Life Before the Internet (Issue #18)
This week’s theme is life before the Internet - exploring the technology, entertainment, and social norms in a world without the web.
Quick note before we jump in — this is a long one, so you might have to visit the browser version to read the whole thing.
Hi friends!
Let’s go back, back to the beginning. Born in 1995, I remember the dark ages - a time of Mapquest, T9 texting, and AIM messaging. Okay so I technically wasn’t born before the internet, but it was something far less accessible, often confined to “the computer room” at someone’s house. Browsing was slow and clunky, and even when things got a little faster, downloading an album off iTunes could take an entire night. And while the internet was still my entertainment, my relationship to the world wide web was much different before I could hold it in the palm of my hand.
In first grade, I’d hop on my bike for a trip just around the corner. Alone at the 7/11, my first real taste of independence was a Dr. Pepper Slushy. I’d carefully fill the cold froth into my cup, my arm straining to push the button. I wasn’t allowed to have caffeine at that age, but my mom didn’t realize Dr. Pepper had caffeine until years after the caffeine ban had lifted.
As an only child, I was often seeking ways to entertain myself. I didn’t yet have an iPhone, but I still found a way to bring music with me everywhere (although it was far less glamorous before Apple Music and Spotify). I cherished my CD player and over-the-ear headphones, carefully choosing the one CD I could bring with me for the day. Ever the busy body I was always moving, but did so carefully to not bump the player and cause the CD to skip. In the car, my mom would rotate through her own CD collection. Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Destiny’s Child were the soundtrack to my childhood as I watched buildings zip by outside the car window.
It wasn’t until the end of middle school that I got my first mini mp3 player. It wasn’t an iPod, which was a very important money-saving distinction at the time. With the internet slightly more accessible, I was introduced to the wild west of pirating music and movies. Armed with wired headphones and a music player I could fit in my pocket, I played Taylor Swift and Corinne Bailey Rae’s debut albums on loop. It wasn’t until I was in college that streaming music gained popularity, and after a 3-month trial of Apple Music, I was hooked.
I was lucky to get an email earlier than a lot of my peers, logging in to divakid01@aol.com in the first grade. Before social media, my friends and I would email each other important life updates, random thoughts, and chain emails threatening bad luck for the rest of our lives if we didn’t forward the message to AT LEAST 10 people. In 7th grade, I graduated to Facebook against my mom’s wishes. To keep her in the dark, I created a secret profile under the pseudonym “Cece Stayer.” While my friends knew my true identity, I’d send friend requests to random Stayers, pretending to be their family. I’d message them “hey cuz” and these random white people would greet me warmly, in awe at the idea that distant family members were suddenly reachable at the click of a button! And hey – it was a new millennium! Maybe they were related to some random 12-year-old Black girl from Minnesota (lol the internet and the expectations of socializing with strangers was veeeeery different back then). When I started college, I changed my profile to my real name, but I’m still friends with several Stayers to this day.
All of this is to say, the internet and my relationship to it, has shifted drastically over my short time on this earth. And no matter how much I romanticize the nostalgia of those early days, the internet has become a crucial part of my daily life. It’s allowed me to build entire careers, including a photography business, a podcast, and this newsletter. It helped me find and befriend my half-sisters and allows me to stay connected to loved ones living all around the world.
I’m sure it’s obvious by now, but today’s theme is life before the internet, which fits in a newsletter heavily inspired by the nostalgic aesthetic of the early-aughts. So unplug with me for a journey through days gone by.
A round-up of things to watch, read, and listen to as you head into the weekend.
*Indicates a gift link. I know how frustrating paywalls are! When possible, I’ll try to offer gift links through my subscriptions to support access to high-quality journalism.
Slate: Young People Have No Idea What We Used to Do After Work. Let Me Regale You. by Dan Kois
In this retrospective of life before the internet, Kois interviewed a number of people who were in their late 20s in the early 2000s to get a better picture of what it was like to be a young professional prior to Wifi and smartphones. I loved the snippets of what life was like, and how the differences in technology have shaped our relationships to work, friendships, and time alone. Check it out!
The Atlantic: What Did People Do Before Smartphones? by Ian Bogost
In a similar vein, this article by Bogost attempts to uncover what life was like before smartphones could fight boredom at a moment’s notice. However, Bogost’s angle pushes against nostalgia, highlighting the monotony and boredom that was ever-present in a time with far fewer digital distractions.
The Atlantic: How Handwriting Lost Its Personality by Rachel Gutman-Wei
I remember perfecting my penmanship in elementary school, experimenting with different ways to approach each letter, considering if I should permanently switch my handwriting to the cursive lettering I was learning in class. As we’ve entered the digital age, our relationship to handwriting has changed dramatically (which is perhaps most evident by the shrinking writing callous on my right middle finger). Gutman-Wei examines the history of handwriting, and how our relationship to its aesthetics has changed throughout time.
byline: A Case For Dressing Like The Boys Of The Sandlot by David Kobe
I looooved this article!! Kobe brilliantly revisits The Sandlot, placing special emphasis on the clothes worn and how this style has made its way into the closets of modern adults. Such a unique way of looking at fashion, film, and our relationship to childhood!
The Washington Post: Scientists woke up a 46,000-year-old roundworm from Siberian permafrost* by Carolyn Y. Johnson
When this roundworm was born, not only did the internet not exist, but a lot of things were different. 46,000 years old, this roundworm has spent much of its life suspended in time. That is until scientists found it in the Siberian permafrost, carefully thawed the soil, and resurrected the ancient worm. A fascinating look at how organisms adapt to changing environments and survive under extreme conditions.
A collection of photos from days gone by, featuring the chaotic memories behind the image.
In honor of today’s theme, I revisited old photos, scanning the images for easter eggs of now obsolete tech. Check it out below!
This photo was taken at my grandparent’s house in Florida, and if you look closely you can see me holding my first flip phone. When it came to technology, my grandpa (now 93 years old) was always way ahead of his time. He was really into computers early on, and had one in his house before most people I knew. My grandpa loved to play computer games, and edit our home videos himself. He’d add animations and graphics, and this photo is actually a still from one of his camcorders.
Also taken at my grandparent’s house, this photos shows me proudly posing with the Poo-Chi robot dog my grandpa bought for me at the flea market. As an only child working hard to entertain myself, this dog was a nice friend to help add variety to my days. The battery-powered dog would walk and bark on its own, and if you held the bone up to its mouth a chip would signal it to open its mouth.
I love this photo because it not only showcases the clunky landline phone, but the cable that plugged directly into the wall to make it run. There were a lot more cords back then, and they were always snaking their way through the house. Landlines were the most obnoxious when we still had dial-up internet, and I always dreaded my AIM chat time getting cut short when my mom needed to make a call. Technology aside, I would definitely wear that outfit again.
My family did a lot of these stylized photoshoots throughout the years at malls and amusement parks. I remember pulling the itchy dresses over my head and striking my best “old-timey pose” with all the seriousness I could muster. I’m sure these studios are still around, but they lost some of their charm once everyone had a high-quality phone camera in their pocket at all times.
As an only child on Christmas, I always got alllllll the presents, including my coveted sidekick. One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a little tea set I’d used to host tea parties with my mom. I really thought those little cups filled with water were the coolest thing ever. I have no memory of the stationary set in this photo, but clearly I was excited about it at the time, haha.
Here’s a sneak peak of me with my mom at a college party. Because my mom had me at 21 years old, she took me around everywhere as she continued to pursue her education and career goals. I remember being really excited for pizza and wings, and I really showed up and showed out with my CD player and wired headphones, the perfect compliment to my overalls and baggy t-shirt. What can I say? Being an icon is a way of life.
Note: Links preceded by an asterisk (*) are affiliate links that allow me to collect a small commission when you purchase something I’ve recommended. That said, I can promise that I’ll only ever share items I truly love. Buying through these links is one way to support me and my small biz. ❤️
Things to try + share in the group chat.
I stumbled across this TikTok a few weeks ago, and it’s the perfect solution if you have important cards taking up too much space in your house. All you have to do is send your cards in the Cards by Artkive box, and they will create a custom book with scans of all your cards inside. It’s a great keepsake, and turns cluttered chaos into a useful coffee table book!
*Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is the perfect portable card game to bring to your next hang out. It has really great ratings and reviews, and the simple rules make it sound both addictive and chaotic, the perfect recipe for an engaging game night.
Summer might be nearing its close, but Barack Obama’s summer reading list has no expiration. My husband Andrew and I researched all of the books shortly after the list dropped, and I added a number of them to my own reading list. In particular, *King: A Life, *Poverty, By America, and *Small Mercies have all made their way onto my book wishlist. :)
See you on Monday!
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