By the time I was in my early twenties, it was the 1970s. I think every generation tends to look back at the time of their youth with nostalgia, but I think the generations that have arrived since the 1970s have no real clue what life was like about five decades ago. In fact, during the 70s, we didn't really know what life was like either because we had no idea what life would be like in 2023, but now that it is 2023, I can look back and notice a remarkable (though not necessarily good), amount of changes that have occurred between the 70's and now.
During the 70s we did not have the following (not a complete list):
Wireless Digital signals (everything was analog)
Cell phones/cell towers
Internet or Internet of Things (IoT)
Wi-Fi
"Smart" Phones (aka mini-computers capable of making telephone calls)
The things we did have were hard-wired telephones that connected to telephone wires outside your home and phone calls were carried along those lines. We also had newspapers, magazines, television and radio. News didn't come at your 24 hours per day, seven days per week. It was broadcast generally at about six o'clock each night. There were only three networks then, ABC, CBS and NBC (plus Public Television).
If you went out at night, you didn't have a phone to carry with you, so if you needed to call someone, you used a pay phone. You didn't use your "debit" card to pay for gas, food or other things. You used cash or a credit card. When my parents were young adults, there were no credit cards. Only rich people could have "lines of credit" at department stores. Everyone else put things on Layaway, paying for it over time without interest and getting to take it home when it was paid off at the store.
Our cars had no computerized equipment in them. Most had carburetors and points. I often worked on my car, not only changing oil and filter, but adjusting the timing and points and other things. It seemed pretty straight-forward compared to today. Because everything is computerized, it's really not possible for most to work on their own vehicles even if they wanted to because they need to have a computer that houses the expensive software needed.
Since my time as a teen, life has changed dramatically because of the addition of those things highlighted above. Technology was and is always presented as something that makes life "easier." However, how many times have you been inconvenienced because computers were down or something else related to technology?
Today, instead of technology making life easier, in many ways, life has become far less manageable and far more hectic. We try to use our phones and the apps on them for all things, all to help us order our lives and help us keep track. Unfortunately, the truth is that technology has unleashed the beast of massive information and the worst part of it is that it is very difficult to know what the truth is because it comes at us so fast. Who can fact-check things as quickly as we learn of them?
For instance, Hamas attacked Israel just recently. In spite of the fact that Hamas killed hundreds and kidnapped others while continuing to hold them hostage and/or executing them on video, it is difficult to know what is actual truth. In spite of this difficulty, many to most malign Israel, believing their presence in the Middle East to be the reason for the events there...
Older
Top
