Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a decade called the ’90s. Back in those dark ages people primarily communicated with friends and family in person (crazy, right?), phone and email. Although many people had cell phones, these earlier phone models were generally used to talk; no texting, apps or games were included -gasp-.
Suprisingly maybe -depending on your age- not everyone had a cell phone (especially at the start of the 90s) in part because they were expensive, reception was even worse than it is now, battery life was amazingly limited, and they were too big / bulky to easily carry with you.
As with cell phones, people interacted via email and on the web quite differently than they do today. Although the internet was available; bandwidth and connections remained significant issues as people routinely shouted at their computer’s and bemoaned something called “dial-up”.
Sites like AOL and chat rooms were all the rage (there was no such thing as Manhunt or Grindr). There was no Facebook; twitter was something birds would do; and even email was very different in the 90s – inserting images, embedding links, etc… was not always possible.
As communications and technology has progressed, the way I interact with people has changed significantly. For example, the only time I leave my house without my phone is when I’m off to the gym. I’m far more likely to text than I am to call, and I only check my email once or twice a day.
Thinking back 5-10 years, I would have found what I just admitted inconceivable. Although I always had my cell phone with me, the way I used it was so different from today. When texting was initially available, I loathed it (mostly because my phone at the time was crappy), and my preferred method of communicating was email. Oy, I feel old…
