I loved this meander down memory lane. I am always yearning for a pre-1998 world. A bubble with no wifi, landlines, kids on bikes, great music, handwritten letters, sneakers and tshirts, memorized phone numbers (I still remember all my childhood friends’ numbers)…convenience culture has made life easier, but sadder. More disconnected. I loved that we had an analog childhood. It was such a precious thing that nobody will ever experience again.
So well written and this really took me back to those simpler times. I definitely talk about missing those times with people lately and they all agree that ironically we seemed to all be way more connected without the internet. Yes as you said there are pluses, but so much time can be wasted from it all. Thanks for this and keep it up!!
Thank you for this incredible reminder of what I have survived in a relatively short period of time. I wonder what’s next as I try to hold onto a semblance of privacy.
Thanks Petra for these recollection. Older generation here--very young Boomer. I grew up completely analog. Perhaps that's why the digital world astounds me and inspires a touch of fear in me as well.
My best music experience will always be listening to my first album on a tabletop record player. It was "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" by Elton John. 1973. Played it so often I still know every song.
I enjoyed this summary of the stratospheric changes technology has had on society. As a "baby boomer", I often feel like a "Stranger in a Strange Land".
What a trip down memory lane. I'm a 1983 baby, so this hit home for me! I still hate that phone calls have gone out of style. Now it takes a bunch of texts to plan something with a friend when it could just be a two-minute phone call.
Exactly! What’s meant to be convenient ends up making things more complicated, and don’t get me started on how easily texts get misread and misinterpreted!
I finally got rid of my landline last month. My mother was the only person who regularly rang me on it, and she died four years ago, so it was time!
Great to see your shout out for Just Seventeen, though you'd have read it after I was there. It was such a fun place to work.
Interesting to hear your take on the different generations. I'm a boomer, my daughters are Millennials, my son's Gen Z, my grandchildren are Gen Alpha, and I try and keep up with everyone! Technology and some cultural references change – but plenty remains the same.
Thank you, Wendy! Wow, that's a long time to keep a landline. It's hard to let go of some things (like my handwriting cup!)
I'd love to hear more about your time at Just Seventeen. I'd also be interested in reading about your observations on the generations within your family.
I meant to say I kept my Filofax till about five years ago. It was my “But what if everything goes down?” backup! And I still find my collection of old Filofax diaries handy for quickly checking a date before trying to find something in my ancient journals.
Thanks a ton for the shout-out! I'm so glad you liked the post. RIP SKYPE! And I agree about IG—it was nice in the beginning but now it's a black hole I end up floating around in for way too much time.
I loved this meander down memory lane. I am always yearning for a pre-1998 world. A bubble with no wifi, landlines, kids on bikes, great music, handwritten letters, sneakers and tshirts, memorized phone numbers (I still remember all my childhood friends’ numbers)…convenience culture has made life easier, but sadder. More disconnected. I loved that we had an analog childhood. It was such a precious thing that nobody will ever experience again.
So well written and this really took me back to those simpler times. I definitely talk about missing those times with people lately and they all agree that ironically we seemed to all be way more connected without the internet. Yes as you said there are pluses, but so much time can be wasted from it all. Thanks for this and keep it up!!
Thank you for this incredible reminder of what I have survived in a relatively short period of time. I wonder what’s next as I try to hold onto a semblance of privacy.
Thanks Petra for these recollection. Older generation here--very young Boomer. I grew up completely analog. Perhaps that's why the digital world astounds me and inspires a touch of fear in me as well.
My best music experience will always be listening to my first album on a tabletop record player. It was "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" by Elton John. 1973. Played it so often I still know every song.
I enjoyed this summary of the stratospheric changes technology has had on society. As a "baby boomer", I often feel like a "Stranger in a Strange Land".
What a trip down memory lane. I'm a 1983 baby, so this hit home for me! I still hate that phone calls have gone out of style. Now it takes a bunch of texts to plan something with a friend when it could just be a two-minute phone call.
Exactly! What’s meant to be convenient ends up making things more complicated, and don’t get me started on how easily texts get misread and misinterpreted!
I loved this! Thanks for the trip down memory lane xx
Thanks! You are very much part of my personal history 💛
I finally got rid of my landline last month. My mother was the only person who regularly rang me on it, and she died four years ago, so it was time!
Great to see your shout out for Just Seventeen, though you'd have read it after I was there. It was such a fun place to work.
Interesting to hear your take on the different generations. I'm a boomer, my daughters are Millennials, my son's Gen Z, my grandchildren are Gen Alpha, and I try and keep up with everyone! Technology and some cultural references change – but plenty remains the same.
Thank you, Wendy! Wow, that's a long time to keep a landline. It's hard to let go of some things (like my handwriting cup!)
I'd love to hear more about your time at Just Seventeen. I'd also be interested in reading about your observations on the generations within your family.
I meant to say I kept my Filofax till about five years ago. It was my “But what if everything goes down?” backup! And I still find my collection of old Filofax diaries handy for quickly checking a date before trying to find something in my ancient journals.
I wrote a bit about my Gen Alpha grandchildren in this piece, “Hey Google, Cats” https://wendyvarley.substack.com/p/hey-google-cats. And a few pieces about working at Just Seventeen in the ‘80s: Mad World, Waiting for Freddie Mercury, and The Time I Interviewed Tom Cruise are in the Magazine section of my Substack: https://wendyvarley.substack.com/t/magazines
Thanks for the links! Look forward to reading them x
Thanks a ton for the shout-out! I'm so glad you liked the post. RIP SKYPE! And I agree about IG—it was nice in the beginning but now it's a black hole I end up floating around in for way too much time.
It was a great post! Love your writing style! And yeah, ageism is real and it sucks.
Thank you so much!