11 Things People In Kentucky Did Before The Internet Took Over Our Lives
By Jenn Shockley|Published November 26, 2015
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Jenn Shockley
Author
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
Growing up in Kentucky during the 1970s was a lot different than modern times because we didn’t have the Internet or smartphone technology. This little “inconvenience” forced us to do things for ourselves. Now mobile technology helps the Internet to swiftly carry our messages, schedule our appointments, track our appointments, provide test results, share party invites and basically control our lives. As a matter of fact, those born after 2003 probably don’t even know what life is like without the Internet… It probably seems like it would be an organized nightmare, but it isn’t. It just means everyone would have to rely on the same methods they had for decades before.
Here are 11 things Kentuckians did before the internet took over our lives:
We would put some sort of physical effort into almost every aspect of life. We didn’t just press a button to get the answer. We had to read, think, move, and do what was necessary to get things done. There was a lot more verbal communication and physical interaction.
We would look forward to the Sunday paper just so we could sit down and cut out the coupons. Now most manufacturers have coupons available online. Some people still use paper coupons, but Groupon seems to be helping save the trees more often than not.
Back in the day we had to get up, get dressed and go out to the store if we needed something that wasn’t on the farm. There was no way to pull something up online and purchase it without ever having to step foot out the door. It was a, "you want it, go get it", mentality.
File cabinets are not quite extinct yet, but most companies and medical facilities have switched over to digital files. These unseen storage bins seem to be the wave of the future. Those of us who know computers are not perfect, and have lost digital files, still keep paper files when possible.
When I went to school we had to learn our letters in cursive as well as basic. We had to learn how to connect the cursive letters to one another and form words. This past year I was enlightened by a nephew that cursive is no longer taught in Kentucky schools. I felt really old after that conversation…
If we weren’t home and needed to make a call, we used a payphone. There were no tiny little computers we could talk on, like a mobile device. We paid the dime, quarter, or thirty five cents, depending on the era.
People use to say, "dial the phone". This was because telephones once had a rotary dial and a spiral cord. Victorian styles were quite pretty, but standards were relatively unattractive. They all shared the simple, rotary dial though. Push button phones came out later, along with the old cordless varieties that looked like rectangles.
When we needed a number for a business or restaurant, we’d just pick up the 3 inch Yellow Pages, or the inch thick White Pages and, "let our fingers do the walking". That was their tag line. Most people now just Google it, or look it up at the White Pages online. For some reason I still get these large paper weights tossed on my door step twice a year.
Not email, but with actual pencil or pen and paper. Once we could buy adorable stationary, designed for invitations, thank you, get well, or just letters. We used our hands to write instead of type onto a keyboard to communicate with those who didn’t live nearby. Sometimes we’d write to those close by just for love, fun, friendship or kindness.
GPS, used via the internet, did not exist in my youth. We read maps, or hand written directions. If the address you were looking for wasn’t on the map, and the person gave bad directions, we’d suffer being lost for hours… sometimes.
These are just a few things we did growing up in Kentucky during the 70s and 80s, long before the internet took over our lives. The Internet almost makes things too accessible now, including our own information. We enter our data online to order food and other necessities. Some people even save it on different sites, so they don’t have to enter again. The Internet perks make everything so convenient that we don’t have to leave our homes often. At the same time, it simplifies life for the handicapped and disabled who benefit from such easily accessible services. There is good and bad in everything, depending on how we use it. What did you do before the Internet became a part of your life?
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