10 Things We Did Back in the Day That Are Totally Extinct Now

Well, almost totally extinct

Various photos of me as a kid, back in the day

I was chatting with my pal the other day about some of the things we just don’t do anymore. I've always been fascinated by the pre-iPhone era (before 2007), and I think smartphones, apps, and digital information have most profoundly impacted modern life.

Some might insist we still do these things, however, it's only on a very small scale and largely inconsequential. These once-common activities are practically extinct and forgotten, and we are the only remaining link to their existence, despite their inconveniences:

1. Memorizing Phone Numbers

Before smartphones, we had to remember the phone numbers of friends, family, and even emergency contacts. If you lost your address book, you were out of luck. Most of you reading this have probably memorized your spouse’s or child’s phone number, but beyond that? It’s not likely. And why should we, it’s not like I still remember all the math formulas from school when I’ve got a super-computer in my pocket!

2. Recording Songs from the Radio

We used to sit by the radio with a blank cassette tape, waiting for our favorite song to play so we could record it, often missing the first few seconds thanks to the DJ talking over the intro.

3. Developing Photos at a Store

Taking pictures meant using film, then dropping it off at a drugstore or photo lab and waiting days to see how they turned out, and sometimes discovering half of them were blurry or had a thumb in the corner.

4. Physically Renting Movies

Friday nights often meant a trip to Blockbuster or the local video store to rent VHS tapes (later DVDs). And if the movie you wanted was rented out? Tough luck! You have to pick something else. Or, you would wait there for like an hour going back and forth to check if someone turned it in!

5. Burning CDs & Making Mixtapes

Whether it was a cassette mixtape in the 80s or a burned CD in the 90s and 2000s, we carefully crafted playlists for road trips, crushes, or workouts. Today, it’s all done with a few taps on Spotify or Apple Music.

that_80s_dude

A post shared by @that_80s_dude

6. Using Paper Maps or MapQuest Printouts

Before Google Maps and GPS, road trips required paper maps or printing out step-by-step directions from MapQuest. If you made a wrong turn, you’d better hope you could read a map or stop at a gas station for help.

7. Waiting for Your Favorite TV Show

There was no binge-watching back in the day. We had to wait a week for the next episode and plan our schedules around it. Missing an episode? Hope for a rerun or record it on VHS/TiVo.

8. Calling Movie Theaters for Showtimes

If you wanted to know what time Batman Forever or Pocahontas was playing, you had to call the movie theater and listen to a long, automated recording listing every showtime.

9. Instant Messaging on AIM or MSN Messenger

After school, we rushed home to log into AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or MSN Messenger, setting cool away messages and waiting for our crush to sign on. Social media later replaced these chat rooms.

10. Carrying a CD Case in Your Car

In the early 2000s, your carried your CDs under your sun visor, or your passenger seat was packed with a huge CD binder filled with albums and burned mixes. If you forgot your favorite CD, you were stuck listening to the radio. Oh great, they’re playing Sisqo again… 🤣

Alright Nostalgia Nation…, I want to know what other things you would add to this list. Let’s light the comments section up!