Boomers grew up without smartphones, streaming, or instant answers from Google. Their daily lives were filled with tools and habits that now seem ancient to Gen Z.
From dialing phones with a spinning wheel to navigating with giant paper maps, here are 15 things Boomers did that Gen Z finds hard to believe ever existed. These habits reveal how much daily life has transformed in just a few decades.
1. Dial Phones with a Rotary Wheel
Before touchscreens and voice assistants, making a call meant sticking your finger into a numbered hole and rotating the dial clockwise. If you messed up a digit, you had to hang up and start over. This process was slow and required patience.
For Gen Z, who are used to instant communication, waiting for a dial to return before entering the following number is almost unimaginable. Some have even struggled to use rotary phones in escape rooms or challenges.
2. Navigated Using Paper Maps
Long before GPS, Boomers relied on paper maps to find their way. Planning a trip involved studying these maps, highlighting routes, and sometimes getting lost. Stopping to ask for directions was common.
Gen Z, accustomed to real-time navigation apps, often finds paper maps confusing. Some have never used one and are amazed that people once traveled without digital assistance.
3. Typed on Manual Typewriters
Before computers, typewriters were the primary tool for writing documents. Each keystroke struck an inked ribbon, imprinting letters onto paper. Mistakes required correction fluid or starting over.
The tactile experience of typing and the clacking sound of keys are foreign to Gen Z. While some appreciate typewriters as vintage items, many can’t imagine using them for everyday tasks.
4. Used Payphones to Make Calls
In the pre-cellphone era, payphones were essential for making calls away from home. People carried coins to make local or long-distance calls, and finding a working payphone was crucial in emergencies.
Today, payphones are rare relics. Gen Z, who have grown up with mobile phones, often find the concept of payphones outdated and inconvenient.
5. Consulted Encyclopedias for Information
Before the internet, encyclopedias were the go-to source for information. Families invested in these hefty volumes to help with schoolwork and general knowledge. Updating information meant purchasing new editions.
Gen Z, with information at their fingertips, finds it hard to believe that people once relied on physical books for research. Flipping through pages to find facts seems cumbersome compared to a quick online search.
6. Waited for Photos to Be Developed
Taking photos involved using film cameras, where each roll had limited exposures. After shooting, the film had to be developed at a photo lab, which took days. There was no way to preview images instantly.
Gen Z, accustomed to digital photography and instant previews, finds this process slow and uncertain. The anticipation of seeing how photos turned out is a foreign concept to them.
7. Recorded Music on Cassette Tapes
Creating mixtapes involved recording songs onto cassette tapes, often from the radio. Rewinding or fast-forwarding to find a specific song required patience. Tapes could get tangled, and fixing them involved using a pencil to rewind the tape.
With streaming services offering instant access to music, Gen Z finds the cassette tape era quaint and inefficient. They see the manual effort involved in enjoying music as hard to grasp.
8. Used Phone Books to Find Numbers
People used printed directories known as phone books to find someone’s phone number. These hefty books list residential and business numbers alphabetically. Looking up a number required knowing the person’s name and address.
Gen Z, who rely on digital contacts and search engines, rarely encounter phone books. The idea of flipping through pages to find a number seems archaic.
9. Watched TV Shows on a Schedule
Television programming followed strict schedules, and missing a show meant waiting for a rerun. Families planned their evenings around favorite programs. There were no streaming options or on-demand viewing.
With access to streaming platforms, Gen Z binge-watches shows at their convenience. They are largely unfamiliar with the concept of appointment television.
10. Used Floppy Disks for Data Storage
Storing computer data involved using floppy disks, which had limited capacity and were prone to damage. Transferring files between computers required physically moving these disks.
With cloud storage and USB drives offering vast storage and convenience, Gen Z views floppy disks as obsolete artifacts. Some may recognize the floppy disk only as the “save” icon.
11. Wrote Letters by Hand
Communication over long distances involved writing letters by hand, placing them in envelopes, and mailing them. Waiting for a reply could take days or weeks.
In an age of instant messaging and emails, Gen Z rarely writes letters. The patience and effort involved in handwritten correspondence are foreign concepts.
12. Used Carbon Paper for Copies
Before photocopiers, making copies involved placing carbon paper between sheets to duplicate handwriting or typing. Errors required starting over, as corrections were complex.
Gen Z, with easy access to printers and scanners, finds carbon paper antiquated. The manual process of creating duplicates seems unnecessarily complex.
13. Waited for Radio Songs to Record
Recording favorite songs from the radio onto cassette tapes required timing and patience. Listeners had to wait for the song to play and quickly press record, often capturing DJ chatter.
With digital downloads and streaming, Gen Z can access music instantly. The effort involved in capturing songs from the radio is a bygone practice.
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14. Used Slide Projectors for Presentations
Presentations involved using slide projectors, which displayed images from photographic slides. Changing slides required manual operation, and setups were bulky.
Modern presentations use digital projectors and software, making the process seamless. Gen Z may encounter slide projectors only in history lessons or museums.
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15. Played Music on Record Players
Listening to music involved playing vinyl records on turntables. Handling records required care to avoid scratches, and changing songs meant manually moving the needle.
While vinyl has seen a resurgence among enthusiasts, Gen Z primarily consumes music digitally. The tactile experience of vinyl is a novelty rather than a necessity.
