While the internet we use today might be one of the most important inventions, it wasn’t always around. Yet, the days before the internet and after it are very different. One could also argue that life before the internet was boring and stale, with much less entertaining content to consume. The world wide web today has changed our communication with friends and family and how we use our free time for leisure activities.
Today, it is easy to see what a friend or a family member is up to because of the many social media platforms at our disposal. Communication tools like Facebook or Whatsapp have connected the world thanks to the complex and web-like internet. Thanks to them, we can reach whomever we want, whenever we want, in just a few seconds. However, life before social media was a lot different — maybe a more relaxed one.
It’s easy to imagine how the days went when there was no internet. Memes before the internet had to be shared through word of mouth while out with friends. People involved themselves in activities like fishing, hiking, and creating memories full of nostalgia. Sadly, the nostalgic childhood once experienced by the older generation will probably be lost to the younger generations. And unfortunately, the internet has done a lot to create this strange situation.
An astounded mind on the NoStupidQuestions subreddit asked — “Teenagers before the internet: what did you do in your room during your spare time?” With so many answers to choose from, we have compiled a list of the best ones below. If you can relate to some of them, be sure to upvote them. If you had a favorite activity of your own, be sure to share it with a comment below.
#23
"Skating. Hoolanaganism. Ninja art on alleys. Definitely things illegal. Hair dye. Getting a job. We needed money."
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14points
#26
"Wrote my own stories, wrote in a journal, built extremely detailed Lego houses, played on my DS and Game Cube, and talked on the phone in the evening. As I got older I started doing latch hooks and cross stitches."
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13points
#27
"Magazines, every month I'd buy different car and videogame magazines."
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13points
#28
"I played a lot of instruments, especially piano and guitar. Ate a bunch of french fries from McDonald's with my friend while we played cards."
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13points
#29
"I discovered drinking and then we just snuck around drinking. Lol. Ah, the good old times."
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13points
#30
"Mostly spent it outdoors screwing around in the pasture, garage, or woods, at a friend's place, or riding bikes all over, go-karts, shooting the guns, riding motorcycles… Oh, and doing whatever chores or work parents prescribed."
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12points
#31
"I remember doing dumb stuff like a couple of friends and I would go to the woods and choose a tree, pick up rocks, and see who could knock the biggest chunk of bark off from like 30 feet away while arguing about what Power Ranger was the best or something and not be bored at all for hours. I feel bad for everyone who never got to experience that kind of thing."
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12points
#32
"I used to buy index cards and draw my own Yugioh cards since I couldn't buy my own (the closest LGS was 120 miles away)."
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12points
#33
"CDs, radio, trying to make mix tapes, magazines, books, video games… Talking on the phone."
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11points
#34
"I would emo out by laying on the floor and blasting CDs, with a lava lamp and some nag champa burning for ambiance. Occasionally I’d smoke a gross half cigarette out my window (where did I get those?)"
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11points
#37
"I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s when we had internet, but it was one family computer, couldn’t be used at the same time as the phone, and we were very, very limited on time (I had three siblings). We honestly didn’t hang out in our rooms that much: We played football in the street outside and rode our bikes and rollerblades around with neighborhood kids. My family didn’t have a video game console, but sometimes we’d go play Mario Kart at friends’ houses if the weather was bad. If we hung out in our rooms we’d do things like play Crazy Bones, Pogs, or Pokémon cards. Or talk on the landline to friends if it wasn’t being used."
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10points
#40
"Watching cartoons, playing super Mario, cricket, and other local games mostly."
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10points
