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Young Person Is Clueless About How People Lived Before E-Mail, And His Texts With An Older Person Go Viral
Zoomers struggle to imagine the world before smartphones and the Internet. And Kathy Torrence, 52, learned that her son, 21, is no different. Recently, he texted Kathy, asking, “How did any of college work before email?” So she decided to teach him about those ancient times.
The conversation they had hilariously highlighted the differences between the two generations. One is used to commuting and bulletin boards, the other doesn’t even know what that is. However, it proves that they can overcome them, too. In the end, both Kathy and her son walked away understanding each other a little better.
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Image credits: kathy.torrence
“I think he has always known that times were different when I was growing up pre Internet and pre -mail,” Kathy told Bored Panda. “But one day after one of his classes was canceled and he was notified electronically, it just hit him how different communication was when I was in college.”
Zoomers (Gen Z) is the newest generation to be named and were born approximately between 1996 and 2015, which makes them 5-24 years old.
The average Gen Zer received their first mobile phone at the age of 10. But many of them grew up playing with their parents’ mobile phones or tablets. They were brought up in a hyper-connected world and the smartphone is their preferred method of communication. On average, they spend 3 hours a day on their mobile device.
Image credits: kathy.torrence
Kathy’s son, as a Zoomer should, has always been connected to technology. “I have photos of him at 3 years old sitting at a computer,” she explained. “He got his first phone in 6th grade and has several laptops, an iPad, a Raspberry Pie, and a brand new phone that he bought himself from the money he has earned at summer jobs.” He also spends a lot of time online writing code, including contributing to open source projects. “He is a math major with a computer science minor, a music minor, and a French minor in college.”
The proud mom said her son is very bright and excels in math and science. “He is now a senior in college and has almost a 4.0 GPA. He picks up on new technology very quickly and is a very logical thinker.”
“He is also very independent and has done two summer research projects (at Brown and UCLA) that he applied for and traveled to himself.” The guy also has a great sense of humor and a sense of sarcasm that can be seen in those texts. He is currently applying to graduate schools for mathematics.
Here’s what people said about the conversation
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What do you think ?
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I kind of pity those who didn't experience life before the internet. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the internet and the pre-internet world but they didn't get to see how nice it can be to not always have to be “on call“.
Louloubelle 5 years ago
Yes, that. Plus you could get out of the house on a weeknight, because you had to "go to the library". Spent a lot of time there in high school. Wink, wink.
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tuzdayschild 5 years ago
This is his reality. It would be no different than me asking my great-grands how they managed without electricity. A world without electricity is totally foreign to me.
Gabriel Sbárbaro 5 years ago
And phones... at least we had landline phones...
Load More Replies...
Sang Fe 5 years ago
Boomer here, never underestimate how stupid your own peers can be.
Load More Replies...
GirlFriday 5 years ago
When I went to college, my mother let me take her portable typewriter (it was in a red case) with me so I could type up my papers. I turned that thing into a full-fledged business. I used to charge $1 per page for advanced work, $2 per page if it was less than 48 hours, and $3 per page if it was less than 24 hours. I had so much business I had to turn people away!
Robert Thompson 5 years ago
I just missed this opportunity. By the time I hit college, keyboarding was a required course. There was still a market for it, but a very slim one. I never got more than enough for a couple of lunches per semester.
Load More Replies...
MrOwlAteMyMetalWorm. 5 years ago
Cards Catalogues should never stop existing,I love libraries,no matter how tech savvy we become if such a place ceases to exist I shall deem life not worth it.That is it my friend,good day!
M O'Connell 5 years ago
Card catalogs began disappearing from libraries 35 years ago. They are incredibly labor intensive to maintain, update, and to search. Typed-card subject indices are very limiting because you realistically have to confine your keyword search to a particular section. The possibilities for keyword searching and cross-referencing are limitless with electronic search technologies. Most systems will now allow you to see resources at OTHER libraries, and even allow you to request ILL services from within the catalog itself. Your local library has its own system, but you can search libraries the world-over using a service like WorldCat.org. Don't worry, the wildly over-priced copy machine, cold-war era globe, and massive headphones will always be there though. :)
Load More Replies... Louloubelle 5 years ago
I had to explain to my kids that I walked around with a dime in my shoe, so it was hidden, in case I needed to call my mother. And when I went on a date, she gave me a $20 bill (huge money then). She called it "mad money" So I'd have enough for a taxi, in case I got "mad" at my date.
Miss_H84 5 years ago
And if we wanted to order something we had to go through a catalogue, write down the item number and post it like regular mail
Amanita Virosa 5 years ago
I remember if you got to your class and the Professor wasn't there you had to wait 15 minutes before you could leave.
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
Couldn't text and say "I forgot to put ice cream on the list" if you sent someone to store.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
There’s a quote from the opening of L P Hartley’s book, “The Go-Between” that I think is quite apropos the subject of this article. “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there”.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I kind of pity those who didn't experience life before the internet. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the internet and the pre-internet world but they didn't get to see how nice it can be to not always have to be “on call“.
Louloubelle 5 years ago
Yes, that. Plus you could get out of the house on a weeknight, because you had to "go to the library". Spent a lot of time there in high school. Wink, wink.
Load More Replies... tuzdayschild 5 years ago
This is his reality. It would be no different than me asking my great-grands how they managed without electricity. A world without electricity is totally foreign to me.
Gabriel Sbárbaro 5 years ago
And phones... at least we had landline phones...
Load More Replies... Sang Fe 5 years ago
Boomer here, never underestimate how stupid your own peers can be.
Load More Replies... GirlFriday 5 years ago
When I went to college, my mother let me take her portable typewriter (it was in a red case) with me so I could type up my papers. I turned that thing into a full-fledged business. I used to charge $1 per page for advanced work, $2 per page if it was less than 48 hours, and $3 per page if it was less than 24 hours. I had so much business I had to turn people away!
Robert Thompson 5 years ago
I just missed this opportunity. By the time I hit college, keyboarding was a required course. There was still a market for it, but a very slim one. I never got more than enough for a couple of lunches per semester.
Load More Replies... MrOwlAteMyMetalWorm. 5 years ago
Cards Catalogues should never stop existing,I love libraries,no matter how tech savvy we become if such a place ceases to exist I shall deem life not worth it.That is it my friend,good day!
M O'Connell 5 years ago
Card catalogs began disappearing from libraries 35 years ago. They are incredibly labor intensive to maintain, update, and to search. Typed-card subject indices are very limiting because you realistically have to confine your keyword search to a particular section. The possibilities for keyword searching and cross-referencing are limitless with electronic search technologies. Most systems will now allow you to see resources at OTHER libraries, and even allow you to request ILL services from within the catalog itself. Your local library has its own system, but you can search libraries the world-over using a service like WorldCat.org. Don't worry, the wildly over-priced copy machine, cold-war era globe, and massive headphones will always be there though. :)
Load More Replies... Louloubelle 5 years ago
I had to explain to my kids that I walked around with a dime in my shoe, so it was hidden, in case I needed to call my mother. And when I went on a date, she gave me a $20 bill (huge money then). She called it "mad money" So I'd have enough for a taxi, in case I got "mad" at my date.
Miss_H84 5 years ago
And if we wanted to order something we had to go through a catalogue, write down the item number and post it like regular mail
Amanita Virosa 5 years ago
I remember if you got to your class and the Professor wasn't there you had to wait 15 minutes before you could leave.
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
Couldn't text and say "I forgot to put ice cream on the list" if you sent someone to store.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
There’s a quote from the opening of L P Hartley’s book, “The Go-Between” that I think is quite apropos the subject of this article. “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there”.
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