As time moves on, so do our tastes and ideas about what things are or aren’t cool. Today, we’re looking at 25 things that used to be the talk of the town but are now completely outdated. There’s no shame if you still use or have any of these things, you’re just not going to win any award for being cool anytime soon.
The King of Home Entertainment
Remember the days when you used to pop in a VHS tape to watch a movie at home? Having a VCR in your home was a must in the past, but with streaming services and digital downloads, these bulky machines are just a memory now. After all, you can pretty much watch any show or movie at any time without needing to physically store them.
Connecting Sounds
That unforgettable dial-up tone was the soundtrack to getting online in the ‘90s. Today, we’ve got high-speed broadband and Wi-Fi pretty much anywhere, making noisy dial-up a thing of the past. It’s completely changed how we use the internet, and even though some people still use it, dial-up is pretty much a thing of the past now.
Nostalgic for Storage
Floppy disks used to be the only way we’d be able to save and transfer files, although they seem pretty useless now since they can only have 1.44 MB of data. We moved onto flash drives and even beyond that with cloud storage, which is much more accessible and has more space. You can get 1TB micro-SD cards that are a fraction of the physical size but with storage that’s a million times bigger.
Beeping Uselessness
Pagers were a must-have if you wanted to communicate on the go, especially for doctors and business professionals. In today’s world, smartphones do all that and more, making pagers pretty much useless. Even so, many hospitals still use them because they’re more reliable than smartphones.
Coins for Calls
Speaking of making calls, there was a time when finding a phone booth was just as important as finding a restroom. Mobile phones have pretty much made public phone booths pointless, except as a nostalgic piece in some city centers. You’re more likely to find people taking selfies in one than actually using them to make calls.
Developing Memories
Yes, there are still some people who love traditional film photography, but for most of us, digital cameras have taken over. After all, digital photos give you instant results, and they’re much easier to print out. Film photographs are certainly romantic, but they just can’t compare to the ease of using digital.
Rewind and Play
Making a mixtape on a cassette used to be the best romantic gesture you could ever receive. But, soon enough, CDs and then MP3s took over. And now? Streaming music has become the norm, and cassettes have lost their appeal because we can create playlists digitally and share our entire music collections with our loved ones.
Portable Playlist
Speaking of music, if you wanted to listen to music on the go, you’d carry around a Walkman. It felt so revolutionary at the time, but now? Not so much. Your smartphone does all the heavy lifting and gives us music along with any other entertainment you can think of, whether it’s podcasts or videos.
Office Antiques
Once upon a time, fax machines were the height of office technology because they allowed you to send documents quickly…or at least we thought it was quick. These days, email and digital documents are far more efficient and they’ve made fax machines into antiques. Plus, going paperless is a lot better for the environment.
Books of Knowledge
Back in the day, if you needed to know something, you’d have to pull out an encyclopedia that was twice as heavy as a laptop and nowhere near as updated. But now, you barely have to even lift a finger when you just click around online or even use your voice to ask a virtual assistant. It’s way easier, but maybe not as fun.
Click Clacking Keys
Typewriters used to be a cool way to write things without actually having to use a pen. And who didn’t love the clickety-clack sound? Fast-forward to now, and you’ve got word processors on much faster computers. They get the job done without the racket, and let’s not get started on the magic of the “delete” key.
Shifting Gears
Yes, there are still quite a few cars with stick shifts today, but nowhere near as many as in the past. Automatic transmissions have replaced them, and for good reason, since they make driving in stop-and-go traffic much easier. It’s no surprise that so many people prefer to let the car do the shifting.
Spinning Contacts
There used to be a time when Rolodexes were a futuristic way to keep track of all your contacts. You’d see them on every desk, and they’d be filled with cards. Nowadays, we’ve got smartphones to do it all, and they store a lot more information than a Rolodex ever could. All you have to do is type a name to find someone’s info.
The Personal Touch
Writing letters by hand used to be the only way of keeping in touch with someone. Yes, it was personal, but it took forever to send and receive them, so it’s no surprise we use emails and texts instead. Most people who write letters only do them during special occasions because life’s too busy now.
Maps
Who needs to fold maps anymore? Today, smartphones and even cars do the same thing, talking us through each turn. You don’t have to deal with wrestling with a giant paper map in the wind or try to fold it up while you figure out where the heck you are. Plus, digital maps are updated in real time, so you can easily avoid traffic.
Dialing in the Movies
It’s pretty easy to check the showtimes for the movies today because it just takes a few clicks online. But in the past? You had to dial the theater to catch the movie times and book tickets. Honestly, we prefer things as they are today because you can book your seats with half the hassle.
Friday Night Routine
Friday night used to mean a trip to the video store as you made the difficult decision of what to watch. Today, streaming services give us endless viewing options right in our living rooms without the stress of late fees or having to return them the next day. Just choose one, and you’re set for the evening.
Quarters for Play
In the past, arcade rooms were the coolest hangout spots to play and meet up with friends. But today, we’ve got the whole gaming world in our hands or on our home consoles. If you still want to feel that connection of playing with other people, you can play multiplayer games online, and you don’t even have to put coins in.
Exploring the Directory
Flipping through the Yellow Pages to find a service seems like ancient history because you just need to do a quick internet search to find the best places in seconds. Those big yellow books are mostly just collecting dust or propping doors open today. We’re in a digital age where finding what you need is as easy as asking your smartphone.
Writing Checks
Having a checkbook in your purse or wallet was the old way of making “instant” payments, which is a far cry from the contactless methods we have today. Yes, some people might still use a checkbook for the rent or other big bills, but digital is much more common. It’s faster, and you can also get rewards or cashback.
Job Hunting
There was only one way to look for jobs in the past, and that was by finding them in the newspaper. You’d flip through page after page until you found the one you wanted, then you’d circle it with a pen. Now, it’s all digital, and online job portals are the only way to get an interview. And you can do it all without leaving your bed.
Planning Trips
Yes, there are still physical travel agents around, but they’re few and far between. Most people prefer to be their own travel agents and find deals online instead of relying on a company to do it for them. Plus, being able to check out places virtually beforehand? That’s something you can’t put a price on.
Bulky Screens
Old bulky CRT TVs have all but vanished now, thanks to ultra-thin and high-definition flat screens. They’ve got sharper images and smart features that make for a much better viewing experience. Plus, they fit in much better with our minimalist decor by freeing up spaces where those old boxy sets used to be.
Incandescent Light Bulbs
For more than a century, incandescent light bulbs were the standard for brightening up our homes. But they’ve fallen out of favor with most people because they’re pretty inefficient compared to LED and fluorescent bulbs. LED and fluorescent bulbs use less energy and last much longer than older bulbs, which is much better for the environment.
Paper Tickets
It doesn’t matter if you’re going to a concert or on a plane because using paper tickets seems completely outdated now. Of course, there are still some people who prefer to have paper copies because you don’t have to worry about batteries. But you can get electronic tickets on your phone and travel much lighter than in the past, which is always a benefit.
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