Life before smartphones (2020)
mattruby.substack.com
Life before smartphones (2020)
1–10 of 495 posts
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#2I have never truly known a period of time without a smart device. The last watch I had was when I was a small child and it was only a few years ago I found a street "atlas". I have a feeling that I've missed a building block of the digital age by not experiencing an evolutionary phase.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#3Contrary to the author's claim, the photo booth at Rainbo Club is still there.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#4I have never truly known a period of time without a smart device. The last watch I had was when I was a small child and it was only a few years ago I found a street "atlas". I have a feeling that I've missed a building block of the digital age by not experiencing an evolutionary phase.
The pre-LTE era was quite the experience as a teenager, and it wasn’t until the iPhone 5 when smartphones became a ubiquitous and affordable thing (or justifiable) for many of my friends. I didn’t have a smartphone until my junior year of high school!
SMS feature phones like the sidekick, with physical keyboards, ruled the day and many of my classmates actually disliked smartphones because of the lack of physical keys!
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#5A couple of stand-out memories from the olden days (and I don't consider myself particularly old):
Getting a call in a restaurant. Only happened to me once but I certainly felt like a VIP.
Carrying a tiny map book of London around with me while cycling around. Missing turn after turn until finding there was a canal which basically took me from the center to my uncle's house.
Arranging to meet a friend and then being late. Really late. 1 hour late. He was still there, waiting for me.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#6I have never truly known a period of time without a smart device. The last watch I had was when I was a small child and it was only a few years ago I found a street "atlas". I have a feeling that I've missed a building block of the digital age by not experiencing an evolutionary phase.
You can always go back, any time! Get a dumb phone.
It's great. Engage with others more authentically, more meaningfully, and more consistently.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#7The thing that rings out for me in this essay: "Once plans were made, I showed up without any further contact to check whether we were, in fact, “still on for tonight,”" I miss that. Used to be that if you made plans to meet someone, they would come to that time and place. Amazing! And the difference is not even limited to your friends and dating. Now we can't even count on regularly scheduled activities to happen as planned. Public schools cancel classes with a voicemail and less than an hour's notice, under the assumption that everyone will get the message.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#8I have never truly known a period of time without a smart device. The last watch I had was when I was a small child and it was only a few years ago I found a street "atlas". I have a feeling that I've missed a building block of the digital age by not experiencing an evolutionary phase.
You can always go back, any time! Get a dumb phone. It's great. Engage with others more authentically, more meaningfully, and more consistently.
This is great from a social aspect, but society favors having a smart phone to get things done. The cons might outweigh the pros from my perspective.
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#9A couple of stand-out memories from the olden days (and I don't consider myself particularly old): Getting a call in a restaurant. Only happened to me once but I certainly felt like a VIP. Carrying a tiny map book of London around with me while cycling around. Missing turn after turn until finding there was a canal which basically took me from the center to my uncle's house. Arranging to meet a friend and then being…
Yeah I remember waiting for people - I got a smartphone at 16, in 2004, something like that, so it's hard to really imagine how it was for adults...
My parents told me they spend evenings at the phone booth talking to each other - but even that is ultra convenient compared to my grandparents sending letters :D
But I think it's better anyway - we sample mating candidates more, we cycle through faster, we can stop and try anew nearly any time until 50, and with some difficulty above.
I mean my aunt had a crushing divorce when she had 3 young children and stayed alone working with all 3 until the internet arrived and she could find a partner much faster...
Re: Life before smartphones (2020)
#10I have never truly known a period of time without a smart device. The last watch I had was when I was a small child and it was only a few years ago I found a street "atlas". I have a feeling that I've missed a building block of the digital age by not experiencing an evolutionary phase.
You can always go back, any time! Get a dumb phone. It's great. Engage with others more authentically, more meaningfully, and more consistently.
You can go back, but you’re going back alone.