Technology: Then vs. Now

From dial-up days to digital overload.

Is it just me, or have we started living at the speed of light!?

I still remember having a landline in my childhood home. I had this one friend, bless her – she would remember to call me every year on my birthday, without fail. I would stand in the passage whilst we caught up, not able to move very far away because of the telephone cord.

We had one of those wall units that took up one wall of the lounge. At the bottom, it had a special shelf for vinyl records. We had a record player, cassette tapes and a Hi-Fi Sterio system that had its own shelf and separate speakers. I had my favorite movies such as The Lion King and Alladin on VHS tapes – I think I drove my mother mad with the number of times I would ask her to put them on for me so I could watch them over and over again. My kids don’t even know these pieces of old tech even existed – there’s nothing like it in my house today.

We grew up with a handful of slightly faded photo albums pulled out on special occasions, while our kids will inherit thousands of perfectly curated moments stored somewhere in the mysterious “cloud”—with more footage of their toddler years than we have of our entire childhood combined.

Life was so much simpler back then. I get it, the world has evolved and we’ve had to adapt and “move with the times”. But I don’t love how accessible we have all become. Best you answer every call and reply to every email ASAP! My nervous system is shot by Friday – no wonder I’m happy to forget where I misplaced my phone – I desperately need to unplug from the world.

When we went out in my early twenties, we were not worrying about documenting every second – we lived in that present moment, making memories and not focused on Instagram stories and reels.

We had more face to face conversations – that was real connection. Deep and meaningful, sharing stories and ideas, gifting someone a thoughtful piece of your mind – an exchange that left you feeling fulfilled. Do we even talk to each other anymore without the presence of a device or screen?

Then again, social media and platforms such as ChatGPT and YouTube have really changed the game. If you need to learn something, you can teach yourself using the internet. There is so much information at our fingertips. I recently used ChatGPT to brainstorm and help me find a few needed solutions – it’s an amazing tool! And if you think it’s just another search engine, think again! I’ve created a meal plan (kid friendly) and a daily schedule, and they have both really helped with the chaos of everyday life. I created this website by watching a few YouTube videos!

We can work remotely now from anywhere at any time. We can keep in touch with family and friends, even if they live far away. These were not possible before, and they have given us unimaginable freedom.

I love sharing memories of the “good old days” with my kids. They like to tease, and call me ancient, and they think it’s hilarious that I was born in the eighties. But I really am so glad to have experienced a time before the cellphone. I’ll always remind them that the real world isn’t something to watch on a screen – it’s the beautiful world just outside our front door or in our garden. To watch a bird in the tree, or a butterfly visiting the flowers, that’s the magic of life right there.

Our children will have plenty to teach us in this ever-changing world. At the pace we are advancing, it’s so exciting, but also terrifying to think where we’ll be in the next few years.

‘Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.’

-Christian Lous Lange