1. Playing in the Neighborhood Unsupervised

“Come home before the street lights turn on!” 

Running loose around the neighborhood with their friends was every kid's favorite hobby. 

However, because of safety concerns, video games, and social media staying inside sounds more appealing.

2. Answering Machines

“Leave a message after the tone.” 

Checking the answering machine was the first thing everyone did when they got home after a long day, and if the message was personal, you better hope no one got to it first. 

3. Developing Pictures

There was a time when it took a week to get pictures printed and on top of that, you had no idea what they looked like. 

More often than not, out of the 50 or so pictures you developed, your thumb would be the focal point of at least two. 

4. Dial-Up Internet

If Gen Z thinks Safari takes too long to load on their iPhone, they’ve clearly never had to wait for dial-up internet. 

Oh, the sweet sound of “ding, ding, ding”.

5. Radios (Outside of the Car)

Car radios aren’t necessarily Gen Zs music playing method of choice, but they still know what it is.

However, there’s a good chance they’ve never had to adjust the antenna on a boombox to get a radio station to come in more clearly

6. Floppy Disks 

Did you know the “save” icon in Microsoft Word is a floppy disk? 

And did you know a floppy disk was one of the best ways to save documents from your computer? 

If you’re a Gen Z, you probably had no idea. 

7. Searching a Book, Not Google

Google became popular in 2000, the year most consider the cut-off between Gen Z and Millennials, which means Gen Z doesn’t even know what a world without Google looks like. 

8. Rolodexes

Rolodexes were a nifty tool. All of your contacts were in one spot and all you had to do was spin the nob to find the number you were looking for. 

The “contacts” app works too. 

9. Overhead Projectors

When the teacher rolled out the overhead projector, you knew it was going to be a fun day. 

Now, Gen Z knows it’s Smartboards for the win.

10. GameBoys

GameBoy was the first handheld video game and it paved the way for today's Nintendo Switch. 

Gen Z will never know what it was like to have to blow into the cartridge to get your game to work. 

Gen Z is clearly living in a more modern, and technologically advanced world. 

While the changes are no doubt more convenient, it’s fun to look back on some of the things Gen Z will never know about.