Does anyone else feel like you're in the generation that's stuck between the "good ol'days" of the 80s-90s and the future (aka holograph and the metaverse)? It's such a weird place to be. I appreciate the tech but I miss the simpler times of listening to walkmans and playing solitaire on my PC. Am I resisting change?

What was so simple about rewinding cassettes and dialing into your internet provider? I’m in my 40s and I much prefer the simplicity of Wikipedia versus loading up a Microsoft Encarta CD.

The day where tech falls into the background or disappears will ground us back into hard work and the appropriate balance of discipline versus “insta”-dopamine.

Those days were great due to the right balance of things.

I'm the same. Grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, but by the time I could appreciate the era, it was already over.

I wonder what the effects of this technology on the young ones are. Are the most popular kids in school now the ones with the largest social media following? I'm happy that these things weren't around when I went to school

Could it be that as new tech is developing in greater depth and breadth you feel there is more to keep up with (to stay relevant) AND pressure to keep up with everyone around you who is jumping in with both feet?

Seems like back in the '80s and '90s there would be one or two cool toys or gadgets that everyone was pushing during the holidays (at least that we were aware of as kids) but nowadays there's a lot more competition for "cool shiny new thing" each year - partly because there actually *are* more things, due to more companies building tech, and with the Info Age, we're bombarded with all the ads and convos about it.

You might feel better if you allow yourself to be selective about the tech you adopt. Just because it exists doesn't mean we don't have a choice about using it.

I'm a bit on the extreme end and decided I won't own a smartphone for as long as possible (yes, it is *very* inconvenient at times), but I use tablets and read up on developments to smartphones so the tech won't leave me behind. Weirdly I sometimes have to teach my friends about features their phones have or how something works.

My spouse and I also decided to opt out of smart home speakers and smart appliances for now. Maybe someday there'll be no escape, but for now, at least, we don't feel surrounded by "conveniences" even though we use devices most of our waking hours. 😅😂😂

I also identify with most of the points in this thread. I often wonder if we’ll approach a peak with technology. It is starting to feel so saturated and now we’re reaching for more and more radical impacts in order to stay relevant, or companies focusing on quantity over quality (online content). Our generation has such a unique vantage point being sandwiched between the low tech and high tech eras. There’s good and bad sides of all of it, but I too am worried about some of the darker aspects, financial aspects and psychological impacts of it. I wish I could go back to the days where I could entertain myself in creative ways to cure boredom rather than resort to apps and social media. On the other hand, GPS and online banking/shopping are examples of game changers that I’d rather not live without now.

What’s stopping you from doing those things ? Kinda why I pulled out the record player and DAT deck to listen to full tapes/vinyls without skipping. Slowing me down. Oh yeah, I also shoot film a lot.

I don't think you're alone in feeling that way. A lot of us do. Every single person from our generation that I've spoken to talks about how they miss the 90s or even early 2000s. I know part of it is just nostalgia. Like my uncle put it once, "it feels better because it has already passed".

But I do think that there is some truth to our feeling too; life has become sort of overly complicated for us dinosaurs born in the 80s and before. Sometimes its just overwhelming.

I see a pattern in how Gen Z is so entitled to everything and the tech that they have the privilege of enjoying. It does everything for them. OF COURSE, they're going to feel entitled. Alexa has been responding to their beck and call since they were 12. What do we expect at 17,18,19?

The technology wasn’t simple, our expectations and standards were lower.

Me ✋🏽 I'm actually scared about the kind of tech that is coming out. I don't know why but something about it doesn't feel right....

This is an indicator of you appreciating vintage, just like those people who dress up in 1920s attire.

I grew up in the 80s. I’ve always been in tech, so anything new seems like just another thing to learn. I still remember buying my first internet purchase online and being totally blown-away that it was possible. I guess it’s like that for many seeing the capability of new technology. I do miss my Walkman though, especially the CD one that constantly skipped when I walked around with it.

There’s definitely a lot to keep up with, but that overwhelming feeling drops when you focus on one thing at a time. This new tech is a mountain to be climbed so we just have to take it a step at a time. If you know computer science fundamentals all of this stuff can be picked up. Think about it, you’ve basically been learning your entire career - what’s a few more things to learn. One step and one breath at a time. Appreciate the past while you embrace the future 🙌🏼

“The major advances of civilization are processes that all but wreck the societies in which they occur.” — A.N. Whitehead, “Symbolism: Its Meaning and Effect”
I saw this quote in McLuhan's "The Medium is the Massage." It has stuck with me for decades. I think when you live through this much technological upheaval, it is easy to feel like some part of you has been wrecked, and grieve.

I feel *very* lucky that there was no Instagram when I was a teenager.

Completely feel you. Don’t get me wrong, I love the convenience of all the new technology, but I miss how human everything used to be. It’s hard to explain, but I miss it too

Try growing up in the 70s. No computers, no cell phones. Big breakthrough was Pong on your TV. Simpler times but great music on the radio and 8 tracks.

Yes, I feel this every day, and it is a subject that I have thought about a lot. Culture seems very lame today as compared with the 2nd half of the 20th century. The quality of attention that people possess now is different than when I was younger. There's many more examples that could be raised.
The future I'm interested in is more about accessing space than the metaverse. I've lost faith in technology creating a utopia. I don't see wisdom as coupled to technological progress. But I would love to explore space.
I agree, it's a strange in-between time to be alive. I feel ripped off.