How did people spend their time pre-internet?

[retta283]

I admit that I didn't read through the entire thread, but I thought I'd chime in with my own thoughts.

I worked. Worked worked and worked. Spent hours on the road, only home for a few hours a day and on weekends. Eventually I moved to running a shop, but I still only spent about 5 hours of my day at home and 6-7 sleeping. When I was home, it was mostly consumed with books and music. I loved music back in the day, starting buying records from my very first paycheck in 1973.

At one property I had I spent most of my free time chopping lumber. I sold firewood for a time. Exhausting but I considered it more of a hobby than a job. I had a computer as early as the Atari 800 but didn't use it much, I learned PC-DOS later on, computers were just a tool for me then, no entertainment as I did not play games until the late 90s, when they were online multiplayer.

It was actually in my 40s, during the early-mid 2000s that I started living for more than just work. I had been a loner for 20 years and only had work friends for most of that time. But by then, the Internet was out and I was active on it. I hit my social stride with the Internet. There was a Wild West period when technology was enriching, not encroaching on people's lives, but I fear we have dipped far into the latter.

 

[mtbdudex]

@mtbdudex, I didn’t grow up in Warren Michigan, but graduated HS in 81 and I went to school in Flint, Michigan (GMI/Kettering). Your post resonated for three reasons: it reminded me of my good college friends from Warren, MI, the thrill of exploring storm drainage tunnels, and some the great (and dangerous in hindsight) winter activities that are now unthinkable today. Salut!

Back at ya, we totally rocked it pre-internet!! Yea, we somehow survived.
Less judgmental era. We, I was allowed to make mistakes, and learn from them.
I was very frank and honest to my kids as they grew up, they are now 21/19/17.
Don’t do what I did, sorry but that’s they way it is. Too much eyes and ears.
Too much righteousness today.

How do kids earn their spending $ ? I refuse to give mine an allowance, learn the value of money by earning, save some and spend some.

It's important for our children to learn the value of earning money, not getting handouts. All 3 of my kids earned $$ by being a soccer referee, I was a paperboy in the middle 70's Macomb daily (age 11) 40 homes and Free Press 52 homes (papers all delivered by 5:30am). I’d actually get home, take a 30-45 minute nap, then still be ready to ride my bike to school on time 7:30 am start.

My paper routes. Had to balance money weekly, track who paid, who owed. Pay my paper deliverer.
Gosh, now I remember getting Christmas tips, a $1 was great, sometimes I’d even get a $5.
I put the paper where each customer wanted it. In the mailbox, in the door, etc. not tossed on the porch, never.
Delivered via bike, initially a rear rack with saddle bags, then later a pull cart .
Sunday free press was twice as thick.
There were 5-6 Sunday only customers had to always remember them.

 

[heretiq]

Back at ya, we totally rocked it pre-internet!! Yea, we somehow survived.
Less judgmental era. We, I was allowed to make mistakes, and learn from them.
I was very frank and honest to my kids as they grew up, they are now 21/19/17.
Don’t do what I did, sorry but that’s they way it is. Too much eyes and ears.
Too much righteousness today.

How do kids earn their spending $ ? I refuse to give mine an allowance, learn the value of money by earning, save some and spend some.

It's important for our children to learn the value of earning money, not getting handouts. All 3 of my kids earned $$ by being a soccer referee, I was a paperboy in the middle 70's Macomb daily (age 11) 40 homes and Free Press 52 homes (papers all delivered by 5:30am). I’d actually get home, take a 30-45 minute nap, then still be ready to ride my bike to school on time 7:30 am start.

My paper routes. Had to balance money weekly, track who paid, who owed. Pay my paper deliverer.
Gosh, now I remember getting Christmas tips, a $1 was great, sometimes I’d even get a $5.
I put the paper where each customer wanted it. In the mailbox, in the door, etc. not tossed on the porch, never.
Delivered via bike, initially a rear rack with saddle bags, then later a pull cart .
Sunday free press was twice as thick.
There were 5-6 Sunday only customers had to always remember them.

Man, this is great @mtbdudex. Your post reminds me of just how much we’ve lost in exchange for the internet. My early-mid career (mid-80s to early 2,000s) was spent contributing to standards and planning, architecting, engineering deploying fiber optics and IP communications networks that expanded internet access to the masses. This included collaboration with local, state and federal policy makers and regulators to build the information superhighway and usher in the promised benefits to society.

However, your post spotlights a tragic side-effect: the widescale loss of opportunity to build character in young people through hard work (physical and mental), dedication to doing something hard without excuses, in-person social interactions and self-reliance.

 

[eyoungren]

I noticed that today children don't spend my time on the streets.

I live in a large metro city (Phoenix, AZ). Considering our society today, we didn't allow our kids to 'spend time on the streets'. We might not have gotten them back.

They're older now and really would rather be inside on their devices. I'm okay with that. For myself, I've spent almost every day I could with a computer since 1980 so I know where they are. And as far as dealing with society (ordering food, buying groceries, etc) they've been taught all that.

Finally, spending time on the streets in August in Phoenix when it's 110º plus outside is not anyone's idea of a good time.

 

[eyoungren]

How do kids earn their spending $ ? I refuse to give mine an allowance, learn the value of money by earning, save some and spend some.

I used to give my kids an allowance. But I was always after them about chores. So I stopped giving them an allowance and started demanding they do chores when I tell them to.

They are 19 and 14 now and I still have to tell them.

They learned the value of money on their own and didn't get it from me or my wife. It also helps that people in general don't value coins anymore. My daughter (14) is constantly picking up loose change and adding to her money stash because people just toss it away.

 

[VirtuallyInsane]

I did "science" experiments; once I tried to make paper with my friend and we blew up my Ma's hairdryer, then I tried to grow crystals, but they turned out crap and I also tried to dye my brother's hair by putting brown sauce in it.

 

[eyoungren]

Your post reminds me of just how much we’ve lost in exchange for the internet.

I'm not certain I value whatever it was that has been 'lost' in exchange for the internet. There is certainly a lot of things in my childhood during the 1970s and 1980s that people seem to 'value' now, that I regarded with disdain back then when I was growing up.

Nothing in the years afterwards had changed any of that for me.

 

[Jeffrey Hart]

I used to spend my time reading and writing short stories on my dad’s word processor before the internet came out.

 

[JustinePaula]

Pre-internet, hard to say what I did, I need to divide it into 2 eras... Pre ZX or post ZX.. I guess pre ZX speccy, board games, riding my bike, getting up to mischief, then one day ZX Speccy arrived, and she needed feeding, code, a lot of code, and this cost money, photostats [zeroxing] books from the local library, and pocket money buying Speccy mags from the news agent, usually about 6 to 9 months out of date, R5 for a kilo, R10 for each cassette.. Worth it...Then Post POST ZX Speccy.. The speccy died.. OMG, worst day of my life... Anyone has a speccy 48K no longer wanted.. I will give her a home here!!!

 

[MacBH928]

I think perhaps the truth is a little bit of what one makes it to be.

I use a lot of stuff for modern/current things that Apple (or some people) says is obsolete. I do not have the money to accept 'planned obsolescence' and keep constantly upgrading. So, I just make my current stuff work.

Back in the day I used to enjoy to maximise older equipment and make them work forever, later I learned that spending the money is just easier way of life. Why fight with a 2003 computer and use it as a word processor over paying $1000 for a new one that will work reliably and fly in speed in comparison? I kind of favour my time over the money now.

I still think its awesome to keep older equipment I just do not have the time to do so, but those who can I wish them the best!

You sound like my wife. When I first met her she had that mentality. If it's not 'hard', it isn't worth doing. Only later on did she see that whether you do something the hard way or the easy way, it's the result that counts. If you arrive at the same place with the same result, does it matter how you got there? Note, I'm not talking about stuff that needs to be done the 'right way.'

If the process matters to you, even when hard or easy or right doesn't matter, then I can't help you. I have always sought the easy way, or more correctly, the optimized way over the 'hard way'.

Sometimes the hard way, especially when there is no reason for it, is just an exercise in stupidity or self-flagellation. More so when it doesn't matter. People often keep doing things the same way because that's how they've always done it. F-that. I'm going to find an easier way to do it (if I can) that gives the same result. I have no sentimentality in that for old ways or the way things used to be done. A stupid drawn out process is stupid and drawn out no matter what era it was devised in.

I never needed the internet for that, although it sure as heck makes it much easier now.

You are right, if you arrive at the same result then the easier method is best and thats part of why life is much more luxurious today than earlier centuries (compare how long it makes a shoe back then with a factory pumped one out now) but that is if you suck out the emotions out of it.

Doing something the difficult way has a "charm" to it. Clicking a "buy" button on app in your phone for a gift to your son to have it 1-day delivered is not the same experience as having him ride the car, go to the shop, picking it himself, wrapping it, carrying it in a bag, talking about it, talking about the store employee about it.

Everything is designed for an annual update these days unfortunately. Back in the day you would keep your Nokia 3310 for years. If it was a bit beat up or the battery was getting on, it was an easy swap out. No tools required.

These days the software is only supported for a few years. They design obsolescence. It's in their internet.

The mindset of manufacturers back then is that if I make a reliable long lasting product customers will be coming to buy from me. Since then this shifted to "People will buy whats new" so now they are pumping flashy products with 2-3 years life time.

Congrats on beating Manchester United!

Nonsense. The Nokia 3310 is indestructable and the battery lasts forever.😉

its a meme that that phone is indestructible but there was one that I believe was even more durable than the 3310 and its the nokia 6110

 

[MacBH928]

Back at ya, we totally rocked it pre-internet!! Yea, we somehow survived.
Less judgmental era. We, I was allowed to make mistakes, and learn from them.
I was very frank and honest to my kids as they grew up, they are now 21/19/17.
Don’t do what I did, sorry but that’s they way it is. Too much eyes and ears.
Too much righteousness today.

How do kids earn their spending $ ? I refuse to give mine an allowance, learn the value of money by earning, save some and spend some.

It's important for our children to learn the value of earning money, not getting handouts. All 3 of my kids earned $$ by being a soccer referee, I was a paperboy in the middle 70's Macomb daily (age 11) 40 homes and Free Press 52 homes (papers all delivered by 5:30am). I’d actually get home, take a 30-45 minute nap, then still be ready to ride my bike to school on time 7:30 am start.

My paper routes. Had to balance money weekly, track who paid, who owed. Pay my paper deliverer.
Gosh, now I remember getting Christmas tips, a $1 was great, sometimes I’d even get a $5.
I put the paper where each customer wanted it. In the mailbox, in the door, etc. not tossed on the porch, never.
Delivered via bike, initially a rear rack with saddle bags, then later a pull cart .
Sunday free press was twice as thick.
There were 5-6 Sunday only customers had to always remember them.

Thanks for sharing!

Maybe it does not have to do with the internet, but modern day individuals are built to be very "soft" and expect everything to happen for them meanwhile back then people know they had to break stones to make a living. Personally I think younger ones should learn to do work and earn money and not wait until they graduated college. I think it builds characters and makes the individual tolerate life hardship. Although I must say getting up before sunrise doing work, then going back to sleep 40 min and then go to school is a bit harsh for an 11 year old. But going and in the real life and doing work is a huge part of how its different it was over someone being locked in his bed with an interactive screen.

Say, who paid you and how much did you make? I always wondered how much paper boys made. Did you actually sell the papers or were you hired by the paper to deliver them? was it even legal ?

Man, this is great @mtbdudex. Your post reminds me of just how much we’ve lost in exchange for the internet. My early-mid career (mid-80s to early 2,000s) was spent contributing to standards and planning, architecting, engineering deploying fiber optics and IP communications networks that expanded internet access to the masses. This included collaboration with local, state and federal policy makers and regulators to build the information superhighway and usher in the promised benefits to society.

However, your post spotlights a tragic side-effect: the widescale loss of opportunity to build character in young people through hard work (physical and mental), dedication to doing something hard without excuses, in-person social interactions and self-reliance.

I do not think its a tragic side-effect, loss of character building probably have to do more with social and political norms than the internet itself but yeah I think going out and meeting people for real will help in that direction.

I did "science" experiments; once I tried to make paper with my friend and we blew up my Ma's hairdryer, then I tried to grow crystals, but they turned out crap and I also tried to dye my brother's hair by putting brown sauce in it.

haha I love those adventures back then. idk if I mentioned this already, but one day i had an idea that I am going to mix a "scientific" formula to enhance the growth of plants (I was very young) so I went under the sink and mixed what I liked of every type of chemical I could find and fed it to one of our house trees. Needless to say, it died.

Although exploring was fun, i can't deny going online and watching a 5 min video saves one weeks if not months of hard research figuring how to do things on his own.

I'm not certain I value whatever it was that has been 'lost' in exchange for the internet. There is certainly a lot of things in my childhood during the 1970s and 1980s that people seem to 'value' now, that I regarded with disdain back then when I was growing up.

Nothing in the years afterwards had changed any of that for me.

Maybe you had it too harsh. I think most people here aim for a balance, not too much screen time and not too much hardship.

I used to spend my time reading and writing short stories on my dad’s word processor before the internet came out.

late 90s I used a computer without internet connection and found computers were pretty boring with no internet. It wasn't like I will do excel work on it. Just do a couple of scribbling on MS paint and thats it.

Where did you get stories to read on the word processor? or did you read your own? Did you share your short stories with any one?

Pre-internet, hard to say what I did, I need to divide it into 2 eras... Pre ZX or post ZX.. I guess pre ZX speccy, board games, riding my bike, getting up to mischief, then one day ZX Speccy arrived, and she needed feeding, code, a lot of code, and this cost money, photostats [zeroxing] books from the local library, and pocket money buying Speccy mags from the news agent, usually about 6 to 9 months out of date, R5 for a kilo, R10 for each cassette.. Worth it...Then Post POST ZX Speccy.. The speccy died.. OMG, worst day of my life... Anyone has a speccy 48K no longer wanted.. I will give her a home here!!!

when you say SPeccy you mean Spectrum right?
One thing that i missed on is that I always wanted to learn programming but I missed that boat. Too complicated for me.

 

[mrsmith1]

I was born In the 60’s so I was an adult by the time the internet arrived.
I spent a lot of the time watching TV as a kid, doing things kids do, reading books, comics, going to football (soccer) with my dad, listening to music when I was a teen, trying to, and usually failing!, to impress girls.
The internet has pluses and minuses. I’ve made good friendships and met lots of great people through groups and interests that wouldn't have been possible without the internet, but sometimes it takes up to much of my time.

 

[eyoungren]

Why fight with a 2003 computer and use it as a word processor over paying $1000 for a new one that will work reliably and fly in speed in comparison? I kind of favour my time over the money now.

Perhaps because I don't have $1000 to spend?

We live paycheck to paycheck. Do you think if I could afford to be reasonably current, I would not?

Doing something the difficult way has a "charm" to it.

Now you are contradicting the above.

 

[Mousse]

Back in the day I used to enjoy to maximise older equipment and make them work forever, later I learned that spending the money is just easier way of life. Why fight with a 2003 computer and use it as a word processor over paying $1000 for a new one that will work reliably and fly in speed in comparison? I kind of favour my time over the money now.

I prefer older computers because of the older software. No frakking subscriptions.😤 And no stupid update that break a finely balanced combination of software/hardware that took years to hone to perfection. It's a stand alone, no network computer.

I have got a phone/tablet/newer computer for picking fights on the Internet.😁

I still think its awesome to keep older equipment I just do not have the time to do so, but those who can I wish them the best!

The only negative I find in using an old machine is it isn't energy efficient. The bugger drains a UPS 2-3x faster than my new computer.😑 And if I ever need to replace a part, I'd have to raid the Franklin Institute.😅

its a meme that that phone is indestructible but there was one that I believe was even more durable than the 3310 and its the nokia 6110

I had a 3310 for nearly a decade. The exterior was rough shape, but it was still as reliable as death and taxes. The only reason I got a new phone was because Cingular (now AT&T) switched from CDMA to GSM and it no longer worked on their network.
I never used a 6110, so I'll take your word that's it's tougher than the 3310.

 

[MacBH928]

Perhaps because I don't have $1000 to spend?

We live paycheck to paycheck. Do you think if I could afford to be reasonably current, I would not?

Well if you are financially strained then you have a reason. I do not want to sound like a jackass but a $1000 that will set you up with new equipment for at least the next 5 years is not bad. I have expensive MBP from almost 6 years ago, still works like new.

Now you are contradicting the above.

Its fun tinkering with old hardware I just do not have the time to troubleshoot the software, hardware, researching it, ordering (and paying and waiting) for replacement parts. Double worse not working with modern hardware (usbs) or files. Recently I had a troubled time that a machine that (I believe) Apple no longer provided upgrades to safari so I was unable to view .webp images which was used by Brave Search iirc

I prefer older computers because of the older software. No frakking subscriptions.😤 And no stupid update that break a finely balanced combination of software/hardware that took years to hone to perfection. It's a stand alone, no network computer.

It amazes me that like 99% of what people want to do, software from like late 90s can do just fine like MS office. If copyright owners gave out that software for free a lot of current software vendors will lose sales, but then you have speed and running on modern hardware/OS.

I remember a time when applying filter to a photoshop image you had to wait a couple of seconds. I now use Photopea (in browser basic photoshop alternative) and its nearly instant!

The only negative I find in using an old machine is it isn't energy efficient. The bugger drains a UPS 2-3x faster than my new computer.😑 And if I ever need to replace a part, I'd have to raid the Franklin Institute.😅

I haven't had a tower PC in a long time, but in back in the day switching one ON with the CRT monitor felt like launching a shuttle into space. One thing I do not miss is the slow HDDs compared to beautiful beautiful SSDs

I had a 3310 for nearly a decade. The exterior was rough shape, but it was still as reliable as death and taxes. The only reason I got a new phone was because Cingular (now AT&T) switched from CDMA to GSM and it no longer worked on their network.
I never used a 6110, so I'll take your word that's it's tougher than the 3310.

Wow, congrats on that! My friends used to make fun of me for keeping my cellphone for 4 years (which felt like a lifetime back then) I am not sure if they can still achieve that but older simpler electronics were built like a rock, they always worked and never jammed. I mean I think calculators from the 80s probably still work just fine.

the 6110 was similar to 3310 but bulkier and heavier, thnk of the 3310 as the 6110 Air version

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had a 3310 for nearly a decade. The exterior was rough shape, but it was still as reliable as death and taxes. The only reason I got a new phone was because Cingular (now AT&T) switched from CDMA to GSM and it no longer worked on their network.
I never used a 6110, so I'll take your word that's it's tougher than the 3310.

Those old Nokias were brilliant.

The 3310 was an excellent phone.

My mother had a 3410, which I inherited when she ceased using mobile phones (and subsequently used for the best part of a decade).