Hmm. This is an interesting one. I’m one of those who don’t really fit into any generation. Depending which article you’re reading, I’m Gen X, Millenial, or some other random alphabet soup of a generation. I think once I even saw myself referred to as “The Lost Generation.” So it’s hard to pin down exactly where I fit. But if I’m being honest, that feels pretty accurate. I remember life before the internet, before cell phones, before social media and streaming services. I remember going to video stores on a Friday night to actually choose and rent movies for the weekend. I remember records, tapes and even the very advent of CDs. Okay, now I feel old. There are a lot of things I miss. I do, weirdly and probably only me, going to the video store. I liked physically seeing all the options lined up on the shelf. I always feel like I can’t find anything to watch on streaming services because if I don’t go in knowing exactly what I want and searching for it (not to mention if it is even there, which usually it is not), I’m depending on randomly getting lucky with one of the things that’s being recommended in those lists on the home page. It frustrates and overwhelms me, and honestly I don’t end up watching anything a lot of the time. I’ll just go find something on YouTube or end up re-watching something I’ve seen a hundred times that I know I like. So that’s one thing I miss.
As for what’s gotten better, I do like the audio side of streaming. I love having quick and easy access to so much music. This was my dream as a kid – I would spend hours listening to crappy songs I didn’t like so I’d be right by my radio to hit record when one of the songs I did like came on the radio. I always cut off part of it, and usually it was interrupted at some point by the DJ. So I’m loving how easily I can listen to exactly what I want, create playlists for every mood, and delete songs I get sick of. I also love the easy access to audiobooks. Being able to borrow them through an app from my library has made it so much easier for me to try out new authors and to use my library system. I love having so many books right at my fingertips. And, obviously, I love the bookish internet. I love blogging, I love reading the thoughts of the people I interact with here on books they’re reading, and I love being able to look up regular folks’ reviews of books I’m interested in.
There’s a lot to worry about in the modern world. More worrying than not, I’d say. But I do love how easy it is now to access information and entertainment and to keep in touch with people. My friends and family are scattered all over the world, and being able to send messages or share a videochat for free has made a huge difference to my social world. There are people I’d likely have lost touch with who are now family to me, and that’s something that means the world to me. I imagine COVID lockdown would have been so much harder if we hadn’t been able to videochat friends and family regularly, send quick text messages to keep in touch daily, and use the internet to find fun activities or online classes for our kids. I’ve never been more grateful for our modern technology than I was during that time. And, of course, medical knowledge and treatment has come so, so far. Even in my lifetime I’ve seen the treatment of my long-term medical conditions improve drastically. I’m constantly grateful for the life-saving and life-improving medical interventions I have available to me, along with access to care (though it’s far from perfect, it’s much better than it would have been when I was young and before). I’m grateful for all the research and brilliant minds who have made my life and my kid’s very existence possible. So that’s probably the biggest one.
Of course, despite all the wonderful developments over the past few decades, I will always love picking up an actual book and snuggling up on a comfy chair with a warm-toned reading light and a cup of tea to immerse myself in a new story. Some things never go out of style.
What about you guys? Do you find that you miss much about life before all the instant modern media? What are you most grateful for these days? Anyone else miss going to the video store?
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I went the same direction — the access to and portability of music is fantastic. I’m old enough (Gen X) to remember carrying around the big old boomboxes and then the flip to the much more portable Walkman (with cassette tapes) then the “Discman” and then the iPod. Phew.
I fall into the Baby Boomer generation category, and I definitely feel like having easy access to information is one of the wonderful parts of living today.
Agreed!