Here’s what Redditors miss most about life before the Internet

It’s totally wild to think about what life was like before the Internet, now that it’s so massively engrained in our culture. What would we do without our social media, without Google, without online shopping?! But as great as the Internet can be, there were some pretty awesome things about the pre-Internet era that can definitely inspire some intense nostalgia.

Last week, when UltraCyborgWarrior69 asked his fellow Redditors what they missed most about dat pre-Internet lyfe, they had a lot to say. Here’s what they — and we — miss most about life before modern-day technology. The nostalgia is REAL.

1. There was less FOMO

“Nowadays you see going places and having fun all publicly shown out to the world, and you’re just thinking damn, I wish I was out having fun and there’s that horrible empty feeling inside of you. Whereas before, you’d be just as content with yourself regardless of whether you went to that party or whatever. The mere knowledge that you weren’t there creates this extra space filled with despair that makes you feel kinda sh*t.” –communistape

2. Getting snail mail

“There was always a moment of hope and optimism when the mailman arrived. Perhaps it would be a letter from an old friend. A package of photographs. An old lover reaching out to you. A missive from a family member on some great adventure. I can’t remember the last time I gave a damn when I hear the mail slot open. If [I] ordered something on Amazon, perhaps. That’s not the same.” –bobroland

3. Getting a good night’s sleep

“Actually going to sleep when I go to bed. I go to bed at a decent time, but I f**k around on that goddamned phone until it’s no longer decent, and then I’m perpetually tired the next day.” –PM_ME_UR_KNITS

4. Leaving work at the office

“The thing I like most pre-Internet is that when you went to work and left for the day, work was done. Now you may have someone from work send you an email and expect a reply before the following day.” –Kellyes

5. Actually using IRL encyclopedias

“When I was a kid my parents had a full volume of encyclopedias. I used to just sit and flip through them and learn about random shit. You can still learn about random shit through the [I]nternet, but the encyclopedias were so. . . curated.” –amybris

6. Pre-Google trivia

“I used to be the guy everyone would come to with questions. I would get random phone calls like I was phone a friend. ‘Hey, what’s the name of that guy in that movie with the fish?’ ‘What does the moon have to do with the tides?’ ‘Why didn’t the US join WWII until Pearl Harbor?’ Now everyone has Google and my awesome memory feels useless.” –Vohdre

7. Recording your fave song on the radio

“Mix tapes. Like the cassettes. I would sit hours in front of the radio, wait for just the right song to come on and then hit record.” –rubaduck

8. Childhood romps outside

“Kids playing outside a lot more. I remember playing all kinds of stuff as a kid before the [I]nternet. Street hockey, hide-and-seek. . . basketball, sh*tty laser tag. . . Neighborhoods are ghost towns now.” –El_Frijol

9. The way we used to find new music

“Discovering new music. Finding a great album. Hanging out in record shops. Don’t get me wrong, I love Google Play, but there was something fun about the old way. I think the album in general has been lost a bit. Certainly lost to me.” –goldie-gold

10. NOT having your most embarrassing moments recorded

“Going through life without worrying about somebody taking a video of you and [posting] it for everybody to see.” –shocker7689

(Image via Shutterstock.)