We had cassette tapes instead of CD’s or Itunes. When I wanted my own copy of a song but didn’t have enough money to buy the album, I would wait for it to play on the radio and record the song playing on a blank tape. I also did this with songs on my favorite cartoon show which happened to be a musical, Jem and the Holograms.
If I wanted to watch a TV show, I had to know when exactly it was on by using the cable guide, clear my schedule for it, and make sure I had no other competition for the TV. I think 90% of my fights with my brother were over the remote.
Pictures were usually reserved for special occasions, because film was expensive and not everyone owned a camera. When a picture was taken, we wouldn’t see it until days or even weeks later, after the camera owner had finished the entire 12 or 24 or 36 shots of the film and had it developed. Sometimes we’d discover to our chagrin that the photographer was terrible at taking pics and had cut off other people’s heads, like this:
… or that the film had been exposed and ruined all the pictures. Usually the first shot of each roll would be part exposed and ruined, like this:
When I wanted to use a computer, I had to go to the school’s computer lab or rent a PC in an internet cafe. There was no social media yet, so I wasted my time forwarding emails to Yahoo groups or chatting on MIRC.
Cell phones were outrageously expensive. Only two of my classmates had one, and I wondered why they were constantly dialing. Turns out they were texting. 🤦🏻♀️
When we had a project that needed research, such as a term paper, we went to the library and used the card catalogue to locate books. If the book we needed had been checked out by someone else, there was nothing we could do but cry. Actually it wasn’t just school-related learning that was limited, but all kinds, like this comic aptly captures:
So… what was it like back in your day? Please share! 🙂
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blog hop that goes through the alphabet for all the days of April except Sundays.