24 Pre-Smartphone Experiences Gen Z Will Never Have

Buzz Feed

20-07-2025

Recently, Reddit user KidBaj asked, "For people who grew up before smartphones, what is something that the newer generation won't get to experience?"
People had A LOT to say — the post had over 15,000 comments! Here are some of the best and most interesting replies:
"A life that's not recorded. The ability to make mistakes and not have them follow you online for the rest of your life. Kids today will never grasp the level of anonymity we enjoyed as a society."
—Personal_Might2405
"Crank calls."
"Calling a boyfriend/girlfriend and having to awkwardly converse with their parent before getting to talk to them."
"Carrying around a dozen or more phone numbers in your head or Rolodex."
—NewsboyHank
"Boredom. It sounds like a bad thing, but it actually isn't."
"Going to make a call at the pay phone and finding change in the coin return!"
"Getting on your bike and just riding to your friend's house without knowing if they're home or not."
—Thepuppeteer777777
"Reading a shampoo bottle while you're taking a dump."
"Memorizing directions for how to get somewhere without GPS."
"Having a massive book mailed and dropped on your porch with everyone's phone number and address. All public information!"
—updatelee
"Your parents shouting at you to get off the phone because they're expecting a call."
"Having fun arguing about daft things that you could easily solve now by Googling. 'Who was the actress in such-and-such?' 'What year did that happen?' I miss those silly pub chats."
"In the '90s, it was socially acceptable to 'disappear' for a day. If someone couldn't get ahold of you, they just shrugged and dealt with it. You can still do that today by leaving your phone at home, but it's not really socially acceptable. If someone wants to reach you while you're away from your phone, you'll return to piles of texts and voicemails because people assume you're dead."
"The shift from people assuming you're unavailable and feeling lucky if they managed to connect to assuming you're available and being offended or worried if they can't connect is a truly massive change in how humans interact with each other."—IJourden
"The satisfaction of slamming the phone down when hanging up on someone!"
"You could go to the record store, shop for music, and talk to other people there who liked the same music as you. Now the record store is on your phone, and there is nobody in there to talk to."
"Getting an actual letter from someone. Especially love letters."
—lisago911
"The joy of leaving your house in the morning with a pocket full of coins and the knowledge that your parents couldn't find you — even if they wanted to."
"I was born in '78. Before smartphones, breaks at work would be fun. You'd talk with coworkers or read a magazine, and everyone always had a book on hand."
—supergooduser
"Your boss couldn't get ahold of you if you didn't want them to, and that was perfectly acceptable because it was the norm. These days, many employers expect someone to be available by phone 24/7. That's BS."
"Watching a big season/series finale at the exact same time as everyone else and talking about it the next day at school or work."
—lucy_in_disguise
"That rush when your favorite song finally comes on the radio, so you'd vault over your bed to press record on your tape recorder. Then every track on your mixtape would begin with '…only on Q101!'"
"Wrapping the phone cord multiple times around your little brother until your mom yelled at you to stop."
"Using encyclopedias to do homework."
—OldSchoolPrinceFan
And finally, "The general lack of social pressure. I was a teen in the '80s. I wish my teens could experience one summer in 1986, just so they could know what life is like without the contestant firehose of social media posts, ads, messages, and expectation that you have to constantly post about your life."
H/T r/AskReddit