Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Typical 90s Scenarios Gen Z Will Never Experience

Woman with 90s side ponytail and makeup
Photo by Nancy K on Unsplash

Reddit user MediumRareTaint asked: 'What was a typical 90s scenario that today's youth will never experience?'

Make us preferred on Google

From latch-key life to knowing when someone's home based on their bike being thrown on the front lawn to the earliest, cringiest days of social media, 80s and 90s kids are full of stories from their childhoods.

But these stories are uniquely nostalgic as kids today will never quite experience this type of childhood ever again.


Redditor MediumRareTint asked:

"What was a typical 90s scenario that today's youth will never experience?"

Landline Etiquette

"Talking to someone's parent and asking for your friend, because it was the landline and no caller ID."

- MixedSyrup

"Answering the phone in the kitchen, then running back to your room to take it there, and yelling, 'MOM, HANG UP THE PHONE! MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM, HANG UP THE PHONE!'"

- manderifffic

The Dial-Up "Song"

"Dial-up internet. That tone is ingrained in my memory."

- Reeeeaper

Downloading Woes

"The experience of losing connection when you downloaded 99% of the file because your mom picked up the phone. Still hurts."

- Cute_Panda9

"Telling everyone in your family you're downloading a big file; don't pick up the phone."

"Reminding your family that you're downloading a big file; don't pick up the phone."

"Telling your family the file is almost done; don't pick up the phone."

"Then someone picks up the phone with ten seconds left... and you have to start the 14-hour download again tomorrow."

- Mustang46L

Internet Sounds in the Home

"The dial-up internet tone that was like nails on a chalkboard."

"'Welcome! You've got mail!'"

"The happy logging onto AIM sound."

"Someone yelling from another area of the house, 'Get offline so I can make a call!'"

"Starting a file download/upload... walking away to make a sandwich, brew coffee, fold laundry, start a new load of laundry, put the laundry away... and coming back and the download/upload is still not complete."

"Getting disconnected from the internet because someone picked up the phone to make a call while you were in the process of the aforementioned download/upload, and losing your everlovin' mind on that person."

"The best part: The original Oregon Trail game."

- Just_another_Sue

Renting Movies

"Getting a video to rent and watch at home made you feel like you were going 'out' to do something."

- ekimlive

"Oh God, movie rental, a pizza, some microwave popcorn, and some soda. It was such a fantastic night if those things were planned."

- GreenOnionCrusader

True Quiet and Disconnection

"The feeling of coming home free from school or work, and the outside world was very separate from you until the following day."

"You couldn’t easily find out what your friends were doing (they weren’t doing anything anyway), you couldn’t easily catch up on the news unless it happened to be on, and you couldn’t catch up on new movies or celebrity gossip unless you had a magazine lying around, which would come out monthly."

"It’s a level of relaxation that we took for granted, but we were likely the last generation to experience it."

- Own-Firefighter-2728

"Man, this is a really good one. We are so, so connected and it's so, so unhealthy for us."

"It was really nice when we were an entire phone call away. I didn't need to know anything about anybody, the focus was on the people you were with, and experiences outside of the home were more special."

- artemasfoul

The All-Important Meeting Place

"Making plans beforehand and having a meeting place since no one owned cell phones."

- MixedSyrup

Being Stood Up

"My youth and adulthood perfectly straddle cell phones. Last-minute cancellations became increasingly more common throughout my 20s but were rare in my teens."

"What really sucked was when a date didn’t show up and you had no way of knowing whether 1. they were ok, 2. they had a good reason, or 3. they just decided to stand you up. You generally assumed the worst, or at least I did."

- Dudley_Do_Wrong

"I never adjusted to this. I still hold true to my original plans and am confused with today's culture on this. Like, we made plans. If you didn't want to, don't say yes."

"And I am only 39."

- x-Mowens-x

No Cameras Rolling

"I grew up in the 70s and 80s, but this applies to the 90s as well…"

"You could do the absolute dumbest, craziest, most embarrassing s**t you could possibly imagine, and no one was recording it."

- FrankNStein

Safer Surroundings

"A parent saying, 'Here's $20, I'll pick you up at 8:00 when the mall closes. Don't talk to strangers.'"

- Nonsenseinabag

Airport Security

"Meeting people at the gate when you pick them up from the airport."

- Main_Maximum8963

"Romance movies have been ruined because of this."

- lifejustice

Cramming Commercial Time

"Making a dash through the house from the kitchen to the couch when someone yelled out, 'It’s back on!'"

- NicGyver

"This is how my mom used to get my sister and me to clean the house. One commercial at a time during a movie."

- reklawpuck

Live Television Programs

"Missing an episode on tv and never knowing when you can see that episode again unless some chance someone recorded it."

- Cute_Panda9

School Delays and Cancelations

"Waiting for your school district to be announced as on time, late, or canceled on the news when it snowed."

- SuitableNegotiation5

"Seeing your school scroll across the ticker was like winning the lottery."

- umanousti

Simpler Travel

"Stopping at a gas station and asking for directions."

"Or driving around aimlessly looking for a place to eat."

- Actuaryba

"Using an actual physical map. Then trying to fold it again."

- he77bender

Anyone who was a kid or young adult in the 90s will surely get feelings of nostalgia from at least some of these memories, but with the way technology is rushing forward, it's unlikely that kids today will ever get to experience these.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

John Oliver
Noam Galai/Comic Relief/Getty Images

John Oliver Finally Gets His Wish To Be Slapped on 'General Hospital' Cameo—And Fans Are Obsessed

Beloved long-time HBO host John Oliver made it big when he got guest-starring roles on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, and based on his personality and sense of humor, perhaps it should be no surprise to any of us what his special requests were for the daytime soap operas.

Back in March, Oliver said on air that he dreamed of filling a "juicy" role on General Hospital, and ABC took the request so seriously that they offered him a role on both of the melodramas.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Sparks Outrage After Saying He Knows Migrants Are 'Trouble' Just By 'Looking At Them'—And Everyone's Thinking The Same Thing

President Donald Trump was criticized after suggesting during a speech in the White House Rose Garden that undocumented migrants can be identified as "trouble" by "looking at them," prompting critics to call out the implication.

Trump's remarks came after reporters noted that federal immigration officials had detained more than 10,000 people over a five-day period, a sure sign that the administration's nationwide immigration crackdown is intensifying.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Trolls 'Wandering' Trump With Joke About Turkey's President Being His 'Caretaker' On Recent Trip

California Governor Gavin Newsom pounced after Fox News aired footage showing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan guiding President Donald Trump down the tarmac after exiting Air Force One.

Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for a NATO summit where allies were expected to press him on Washington's plans for troop reductions in Europe, seek assurances of continued support for Ukraine ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and hear his remarks at a news conference before he returned to Washington.

Keep ReadingShow less
Frankie Grande attends The 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Frankie Grande Shares Gnarly Injury Photos After Prop Accident Causes Concussion During Broadway Show

Frankie Grande is showing fans the aftermath of a frightening Broadway mishap. The performer revealed he suffered a concussion and facial injuries after being struck by a prop during a performance of Titaníque, sharing photos of the damage days later.

The actor revealed on Instagram on Sunday that the injury occurred during the show's performance on Thursday, July 2. Photos included in the post showed bruising around his left eye and across the bridge of his nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millie Bobby Brown
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Millie Bobby Brown Hits Back After Fans Drag Her Historically Inaccurate Nails In 'Enola Holmes 3'

Nothing ruins a period piece or historical fiction quite like dialogue that's too contemporary for the time, or wardrobe pieces that weren't around then.

There's also an increasing problem in the entertainment industry of actors having what people are calling "iPhone Face" or "Instagram Face," because they have adopted features, through Botox and other treatments, that are attuned to social media but would stand out in a period piece.

Keep ReadingShow less