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45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
CuriositiesDEC 7, 2024

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now

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Times are constantly changing. I am technically part of Gen Z, but I feel like a dinosaur when I speak to tween Zoomers. Technological advancements have caused our world to evolve rapidly, and suddenly, things that were everyday occurrences 15 years ago have become extremely foreign to the youngest generations.
Redditors have recently been discussing some of the things that have become outdated in the last decade and a half, so we’ve gathered their most spot-on replies below. Enjoy scrolling through this list that might make you miss the early days of iPhones and hearing Justin Bieber’s “Baby” everywhere you went, and be sure to upvote the insights you agree with!

#1

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Punctuation and grammar.

Seriously, it feels like even the basics have eluded a lot of folks today. I don't claim to be perfect, but I've struggled trying to translate what should be basic sentences lately.
134points

#2

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
I think I’m just becoming a grumpy old woman but social awareness. Like blocking the whole sidewalk, speakerphones in public, that kind of thing. It’s always been a problem but I feel like the pandemic stunted an entire generations social growth and they’re just oblivious to their effect on others in any given space. It’s stunningly annoying tbh.
119points

#3

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
If someone doesn't get back to you right away, it's OK, they're not home.
98points

#4

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Sometimes people would lose their cool in public, we just never knew about it because not everyone had a smartphone in their hands at all times. Now, one person's bad day can become a public spectacle that follows them for the rest of their lives.
95points

#5

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Remembering phone number of friends and families. Even to this day I can still remember some of my friends number from over 15 years ago.
87points

#6

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Paper maps and how to use them.
81points

#7

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
I'm a teacher and the kids think it is some mythological world where children leave the house, go on adventures, and return home before the streetlights go up.
73points

#8

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
How to hold a phone up to your ear and mouth rather than holding it in front of you to shout into the mic at the bottom, apparently.
71points

#9

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
The relationship between a cassette tape and a pencil ✏️.
70points

#10

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Cash... We were away for the weekend last year. Had an all day drinking session and at around 9pm went to a chippy.

I was served by a young lass, maybe 17 years old.
My order came to £13.40. To avoid a pocket full of change I gave the girl £23.40 to get a £10 note in return.

Well, it was like I had completely fried her brain. She just stood there staring at the money in her open hands for far too long.

I said "I just need a tenner change". Nope, it didn't help.
She just couldn't fathom what the hell was going on.

Eventually a her greasy gaffer reached over her shoulder, pressed the button on the till and pulled a tenner out.
69points

#11

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Why the save button icon is a floppy disk

Edit since of people aren’t understanding my point: I didn’t say people were still using floppy disks 15 years ago, I meant that most people at least knew WHY the save icon was represented by a floppy disk. Many Gen Alpha kids seem to have no idea, which a what OP asked.
68points

#12

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
You shouldn't bring your parents to a job interview.
68points

#13

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
That being constantly tracked, surveyed, and recorded isn’t good.
64points

#14

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Needing to ring the doorbell at your friends’ houses to see if they’re home and if they wanna play outside.
60points

#15

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
That phones are unnecessary when eating something.
60points

#16

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Remember having to develop film rolls at a photo lab. Instant photos are so convenient now!
57points

#17

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Thinking. The ability to be bored. Context.
56points

#18

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Downloading music off dodgy websites just so you could have a "cool" phone ringtone. Or burning CDs...
51points

#19

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
Millennials seem to really know this well, but kinda lost in Gen Z and younger: Troubleshooting your own computer. They don't even know how powerful the Task Manager is.
49points

#20

45 Things That Used To Be Obvious 15 Years Ago, But Confuse People Now
What the sound of a busy signal means.
49points
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