People who grew up pre-internet: Do you with the internet had been around when you were a teenager, or are you glad it wasn't?

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

I wish it had been around.

I'm glad it wasn't around.

Not sure.

[MysticDevice]

So I was born in the 90s, we had internet available but it didn't permiate every facet of your existence. And hour of screen time was considered a lot. Like... a lot.

You didn't just click on chrome, you had to dial the internet through the phone line.

It was certainly way better by the time 2007 rolled around. And I'd say the mid to late 2000s had a perfect balance of internet and grass.

[exitseven]

I am not sure. I was in a long distance relationship. There was no e-mail of video conferencing. Phone calls were too expansive so we wrote letters. I imagine the relationship intimately failed because we drifted apart. I guess the good news is that I found somebody who was a lot nicer after we broke up.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

I remember getting dial up internet at my parents house when I was a teen and it was great honestly. We were past the times where everyone in the neighborhood knew each other so we didn't go out and just hang out as often so internet made it easier to just have fun. Chat rooms were the thing back then.

God I feel old now lmao

[exitseven]

@Ez-Bri-Z_v2 Do you remember Prodigy? It was one of the first internet clients from a partnership between IBM and Discover Card. It came in a yellow box. It had a 5.25 inch floppy disk that had the installation files on it. It was before online commerce but some merchants put advertising on it.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Vaguely but I do remember being inundated with AOL disks like crazy lol

[SweetJoyGirl]

May I please answer as an early 2000s baby? :3

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

I mean, you can, but the internet started to be a thing in the mid-nineties, didn't it?

You and I have known about the internet pretty much since we learned to talk.

But yeah, share your insights.

[SweetJoyGirl]

Yes, it was around before I was born, but let us talk social media and the internet.
You are the younger Gen Z. 🤭

The older and middle Gen Z had social media. We just were not crazy about it. I remember being 13, and very few people started getting Facebook and Instagram. I literally did not know what social media was until my friend told me, sometime before high school. I eventually made an facebook, instagram, and tumblr account. Even at that, none of us were on it. It was just for show. 🤡
We were all living our lives outside of the internet, at least those of us who were normal, and didn’t want to start YT channels. lol
We played sports, climbed trees, fell in our ahhs, got hurt, and the cycle repeated. A lot of us were also readers. We read books! Yes, you can enjoy a good book!

I don’t really like the new change. Tbh, your age group is not the brightest (no offense). They are also very disrespectful and feel entitled to have a dang phone in school. They make TikTok’s in schools, reels etc. How do I know this? I teach. lol
Some of you I hear from other teachers cannot even read. Do you know how sad that is?

People had phones when I was growing up, but they were not obsessed with it at all. If a teacher even saw one and took it up, the student wouldn’t throw a fit.

So, yes, the internet has been around for a while, but the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha taken it too far.

🤷🏾‍♀️

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

What grade do you teach?

[SweetJoyGirl]

High school. 🧚🏾‍♀️

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

You're only 22 and you teach high school? Is that awkward?

Did any of your students ask you to prom?

[SweetJoyGirl]

It isn’t awkward at all. lol
Why would they? I am the teacher. 😂

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

I guess it depends on whether your students think of you as "the hot teacher" or not.

[SweetJoyGirl]

I mean, some have been super nice, which I find weird.

What does this have to do with anything? 😂

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

Just seems odd.

I've never had a teacher anywhere near as young as you.

[SweetJoyGirl]

😂😂😂

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

Are you in the USA?

[SweetJoyGirl]

Yes, I am.

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

I was just curious.

I'm in the USA. Every once in a while I see a story about a female teacher somewhere in the USA, f**king one of her students. I kinda suspect those stories are made up, but who knows.

[SweetJoyGirl]

Wtf does this have to do with the internet and social media? 🤡

[PointlessNonsenseGuy]

Nothing, sorry.

Went off on a tangent there.

[SweetJoyGirl]

Oki…lol
All good. 😅

[patois]

There is nothing wrong with using the internet. It's a great tool, but younger generations are just too controlled by the virtual world. You have to be the master of information not the slave. It can be part of your daily actives, but there is a lot more the world has to offer.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sJlPr2KHSFo

[katiesmuff]

I am glad it was not around as there is so much outside fun I had with my friends we likely would have missed out on.

[Anonymous]

I grew up with dial up internet back when I was still in primary school. I think that was perfect. The internet wasn’t as easily accessible so I was able to balance between real life / outdoor play time with my time spent online.

[strateguy632]

Huh? Even in 1980s we had email. By internet!

Marketing email since 1978.

[strateguy632]

Maybe you mean web search, in 1990, summer, called archie, but before that paper encyclopedia that people CANNOT TAMPER during debates! The way fake webster online crap bs!
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_(search_engine)