Before the Internet (2017)
newyorker.com
Before the Internet (2017)
1–10 of 33 posts
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#2Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them.
Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town.
Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist.
Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers would pay for, not what you were curious about.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#3Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
Your earnest outrage is not really appropriate to the tone of the article. Did you see the part about crow telephathy?
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#4Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
I mean, if we're going to go this route, then, after the internet, gay kids commit suicide because strangers far away can now bully them.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#5Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
Oh, please. I'm 56 years old and was gay before the internet. I didn't kill myself.
And if my county library didn't have it, I went to the University library, or had the librarian do an inter-library load from other libraries in the State.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#6Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
> Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist.
Inter-library loans existed long before the internet.
> Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers would pay for, not what you were curious about.
Cable TV with lots of channels existed long before streaming video was available on the web. Also, you could rent videos at Blockbuster (or borrow them for free at the local library). And you had ad-free public TV stations.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#7Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
> Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Inter-library loans existed long before the internet. > Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers would pay for, not what you were curious about. Cable TV with lots of channels existed long before streaming video was available on the web. Also, you could rent videos at Blockbuster (or borrow them for…
I've never done an interlibrary loan. Obviously, some did, but still.
Cable and video rentals weren't available till I was in college.
You're right that some of these things became available in limited quantities, or were available with a lot of effort, but overall the gist of what OP said captures the idea. Things are very different from when I grew up in the 70s/early 80s.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#8I loved reading this!
'Before the internet' pretty much coincides with 'when I was a kid' for me. I would love to hear 'before the internet' memories from people who were adults before the internet too.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#9I loved reading this! 'Before the internet' pretty much coincides with 'when I was a kid' for me. I would love to hear 'before the internet' memories from people who were adults before the internet too.
Yeah, same here. What's especially sweet is the focus on ~clueless tween memories. And how it evokes that protective isolation from the "real world" that some children enjoyed. Mainly privileged children, but that's forgivable in a New Yorker article.
That's gone now. I totally can't imagine how it is for kids now. I mean, I would be in such deep shit by my mid 20s.
Re: Before the Internet (2017)
#10Before the internet, parents of children with rare diseases watched them die without a doctor ever believing them. Before the internet, gay kids committed suicide, never even knowing how they felt was normal for some other people far away from their small town. Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers…
> Before the internet, if your county library didn't have it, it didn't exist. Inter-library loans existed long before the internet. > Before the internet, you had 3 TV channels, and you watched what the advertisers would pay for, not what you were curious about. Cable TV with lots of channels existed long before streaming video was available on the web. Also, you could rent videos at Blockbuster (or borrow them for…
> Inter-library loans existed long before the internet.
And used bookstores. I loved those. You could find anything.