25 Things From the Past We Used To Take for Granted. Now We Want Them Back
There’s no doubt technology has made Americans’ lives better in many ways. But sometimes, we wonder whether all the latest advancements are examples of progress.
Do our modern gadgets truly simplify our lives, or do they add unnecessary complexity? It seems, in certain respects, aspects of the past offered a simplicity we wish we could get back.
1: Appliances

According to an AARP report, your new refrigerator will last about 11 years, but you might have one in the garage that’s been running strong since 1993. Home appliances, from microwaves to dish washers, may have more bells and whistles, but they’re also more prone to an early demise.
2: The Price of Gas

Even when you adjust for inflation, the price of gas has gone up substantially, according to a recent WalletHub study. With the inflation adjustment, gas prices in 1996 were $2.43 per gallon on average. In 2023, the average was $3.66.
3: Educational TV

Before the advent of reality TV shows, many channels, like Discovery, devoted themselves to educational documentaries and wildlife shows. Now, you’re more likely to find reality content like Little People, Big World or Bush People. While entertaining, many Americans miss the days of educational programming.
4: Meeting People

Before the internet took over our social lives, meeting people organically was easier, thanks to various community-building centers. Whether it be a church, a local restaurant, a sports court, or a barber shop, “third places,” as sociologist Ray Oldenburg calls them, used to be more prevalent.
5: Finding a Significant Other

Dating apps give singles access to a huge pool of possible partners, but the endless possibilities might be hurting our chances of finding “the one.” When people had limited dating options, they sometimes found their significant other more quickly.
6: Being Off-Grid

If you wanted to live off the grid and remain anonymous in 1955, you could. With no digital transactions, GPS, or geotags, getting away from the world was much easier in the past.
7: Music

You might like today’s music better than classic rock or Mozart, but many argue compressed music files can’t compare to the depth of sound on a vinyl record.
Digital kits don’t read analog soundwaves. Instead, sound waves are translated into a digital signal and then back to analog, often losing or approximating some information in the process.
8: Air Travel

Before TSA, air travel was arguably much easier. Sure, wearing comfy sweatpants on a flight was frowned upon, but you also didn’t have to wait in security lines before boarding. Many airports recommend arriving two hours before your flight to accommodate TSA wait times.
9: Toys

Plastic toys filled with electronics may be flashy and fun, but they also break easily. Toys made from metal or wood last longer, and if they break during play, fixing them is more likely. Metal and wooden toys were much more prevalent before plastic became the norm in the mid-20th century.
10: Cars

Classic cars provide a more hands-on driving experience, and manufacturers built them so that you could repair them yourself, which many people prefer. Unlike today’s cars, classic automobiles also tend to appreciate in value as they age.
11: Buying a House

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the median home price in 1960 was $11,900. The median household income that year was $4,970, or about half of what you needed to purchase a home. In 2023, the median home price was $402,600, while household incomes were only $91,270, or about one-quarter of the median home price.
12: Cell Phones

Smartphones last two, maybe three years, if you’re lucky. Meanwhile, that Nokia brick phone you bought in 1999 probably still works. They might not connect to the internet, but the older “dumb” phones lasted longer, gave you more talk time on a single charge, and let you play Snake when you were bored.
13: Focus

A University of California study showed that in 2004, we changed our attention every three minutes. By 2012, we were shifting our focus every 59 seconds. Researchers believe technology that constantly competes for our attention is costing us our ability to focus on a task.
14: Dinner

A 2019 YouGov survey revealed that 29% of American families sit down for dinner together every night, and most parents wished they could enjoy a meal together more often. In the past, they probably would have, as 1950s media pushed family dinners as the ultimate ideal.
15: Weekends

Before smartphones and laptops, taking work home with you on Friday night was difficult. Weekends were truly a break. Now, weekend work, even if it’s just checking your emails, is considered normal.
16: Childhood

Before social media became the norm, childhood may have been happier. Research shows just an hour on social media can decrease tweens’ and teens’ happiness by making them more dissatisfied with their lives.
17: Sleep

Fifty years ago, people didn’t have smartphones to scroll through at 12 am. Instead, they just went to bed. Research suggests their sleep was better for it.
18: Mental Health

About one in ten Americans suffer from depression, and researchers believe the internet may be to blame. Constant internet access lets us compare ourselves to others non-stop, which could deteriorate our mental health.
19: Politics

Passion and politics have always gone together, but today’s political polarization might be a modern phenomenon. Facebook admitted that 3,300 political ads in 2016 came from Russian trolls, showing how easy it is for our modern political opinions to be potentially manipulated.
20: Going to the Movies

Going to see a movie used to be cheaper. But beyond that, movie theaters used to show more films. Today’s streaming options are convenient, but they also mean that fewer movies make it to theaters.
21: Small Retail Business

Supporting local commerce used to be a given. If you needed something, you shopped at the local store. Today, Amazon, Walmart, and other national retailers have made it a struggle to find and support small businesses.
22: College

College debt has skyrocketed in the last two decades alone. What used to be a way to secure a financially stable future is now a possible step into financial distress.
23: Salaries

Supporting a family on a single salary used to be easier. Today, most households are dual-income homes. While many people want to continue working after they start a family, some pine for the good old days when one income was more likely to be enough.
24: Internet

Many people miss the early days of the internet when AOL Instant Messenger was the way to connect with friends rather than social media. Nostalgic internet users also point out that the internet of the ’90s was more decentralized, more creative, and offered a more wild-west feel than it does today.
25: The Mall

The local mall used to offer a wide variety of shops, places for teens to hang out, and classic food court stands, like Orange Julius and Hot Dog on a Stick. Today, many malls are facing demise due to internet shopping.
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