15 Cool Things That Were Killed by Modern Technology

Did you used to enjoy wild parties on Friday nights? Before your first child was born did you play games guessing the baby’s gender? Do you have a library full of music CDs of which you painstakingly arranged the songs you burned onto them? Do you feel nostalgic about the things you used to be able to do before new technology entered the picture? If you answered yes, you’re not alone.

1. Face-to-face interaction

The fun of meeting and chatting with friends during the weekends has now been replaced with video chats and texting. While some may argue that modern technology has made communication more efficient, it surely has drained the emotional aspect of it.

2. Receiving greeting cards

The excitement we felt after receiving greeting cards from someone special has now been replaced by ecards and emails.

3. Surprise visits

In years’ past, it was perfectly normal to visit a friend unannounced to hang out together. In today’s era of mobile phones, seldom will someone pay a visit to a friend without informing them first. Gate-crashing is no longer as fun as it used to be.

4. Reading the newspaper

There was nothing more relaxing than waking up in the morning and flipping through the pages of a crisp newspaper while sipping on a cup of coffee — or taking the newspaper with us to the toilet if they we had some time to spare. Somehow, the e-ink displays we use to read about current events don’t provide us with the same pleasure.

5. Using printed maps

The invention of GPS and smartphone-based map apps have become a nemesis of the humble printed map. While you tend to rely on your phone, make sure you one of these old maps handy for the arrival of doom’s day.

6. Receiving telegrams

Receiving a telegram would make us all palpitate since it always brought some important news. For better or worse, getting a text message on the smartphone does not evoke such emotion — unless you really love emojis.

7. Urban legends

Everyone loves telling stories, more so when you can play the protagonist in it. With no source to verify such anecdotes, they often went on to become legend. But then Google came along and spoiled the party. Stories like The Killer in the Backseat, The Ghost on a Deserted Road, and Viewing of the Loch Ness Monster have all been put to rest.

8. Browsing movies at Blockbuster

Blockbuster, the ultimate video rental hub, was a Friday night ritual for most of us back in the day. But recently the franchise took its final breaths, as its last remaining stores finally shut down. Video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have claimed their victory over rental videos. Looking back, we now realize that there was something special about going to the store with friends and picking DVDs to watch together. It was an experience that Netflix and Hulu could never quite replicate.

9. Film photography

Remember those days when you had to anxiously wait for days on end to receive the photographs you captured during a vacation not knowing how they’d turn out? And how meticulously we’d arrange those photographs in albums, writing the date and the location behind them?

Well, those days are long gone. In today’s era of digital photography, we we can view any of our photographs instantly. This means that any seriousness or curiosity attached to them have almost vanished.

10. The freedom to have fun unnoticed

It used to be fun to occasionally go off the deep end and do some wild partying. But apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook have taken away that privilege. Now anything we do or say can become viral in almost no time at all.

11. Enjoying concerts

Today’s concert-goers rarely enjoy the concert as they are mostly busy trying to recording it on their phones. Using mobile phones for photo-taking and video-making has become out of control and can be very irritating to those who really wish to enjoy a live event. It is not uncommon to have someone raise their hand to record something you’re trying to watch, completely obstructing your view.

12. Dial-up modems

Does the sound in this video remind you of anything? Up until the not-so-recent past, this sound marked the beginning of your entry into the amazing world of the Internet. It had a nerdy feeling to it, didn’t it? In those days, being disconnected from the Internet was the norm and people connected only when they needed to. But that’s changed now. The invention of broadband has made staying connected a part of all of our lives, so much so that many people are now being treated for internet addiction.

13. Expecting a child

Guessing the gender of an unborn baby used to be a fun game. Parents even decided two names before childbirth, one if the baby would be a boy and the other if the baby would be a girl. Ultrasonography has made this game obsolete.

14. Sharing music CDs

The sharing of music CDs and cassettes were the norm before iPods and similar devices inundated the market. Now songs may seldomly get shared over the internet, but the sharing of iPods is a rarity.

15. Searching for the light switch

Let’s be honest, we have all feared encountering the devil upon waking up in the middle of the night to answer nature’s call. Those precious moments of anxiety have now been sacrificed to the alters of technology. We can now use our smartphones to switch on and off the lights, or can even summon the smart voice assistants to do so.

Bonus: How kids spend their time

Kite flying used to be a fun thing for children to do in the past. If you see anything resembling a kite in the air these days, there’s a good chance it’s just a smartphone attached to a selfie stick.

We are sure that if you are from the generation that used to dance to the tunes of Michael Jackson, you feel nostalgic for many fun things that have disappeared due to the emergence of advanced technology. Let us know what it is you miss the most!