I didn't have internet at home till quite late.
I remember in secondary school I didn't have internet. That was 1998.
I remember when I was in JC, I rushed to the library to play online games. 1999.
I think it was only sometime in JC2 that we finally subscribed to Internet at home. It was on Pacnet. And it was a nice slow dialup...
I think this period was the time when internet really became mainstream...
Handphones were also around this time. I remember my mum lending me her phone when I was in JC when I went out with friends so that she could contact me.
Ok so I was thinking. Before Internet, what was I doing?
No Facebook, no Google, no online games.
I remember talking to my friends on the phone for hours on end. I'm not sure if the younger generation does that these days or do they just use instant messaging apps. I think my record was 14 hours.
I remember going to movies often. Meeting at MRT stations and everyone had to be relatively on time, cos there's no way to contact them if they are late. Well, I suppose there's no real change in that, cos many people still go to the movies.
I remember that we used to gather at my parents place to play mahjong. I think that we stopped playing cos we moved to a more inconvenient place so our friends and relatives couldn't be bothered to visit us anymore. So I reckon it had less to do with the onset of technology.
I didn't do much sports so I definitely didn't have any outdoor activities.
Oh and I traded cards at Serene Center during my secondary school days. Those days were interesting, cos I was approaching strangers and asking if they wanted to buy my cards. And we would browse through each other's collection and trade or sell our cards. It was real good learning on how to bargain and negotiate with people.
I remember I used to watch TV a lot more. It was one of the few entertainment avenues at home. I used to watch US sitcoms and dramas and serials on the Singapore channels. Now, I hardly turn on the TV. Even if I do, I stream from YouTube whatever I want to watch. I don't turn on any channels.
I was pretty geeky so I spent a lot of time at home studying.
Of course this is cos the age of the Internet and phones came about when I was growing up. So I don't have so many experiences before that period. Basically I can only look back at the period before 16 years old. I'm sure many of you might have much more experiences before this technological age. It's been around 20 years. Do you remember what you were doing during those periods? What would have happened if this tech age did not come about. How would life have been? What would you be doing now if you are not on the phone?
And I also wonder. What would it be like 20 years into the future? Cos the seeds sown now will become the trees then. Which are the seeds that will take root? Same as the Internet and phones were 20 years ago.
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