outside playing or just hanging out with friends (except during exams). Getting bored was pretty normal back then. I would just read, play some games, or paint.” – Paree264
4. “If I remember correctly, we were always out playing cricket, football or at times wrestling. There was only one guy in the group with a computer and ‘Need For Speed’ (NFS) on it. He was allowed two hours a week, and he was given two lives in cricket so that we get to play NFS.” – Le_Bishhh
5. “I was a big fan of Abhishek Bachchan, so I had a diary where I stuck his newspaper cutouts. I listened to music that was collected from several sources. The same set – every day. I also played a game called ‘Bounce‘ and ‘Snake‘ on a Nokia phone. Also, I loved studying for some goddamn reason. So I would study chapters that were still not being taught in the school or in the tuition to stay ahead!” – Dry-Instruction6521
6. “Reading books like Harry Potter, Famous Five, Tinkle, and Amar Chitra Katha. Painting and playing with my sister.” – chai-means-tea
7. “Playing WWE with self and with pillows.” – v0x-m0narch
8. “During those times, we could just ‘invent’ games to kill boredom. See a plastic bottle? Let’s roll it on the floor for an hour. See some sketch pens? Let’s paint it all over then roll it on the floor for the next hour. See some stones? Fill the bottle with them and then roll it on the floor for another hour. Not having internet, television and such distractions really made our imagination run wild.” – vipulbhatt2003
9. We had friends. Actual real friends with whom we interacted face to face. – richa2189
10. “I was born in the 70s. We would literally climb trees, sit on branches, and talk for hours. We also played a game called ‘Mara Kothi‘ (tree monkey), Lagori, and Kolu Kutti Kutti. We also played soccer, cricket, and hand tennis on the street. I only went to the room after dinner. I didn’t have a room of my own. I shared one with my brother.” – GutsyGoofy
11. “I did not have a room. I was basically roaming outside the building and in general areas. We all were, basically, a bit like a bunch of Mark Twain characters. The only reason to stay at home was to study.” – samosa_chai
12. “Oh, the amount of time I’ve spent playing Beyblade and Pokémon cards!” – Icy_Astronaut_1107
13. I had a hanging ball in a sock on my door LOL. I used to practice my batting skills for hours there. – FriendshipOk6055
14. “I daydreamed, excessively. About all the shows that I had watched, and more.” – generic_u53rn4m3
15. “I used to read newspapers. I used to borrow them from the neighbours – Mumbai Mirror, Times of India etc.” – time_lordy_lord
If you were a teenager before the internet became readily available, tell us what other things you did in your spare time.
