Our generation is the only one that straddles two worlds—we didn’t grow up with technology, but are completely dependent on it now. Our kids have no concept of life without it. And our parents and grandparents lived the bulk of their lives in simpler times. We are the AOL—instant messenger—dial-up generation. Most of us got our first cell phones as young adults and are 100% addicted to them now, 20 years later.
So, as this cross-over generation, we are stuck in the middle between trying (and failing) to keep up with our kids’ use of apps and video games and helping our aging parents learn what “www” means when they power up their desktops.
At the end of the day, we know technology is a necessity and that it does make our lives easier. (Remember having to pull over and read a MAP? Thank you, GPS lady, for your services.) But man, do these modern gadgets make us feel old. I mean, not as old as our parents who have no idea what their wifi password is. But still old.
So here are some funny tweets from other Gen-Xers who remember “the good old days,” back when we had to buy stamps, get up to change the channel, and use a real phone book, but who also love this 21st century world where Siri and Alexa live.
I’m “when my kids are older, they will probably think VHS is some STD” years old.
— A Bearer Of Dad News (@HomeWithPeanut) February 24, 2018
Why does every Christmas present my kids get need WiFi and an engineering degree?
— Simon Holland (@simoncholland) December 26, 2017
Million dollar reward to anyone who can invent a way for us to slam down the phone again with drama and fury.
— Housewife of Hell (@HousewifeOfHell) February 8, 2016
My son is watching videos of people playing video games.
What a time to be alive.
— Rodney Lacroix (@moooooog35) July 16, 2016
Back in the day when you wanted to show someone a photo of your kids you’d have one neatly tucked in your wallet
Now you have to scroll past 40 pictures of your kid trying to eat the camera in selfie mode and 25 memes about food before you can get to one worth showing— Healthy Living for Hot Messes (@HLFHM) March 1, 2018
I wish anything made me as happy as it makes my mom to use 17 emojis after a text that has absolutely nothing to do with the images she picked.
— Danielle and Farrah (@effinghandbook) February 8, 2018
Mother has obtained a cell phone.
She’s yelling that she needs to “read the manual to understand this damned thing” so I’m pretty sure we’ll all just fossilize before she ever actually uses it.— Ms. Havisham (@MissHavisham) February 23, 2018
Hubs: How do you–
Me: Google it
H: Where’s the–
M: Google it
H: When did–
M: Google it
Glad he thinks I know everything, but come on..— Crystal Lowery Comedian (@Crystal37246266) October 8, 2017
Just called the DVD player a VCR in front of the kids.
Now this will become their childhood memory.— Julie Burton (@ksujulie) September 21, 2015
I can’t figure out how to use iTunes anymore, so now I have to get my music from the radio like the pilgrims did during the depression.
— Housewife of Hell (@HousewifeOfHell) May 27, 2016
Writing a horror screenplay. It starts off with a ringing phone. The person answers, and it’s their mom saying “I have a computer question.”
— Rodney Lacroix (@moooooog35) June 26, 2017
I saw on the news that you should change your online passwords frequently and make sure that they are all different.
In the next 4 minutes I was asked to set up 12 different profiles with passwords. pic.twitter.com/IiQWrpnL2Q— Why all these kids? (@whyallthesekids) February 12, 2018
The best part of having a teen in 2018, is where they google shit to prove you’re wrong.
— Snarky Breeders (@snarkybreeders) March 16, 2018
1996: *has to wait 5 minutes for dial-up modem to connect*
2016: *has to wait 5 seconds for notifications to load, throws phone at wall*
— Ramblin’ Mama (@ramblinma) September 17, 2016
…And if their phones got wet they put them in rice and prayed for a miracle!
-our grandkids making fun of us in 2066
— Karen Johnson (@21stcenturysahm) November 5, 2016
It’s an interesting life, having been able to step through time as we all did. I mean, who could have imagined back in the 90s that some day we’d have toddlers who could record Mommy in the shower and share it on Facebook? What a time to be alive!