Was life simpler in years gone by?

[Coralnails]

I've been watching Classic Corrie from the 80s and 90s recently and it's made me nostalgic for those decades.

Even though I wouldn't swap my smartphone, internet and all the choices we have these days, in some ways I feel like things were better back then.

It's like we never switch off these days, phones are attached to us 24/7, with things like online shopping we've got so much choice it can be overwhelming. Screen time is a big thing for children now with tablets, phones, YouTube. I could think of more examples, passwords for everything, so much more we have to think about now. Everything is so instant these days too, it's convenient but can take the fun out of things.

Back then if you went out, you were out, not attached to your phone and emails all the time.

There were 4 channels, and children's programmes all finished in time for dinner. A comic and a 10p mix up was enough to please most children.

Remember waiting to get your photos developed from your disposable camera.

Going to the video shop on a Saturday evening to rent a film.

Looking through the newspaper to see the film times.

I wouldn't go back knowing what I know now, but I do think modern technology has taken some of the simple joys away.

European holidays have been more expensive ever since the euro.

The things people are saying they like/love about now I either don’t use or don’t like. I can never find anything I want to watch on Netflix! I’d rather have my old cheap dvd collection.

I don’t do online banking and think amazon is unethical so still use real shops for everything.

Too poor from high houses prices to travel.

I’ve had dcs pre and post broadband. I found it easier before with indestructible videos, something I could control than you tube where they get onto rubbish no matter how many times I search for ‘educational videos’.

Even my older dcs agree with this.

Yes I do long for the early 2000s
Social media andthe like ruined my marriage.

God this shit again! This stupid fucking nostalgia over the past, which is gone is the ruination of Britain. It's such a waste time. I was a teen in the 80s. It sucked. Give me 2019 anyday.

I think I'm probably one of the older posters on MN, but I've embraced every change over the years as an improvement - I exclude politics & politicians. I feel no nostalgia for diseases that had no cure, or men who could pinch my bum (or worse) with impunity, or being refused a tenancy because I was an Unmarried Mother - that was before the term "single parent" was invented. I look forward to the future - & hope there's a cure for what's that thing called when you forget everything.

We get Netflix for free & I hardly find any films I want to watch on there. Their own series can be good but there are now so many that I’m get bored after struggling to chose!

Here, here, gowgow!

See I just do not see 7 year old latchkey kids as a good thing, or children shoved out to play all day, I'm sorry. I really don't.

Yup - because it’s sooo much better for kids to be cooped up inside playing Fortnite or surfing the internet all day. Not.

In many ways yes, and in many ways no! I was a child in the 80s and a teenager in the 90s, so my views are probably skewed.

• Not being contactable 24/7. If you wanted someone, you either rang their landline, or banged on their door. But you couldn't call the landline until after 6 when calls were free!
• We didn't wear any seatbelts and nobody cared. Actually, when I was pretty small, I would sometimes be crammed in on the floor. My siblings would already be on laps.
• Anything stupid we did would not be online. People would talk about it, but there was no evidence, so we could deny it!
• We would watch TV or read of an evening, no internet or tablets/phones to play on.
• Tamagotchi was the best thing EVER.
• We used to write letters to family in other counties/countries, not text or email. The art of letter writing is lost. I had several pen friends, too.
• Mostly cash economy. Also postal orders- used to get them for birthdays! Do they even still exist?
• No pause/replay, if you missed a TV programme, tough luck. You could try to set the video player to record, but sometimes it didn't work.
• Taping songs off the radio.
• The shops closed at 5pm and were not open on a Sunday. You had to wait till Monday or find a corner shop or garage that opened Sundays.
• At Grandma's house at Christmas there was a hierarchy for seating and all kids were on the floor. The eldest adults on sofa, and the younger adults or teens on the dining room chairs. Armchairs were strictly for Grandparents only.
• People spoke to each other on the street/buses/shops.
• People seemed to tell off other peoples kids (I got told off a couple of times by random adults) and parents would back them up. (or at least mine would)
• Teachers were respected and parents would take their side (or at least mine would, and so would pretty much anybody's parents in my school- many were the bawling outs in the playground if the parents got "brought in")
• McDoanlds etc was a big treat, for birthdays only.

On the flip side:

• Casual porn in newspapers (Page 3, and I seem to remember a sex column in the DM). (but people would have to physically buy porn mags or videos, no anonymously downloading, you had to show your face and interact to get off, I guess)
• Everybody I knew was hit by their parents. A slap around the face/head was seen as normal.

- Casual racism (I won't repeat, but the names for Chinese takeaway or the corner shop were vile) and homophobia.

• Mocking of the disabled was common.

Anyway, I much prefer now. I have rose tinted glasses for my childhood/teens, but I would rather my children grow up with the protections they would have now, than to go back to the 80s or 90s and experience the bad parts.

I know what you mean OP. We definitely spent more time together as a family (ie playing board games or just hanging about together) when I was younger as we didn’t have the individual distractions of mobiles/iPads etc. I can see the difference in my children’s childhood compared to mine however hard I try to ensure they aren’t glued to technology (us parents are just as much to blame). Also, as a kid I would spend so much time playing on our estate growing up. We were always in/out of each other’s houses and gardens and playing on the cul-de-sac road our house was on. It simply isn’t like that for my kids today - local kids just don’t hang out and go freely between houses.
I do feel like things were definitely more easy going and spontaneous then where as today everything feels so contrived. I try so hard to get the kids out on walks etc and plan for days out but I can’t help feeling pressured and that I’m not doing enough. I think it’s a reflection of today’s society and this ‘perfect family life’ we are meant to be upholding.
I miss all the high street shops and unique boutiques - rapidly disappearing from my local city. It’s sad really.
Also, how fun primary school was - we were allowed to play conkers, swap collectors cards, play on the grass field in lunch breaks (our school don’t allow in Winter), hang from the climbing frame etc. Now there’s so many health and safety rules.
How favourite chocolates/crisps have either disappeared or shrunk in size! How expensive things in general are these days!
I know it’s the way of the world and times change but I can’t help feeling nostalgic too looking back to my childhood. It definitely seemed life in general was more carefree and less ‘conformed’.

The missing political centrist position that has resulted in Trump and Brexit, is I think, one that is Left on the Economy and Right on Social Mores (of the personal responsibility kind).

I remember feeling safe back in the 70s / 80s. I remember the closeness of communities and thriving local market towns. The things I most hate today - obsession with devices and social media, community segregation, busy roads, increasing crime and drug problems and the general 'I'm more important than you' attitude.

As a baby boomer, I feel lucky and that I have had the best of both worlds - growing up to the soundtrack of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, free university education and professional qualification, plenty of jobs, affordable housing, and good pension provision.

I also remember being bored a lot of the time, but boredom drives creativity and I read most of the classics. Recently I was without SM for 5 days (at sea, the only place where you can really get away from it) and spent a lot of time reading, which has given me lasting satisfaction. The internet is amazing and like most other people I am addicted, but a lot of it can be for instant gratification. It took several days to adjust being without but it was definitely good in some respects, a feeling of being properly away and out of contact was very liberating.

In terms of work, the internet is both a blessing and a curse. The technology that enables people to work from home and deal with clients by email is life changing, of course, but the downside is that it can be difficult to ever really escape the demands of work. Working life was less pressurised when everything went by snail mail. I remember the arrival of the first fax machine in the office and that changed things to a degree, but with email you are expected to be available 24/7, which I don't think is particularly healthy.

However, I love, love, love my mobile phone. I love that it has all my music and audio books, access to everything on the internet, it will stop me getting lost, find me what I need in any area, show me which places to go to and which to avoid (courtesy of customer reviews being published on line), allow me to order virtually anything I want for delivery next day, communicate messages from all of my family and friends, allow me to send photos and share experiences, and talk to anyone. It is truly a miraculous, life enhancing object.

Travel is much cheaper now with the budget airlines but also inevitably less exclusive, as many more people travel. Also, so many cities are becoming similar - Mc Donalds on every street etc. I am very pleased that I did a lot of travelling when I was younger, even if it was more expensive, as it becomes harder to find places which are 'unspoilt'.

Apart from my mobile phone, the other life changer is food, so much of it, so much choice, so accessible, so many cuisines and different restaurants to pick from, not only in London and the major cities, but almost everywhere. I remember having my first Chinese meal and it was a light bulb moment, a whole universe of joy opening up to me. then there was the local Indian restaurant with the flock wallpaper which was about as exotic as it got, but which I loved.

The one constant is Corrie itself, but it was much better then, when characters actually developed and had authenticity. Now the need for high drama and plot dominates, so every week seems to involve murders, police, hospitals, sexual abuse, courts, prisons etc. Such a shame as the humour has also largely gone too. Speaking of which, I am off to get my 6-7am fix of Classic Corrie to see whether or not Alf and Audrey will be reconciled!

I couldn't have put it better Vivaldi. My sentiments exactly

If given the choice, I would go back to the seventies in a heartbeat. Only four and then five channels on TV, yes, but the programmes were really good quality compared to now. No reality shows , shopping channels and endless repeats.
People were far less stressed, hD better concentration and the lack of choice made for a less pressured life. Proper conversations and engagement. Reading books, being able to go places without the horrendous traffic. More green spaces. Far far better music. Better clothes that weren’t designed to last five minutes.
The food was generally awful, home decor was awful and people were less well off, but they appreciated what they had. Depression, anxiety and entitlement far less apparent.
Mobiles and internet are convenient, but the other side is short attention spans, lack of real social face to face engagement and being bombarded with information all day, much of it negative.
I think people are far less happy these days. It’s also a minefield if misery for young people . Student debt, social media bullying and pressure, no jobs and incredibly hard to get a mortgage.