Technology advances and improves faster than we can adapt to the changes. Progress has always left some people in the dust, but the tempo has increased with the dawn of the Digital Age. That means that different generations are finding less and less in common with each other than before.
If you thought that the differences between millennials (aka Generation Y) and members of Gen Z were minor, think again. Nowhere are those generation differences more obvious than when members of the older generation show kids the tech that they used when they were small, only to be met with utter disbelief.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best examples when kids today couldn’t understand the technology the millennial generation grew up with. And, boy, do we feel old looking at these childhood memories! If you’d like to feel ancient and get a burst of nostalgia for the good old days, scroll down. Remember to upvote your faves or the ones that gave you the most 90s nostalgia and share this list with your friends (especially those whose birthdays are soon approaching).
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This is a diskette, aka a floppy disc.
It stores information.
This is a cassette tape.
You can store music on it.
It was first developed in 1963, not the American Civil War which was fought between 1861 and 1865.
My dearest Emily, Gettysburgs was hell. I would never have survived without your kind and generous mixtape.
Just to make sure that everyone’s more or less on the same page, Gen Y (millennials) refers to people born in the early 1980s and mid-1990s. In short, it’s safe to say that millennials were born sometime between 1981 and 1996, though different researchers use different definitions.
Meanwhile, members of Gen Z are considered to be those born from 1997 until the early 2010s and who grew up with digital technology and are comfortable using both the internet and social media.
This is a fascinating device from a bygone era that lets you manually roll down the car window.
It takes some getting used to.
You have to put your hand on the handle.
And then turn the handle to open the window.
The best part is, if you turn it the other way, the window closes.
Much wow. Such mystery.
Worst thing of all: You had to pay in order to find out how good or bad they were.
Young people also do not know that calling someone and asking 'where are you' is as young as mobile phones.
Aside from tech and upbringing, what are the ways that the two generations differ? According to Amber Feitsma on Compan Young, Generation Z is far more pragmatic than Gen Y because of higher economic instability. Gen Z prioritizes security and stability (but, ironically, prefers experiences over material possessions which sounds counterintuitive).
And while the new generation has grown up surrounded by digital technology, it still values face-to-face interaction and tech that makes communication easy, simple, and convenient.
Calls, text messages, and mobile internet all used to cost more money than today because cellphones were considered a luxury item, while service providers incurred greater costs than nowadays.
Gen Z also blurs the lines between different devices, work, and leisure: editing documents on laptops at work, only to change a few things on the bus home (or add a flourish or two using their smart fridge while getting a midnight snack). To sum up, it’s a generation that tries to synthesize contradicting and contrasting ideas into a logical whole.
Do you know what I’m looking forward to? Seeing how Generation Z will compare to Generation Alpha—those born from the early 2010s (and those who’ll join us on Planet Earth from the mid-2020s). Imagine the articles showing Gen A’s reactions to Gen Z’s tech. I can’t wait.
...and we were happy for having these three devices. Not everyone had them.
When I over out my parents made sure I got a phone plan with Verizon so all our calls and text would be free. That ended when I got a girlfriend and switched to T-Mobile so all our calls and text would be free lol.
Cellphones could store very limited amounts of data.
While it seems funny that your phone couldn't make any more space for extra messages, consider how quickly photos and videos fill up your brand new smartphone.
You have to keep in mind that this phone only could store tiny text messages.
This is a VHS tape.
You can store movies and video recordings on it.
This is a public payphone.
You used it to call people.
Although payphones are out it's not been that long since they were everywhere
I remember leaving my cell at home and thinking "Oh I'll just use a payphone...only to look around for one and finally come to the conclusion that I'm a dinosaur. "
Been there. It is impossible to find one when you need one!
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I found one of these when I parked on the far side of my regular gas station the other day! I had to bring my 8yo to see it and school her in the struggle!
This is the device where you made collect calls to your house that said "Mom, come pick me up from the mall" instead of your name so that mom would get the message and you didn't have to pay for anything.
We had a few on our property but had the phone company take them out a few years ago - only drug dealers were using them.
Yeah, try finding one when you get a flat and left your cell at home!
That's your best friend when you're caught in a mega-mall with no ride home - 80 miles away.
I miss these phones. I always had extra coins to call a friend to meet up somewhere
A pretty rare item. I don't know what the homeless do. I guess they get Obama phones.
Where I live there are two working payphones outside the courthouse.
There should always be public payphones, there's no excuse for getting rid of them.
There are several excuses, actually. There are no manufacturers of NEW pay phones, all that are available are refurbished ones which run upwards of $350US. Not to mention that few new constructions are including the analog POTS (plain old telephone service) lines to support them. Most telephone companies are abandoning their overhead lines wherever they can since maintenance is so expensive. Consequently, a pay phone will never recover the cost of its installation and maintenance. There are several places in the US where pay phones have been made free for the rare person who needs to use them, since the cost of collecting money out of them was more than the money collected.
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Even if households rarely use phones nowadays, you still need to go somewhere where there is a public phone to use when you want to try to call some companies and offices because they don't have a company cellphone and I think calling them through phone is cheaper than calling them by cellphones. Here in my country 5 mins phone call worth 5 PHP (0.099 USD) while cellphone call here costs 7 to 8 PHP (0.14 to 0.16 USD) per minute depends what network your calling or if you are subscribed to unlimited call promos.
I grew up with seeing examples of every type of phone, and now most kids ONLY see cell phones. My goodness, how many different phones have been in existence?! (I am counting the brick cell as different than a smart phone obviously lol) I am undecided if clear corded phones can be counted as different than opaque ones of the same shape. I had an M&M phone with a large base and large characters, I was not given the trendy clear ones. Grandma had both a cordless and a dreamy pearl and gold rotary. I had seen the gorgeous antique wall phones that were in use in homes a couple of times as a kid too. I’m in my early 30s.
I used to always press the release button to check for change. Ever once I awhile I would get something until the first time I did it at a college dorm. I got nearly $10 in changes because no-one had used it in so long. I ate like a king that night.
Now that they’re gone how do you blackmail people or demand kidnapping ransom?
I’m pretty sure that most people know what a telephone looks like, younger or not
This is an iPod.
It plays music.
The very first iPod came out in 2001, not 1955.
The iPod pictured appears to be an iPod Nano, the first of which were released in 2006.
I still don't know how to burn CDs and I'm not a member of Gen Z.
On a theoretical level, it's clear that you copy information that's on your PC onto a disc. On a practical level, I end up messing up the disc and accidentally deleting the data I meant to copy over from the computer.
This is a stereo, aka a boombox.
You use it to play music and be popular.
My siblings and I still call them Ghetto Blasters as if we were stuck in the late 70's.
me, wakes up at 5 am to download some songs, because the internet provider is suck at normal times, and only got moderate speed at 2 to 6 am
This is a beeper, also known as a pager.
It can be used to transmit short messages or, in some cases, voice recordings.
You know what's crazy? Hospitals still using these because they are so easy to use. They notify you clearly, give you a quick overview of the urgency and let you decide to call back immediately or attend to what you're doing at that point first. Leaving the decision making with the actual person while not having to set a gazilion options only to forget to turn the sound on when you were needed to save someone's life.
This is a cellphone.
You use it to call people.
Note: this post originally had 56 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Born in the 80s here. I always say how glad I am to be able to experience and witness the evolution of technology. I got to grow and learn along the way. It's been exciting and rewarding!
I love how my kids feel having an iPad to enjoy and learn about things is a normal part of their lives. I love new tech and what it enables us to do in communication and collaboration :) And it's a privilege to see this happen in your own lifetime!
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I am a Gen Z and I knew 99% of these but there's honestly no reason for us to know some of these things because we were too young to use them
These things were popular not that long ago. It just shows how quickly things change.
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Don't get me wrong but I don't like those "Kids these days don't know" or "Only millenials will know" like seriously I get that these throwbacks to past give you nostalgic feelings and everything but just because I'm part of gen Z doesn't mean I have no idea what these things are. I saw and used more than half of these things on my own.
The "benifits" of living in a backward country, I guess.
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I think this is more of a Gen X items list as most of the things listed were popular when the Gen Y was too young to appreciate them.
Sitting in a cave without fire because it was not invented yet,only kids from the 90s will remember
I CANNOT wait until we get a generation that asks, "What the hell is 'Facebook'?"
I love the fact that there are explanations under the pictures to tell what it is. Like a history book. Look kids, this is a dinosaur!
Please not another one of these... I'm tired of making fun of young people who have no way of knowing some random, unimportant stuff.
It's not making fun of younger people. It's just a fun way of looking at how fast things change.
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My grandparents had a black bakelite dial phone sitting at a small telephone table next to the entrance door used for visitors. The house they were living in was where my grandfather had grown up and my great grandfather was such a modern man that he had a telephone line installed. The very first time my grandmother visited her parents in law-to be, the phone rang when she was standing just next to it and to her great horror, her future father in law asked her to answer. That was the very first time she spoke on a telephone. This must have been close to a hundred years ago.
I held up the short end of the couch with those things.
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I'm so old I'm not sure what gen x,y, z, or p means. Don't bother to explain, I'm not sure I care either.
JG Millennials are early,mid 80s to 00 latest. Literally 1982 to 2000 and z is after 2000 with no exact ending yet. Correct your f*cking information before your post stuff.
I'm gen Z and I know all of these and most of them are from first hand experience
What is this phenomenon that some people today claim to not know anything if it happened before they were born? You hear the excuse all the time on quiz shows. When I was a child I knew what a cylinder player was (for music), understood the reason for Morse code, and (amazingly) was aware of Henry VIII, the English civil war, Hiroshima bomb, etc. Are people really that stupid, or is evolution in reverse?
We walked pasted a bunch of cordless phones at the department store the other day and my five year old said: "Wow, I've never seen TV remotes like this before!"
I’m a gen z (born 2006) and I knew at least ten of these, and saw a few, and still have the old pencil sharpeners in our town’s schools
Yup, same down to the year. A lot of these aren't super old, but it just so happens that some kids don't recognize them.
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I'm pretty young and I know what most of this stuff is. I guess some people just don't teach their kids about old stuff lol
It's not the WTF is that reaction to old technology that kills me. It's the whole thing about not being educated about WW2, the Nazis, the Holocaust, the cold war. How many young Americans died for an Ideal when this s****y country called.
I keep hearing about polls where youngsters know f**k-all but I find them hard to believe. They can't possibly be that ignorant. Then again, in Canada I literally saw election signs for the Communist Party last year. I wish I was joking.
Load More Replies... My father worked with computers back when they used punch cards, and would bring home extra punch cards for me to play with when I was a kid. I bet not a one of you has ever seen one.
I worked in the office in high school and sorted the attendance punch cards with a long pin.
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I showed my daughter an 8 track album and she asked me what kind of game is this
As a 13 year old, I recognize almost all of these. Sure, a few things here and there I didn't get, but I grew up watching VHS tapes. I've owned an MP3 player up until the last year once it broke and I've been meaning to get another one. Most things about kids not recognizing something that makes someone feel old have nothing to do with most kids nowdays.
so is it just me or were all these around for gen z like damn were not 10 and picture number 12 is fake it was posted on reddit from someone thinking it was a port not there brother
This is true of every generation, things change. I'll bet your parents could show you some items from their era and most people won't know what they all are used for, and your Grandparents could definitely show you things you'll have no idea what they're for.
I think it's easy to assume that if one child does not know about something then none of them do. Obviously, this is not true. A few summers back we stopped into a Firehouse Museum. My middle child, then 13, noticed the old time switchboard they had and, as I was explaining what it was and the origin of the word switchboard, an old retired firefighter came over to us. He asked if my child knew what that, pointing to the hand set, was and did he know how to use it. My kid gives him a quizzical look, puts on the headset and dials his home number. I was so proud
I can identify with every post here. I say I'm gen z because I remember all those things but apparently I'm a millennial..LIES
Sorry? I'm not sure what you mean. You don't choose what generation you come under - it's just based on when you were born and nothing to do with knowledge or lack of knowledge. 😕
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Radio CD - I have this in kids room for story CDs, with Audio book and normal kids music cds. Sometimes I borrow to listen radio in the kitchen. Did people do other way? I'm stucked in the past, outdated ? How are people doing in the future?
Youngsters today would have one hell of a time surviving the apocalypse.
Haha! Gotta say.. some of the kids referred to in these sound dumb as hell. They should learn about common sense.
Since when are the people born early 80's to mid 90's the GenY? I have nothing in common with GenY's 🙄 I'm a late GenX-er and nothing else.
Some of these are less a generational thing and can be attributed to kids that aren't very bright. I mean i knew it was a phone of sorts the first time i saw an early Bell telephone. Also, i'm predicting they're will be a generation soon that won't know what a bike or a PC tower look like.
High fox you think boomers were kids in the '90's? Boomers were born after WORLD WAR 2! Late '40's to early '60's. Go to school.
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Born in the 80s here. I always say how glad I am to be able to experience and witness the evolution of technology. I got to grow and learn along the way. It's been exciting and rewarding!
I love how my kids feel having an iPad to enjoy and learn about things is a normal part of their lives. I love new tech and what it enables us to do in communication and collaboration :) And it's a privilege to see this happen in your own lifetime!
Load More Replies... I am a Gen Z and I knew 99% of these but there's honestly no reason for us to know some of these things because we were too young to use them
These things were popular not that long ago. It just shows how quickly things change.
Load More Replies... Don't get me wrong but I don't like those "Kids these days don't know" or "Only millenials will know" like seriously I get that these throwbacks to past give you nostalgic feelings and everything but just because I'm part of gen Z doesn't mean I have no idea what these things are. I saw and used more than half of these things on my own.
The "benifits" of living in a backward country, I guess.
Load More Replies... I think this is more of a Gen X items list as most of the things listed were popular when the Gen Y was too young to appreciate them.
Sitting in a cave without fire because it was not invented yet,only kids from the 90s will remember
I CANNOT wait until we get a generation that asks, "What the hell is 'Facebook'?"
I love the fact that there are explanations under the pictures to tell what it is. Like a history book. Look kids, this is a dinosaur!
Please not another one of these... I'm tired of making fun of young people who have no way of knowing some random, unimportant stuff.
It's not making fun of younger people. It's just a fun way of looking at how fast things change.
Load More Replies... My grandparents had a black bakelite dial phone sitting at a small telephone table next to the entrance door used for visitors. The house they were living in was where my grandfather had grown up and my great grandfather was such a modern man that he had a telephone line installed. The very first time my grandmother visited her parents in law-to be, the phone rang when she was standing just next to it and to her great horror, her future father in law asked her to answer. That was the very first time she spoke on a telephone. This must have been close to a hundred years ago.
I held up the short end of the couch with those things.
Load More Replies... I'm so old I'm not sure what gen x,y, z, or p means. Don't bother to explain, I'm not sure I care either.
JG Millennials are early,mid 80s to 00 latest. Literally 1982 to 2000 and z is after 2000 with no exact ending yet. Correct your f*cking information before your post stuff.
I'm gen Z and I know all of these and most of them are from first hand experience
What is this phenomenon that some people today claim to not know anything if it happened before they were born? You hear the excuse all the time on quiz shows. When I was a child I knew what a cylinder player was (for music), understood the reason for Morse code, and (amazingly) was aware of Henry VIII, the English civil war, Hiroshima bomb, etc. Are people really that stupid, or is evolution in reverse?
We walked pasted a bunch of cordless phones at the department store the other day and my five year old said: "Wow, I've never seen TV remotes like this before!"
I’m a gen z (born 2006) and I knew at least ten of these, and saw a few, and still have the old pencil sharpeners in our town’s schools
Yup, same down to the year. A lot of these aren't super old, but it just so happens that some kids don't recognize them.
Load More Replies... I'm pretty young and I know what most of this stuff is. I guess some people just don't teach their kids about old stuff lol
It's not the WTF is that reaction to old technology that kills me. It's the whole thing about not being educated about WW2, the Nazis, the Holocaust, the cold war. How many young Americans died for an Ideal when this s****y country called.
I keep hearing about polls where youngsters know f**k-all but I find them hard to believe. They can't possibly be that ignorant. Then again, in Canada I literally saw election signs for the Communist Party last year. I wish I was joking.
Load More Replies... My father worked with computers back when they used punch cards, and would bring home extra punch cards for me to play with when I was a kid. I bet not a one of you has ever seen one.
I worked in the office in high school and sorted the attendance punch cards with a long pin.
Load More Replies... I showed my daughter an 8 track album and she asked me what kind of game is this
As a 13 year old, I recognize almost all of these. Sure, a few things here and there I didn't get, but I grew up watching VHS tapes. I've owned an MP3 player up until the last year once it broke and I've been meaning to get another one. Most things about kids not recognizing something that makes someone feel old have nothing to do with most kids nowdays.
so is it just me or were all these around for gen z like damn were not 10 and picture number 12 is fake it was posted on reddit from someone thinking it was a port not there brother
This is true of every generation, things change. I'll bet your parents could show you some items from their era and most people won't know what they all are used for, and your Grandparents could definitely show you things you'll have no idea what they're for.
I think it's easy to assume that if one child does not know about something then none of them do. Obviously, this is not true. A few summers back we stopped into a Firehouse Museum. My middle child, then 13, noticed the old time switchboard they had and, as I was explaining what it was and the origin of the word switchboard, an old retired firefighter came over to us. He asked if my child knew what that, pointing to the hand set, was and did he know how to use it. My kid gives him a quizzical look, puts on the headset and dials his home number. I was so proud
I can identify with every post here. I say I'm gen z because I remember all those things but apparently I'm a millennial..LIES
Sorry? I'm not sure what you mean. You don't choose what generation you come under - it's just based on when you were born and nothing to do with knowledge or lack of knowledge. 😕
Load More Replies... Radio CD - I have this in kids room for story CDs, with Audio book and normal kids music cds. Sometimes I borrow to listen radio in the kitchen. Did people do other way? I'm stucked in the past, outdated ? How are people doing in the future?
Youngsters today would have one hell of a time surviving the apocalypse.
Haha! Gotta say.. some of the kids referred to in these sound dumb as hell. They should learn about common sense.
Since when are the people born early 80's to mid 90's the GenY? I have nothing in common with GenY's 🙄 I'm a late GenX-er and nothing else.
Some of these are less a generational thing and can be attributed to kids that aren't very bright. I mean i knew it was a phone of sorts the first time i saw an early Bell telephone. Also, i'm predicting they're will be a generation soon that won't know what a bike or a PC tower look like.
High fox you think boomers were kids in the '90's? Boomers were born after WORLD WAR 2! Late '40's to early '60's. Go to school.
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