When A Tweet Was A Sound A Bird Made

Tweet! Does a bird come to mind when you see this word, or do you immediately think of social media? Personally, my mind goes right to Twitter. But even though I tweet. Get on Facebook a lot. And use other forms of social media now and then. At 55 years old, I can honestly say I miss simpler times.

Because of this, I made a list of some things that I feel people around my age can relate to when they think about how times have changed over the years. It’s not a comprehensive list that required deep thought on my part. That would have taken too long and I have other things to do, like surfing the Internet and compulsively checking my email. It’s just a short summary of a few random things in list form (social media people love lists) that I hope brings back memories of simpler times. Times when we weren’t so “dependent” upon some of the things modern technology has brought us.

1. We used our imagination to play, not video games. And toys weren’t mostly from movies and TV shows in the form of characters and action figures with built-in personalities.

2. Most TV shows, as silly as some may seem to look back now, had a moral to the story—a lesson to be learned. They didn’t involve gratuitous violence. Sex and sexual innuendos. Use personal insults as a source of humor. And didn’t include shock value under the guise of “entertainment.”

3. We sent handwritten letters to loved ones and looked forward to receiving them in return.

4. We used corded “home” phones to call people, and had to remain in one spot the whole time we talked. (Although I did attach a 25-foot cord for better mobility, and later became overly obsessed with purchasing the latest models of cordless phones available).

5. Even if we had a cell phone, we still used it as a phone and not for entertainment.

6. If we needed information we relied on sources like the library or the local newspaper.  The closest thing to Google I remember was in name only—does anyone else recall Koogle Peanut Butter with its koo koo koogly eyes?

7. Even if we had a computer, it was a desktop where we would sit for several minutes, usually patiently waiting to get online so we could hear “you got mail.”

8. A Facebook was a photo album.

9. A tablet was something we wrote on with a number 2 pencil. (I’m sure some of us still do but isn’t it a pain in the ass to sharpen one, even with an electric sharpener?)

10. Our thoughts and opinions about things were shared in person with friends and family, and at social get-togethers. I know this still holds true for many people, but I must add that doing so through an online blog makes for fewer arguments, at least it has for me.

So there you go.  Age may play a part in what you think about my list. I would have added more, but as I mentioned, I was in a bit of a hurry while writing it. It seems when I’m not on my phone for a while my hands start shaking which makes it hard to type.

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