to keep my family in the 2000s?

[nokia2660]

NOT A TROLL, LONG TIME LURKER BUT THS IS MY 3RD POST ONLY AFTER I GOT MYSELF AN EMAIL ACCOUNT!

Am I being unreasonable for staunchly holding onto our cherished Nokia 2660s, the nostalgic DSi, and a TV that, against all odds, still proudly boasts teletext after two glorious decades?

In an age where the tech landscape is dominated by sleek smartphones, cutting-edge gaming consoles, and ultra-modern TVs, our family has made a conscious decision to dance to the beat of a different, more retro drum.

Let's start with the phones—our Nokia 2660s. Yes, they are the newest 4G models, but their heart lies in the early 2000s, evoking the essence of a bygone era when T9 texting was an art form and the satisfying flip of a phone marked the end of a conversation.

Then there's the DSi, a handheld relic that still captivates our kids' attention in a world saturated with high-end gaming experiences. The pixelated joy of Mario Kart and the whimsical adventures of Pokemon are timeless, transcending the allure of the latest gaming gadgets.

Last but certainly not least, our TV—a stalwart companion for two decades, steadfastly resisting the allure of flashy, modern counterparts. It may lack the bells and whistles of its contemporary counterparts, but it still proudly displays teletext, a feature long forgotten in the age of smart TVs.

While our friends and family may marvel at the sleekness of their smartphones and the brilliance of their high-tech home theaters, we find solace in the simplicity of our tech time capsule. The kids are content, the Nokia 2660s chime harmoniously, and the TV's teletext serves as a delightful nod to the past.

So, am I being unreasonable to resist the ever-tempting allure of modern tech? Is there an inherent beauty in preserving the relics of the 2000s for our family's enjoyment? I'm eager to hear your thoughts on our journey through time and technology!

iPhones are known as the being the easiest user experience ever. If you and your kids really can’t work out how to turn them on I’d be concerned. Don’t they use iPads in school? At ours they’re learning coding.

Poor kids. Being behind because you think it makes you ‘eccentric’ isn’t going to help them in life is it?

Haha this looks like I wrote it

Oh wow the brackets pulled yet another emoji up!!!!

We are homeschoolers. The kids could have googled it on the laptop, but they didnt care.

Jesus Christ, you’re homeschooling? You’re not preparing the kids for the world, they’re going to be fucked.

You're not ‘anti-tech’, you’re using mobile phones, consoles and a smart TV. You’re just using tech from 20 years ago as some kind of ‘lifestyle choice’ which is utterly bizarre.

The kids seem to enjoy it. We are looking into waldorf schools though!!!

Ok, just seem you’ve posted 3 posts on the Nokia today and one of them is a poem you’ve written.

I really hope this isn’t all true and you’re not having a mental health crisis.

It’s not about enjoyment, no-one is saying you can’t enjoy life using old tech. The point is they won’t be capable - at uni, in the workplace, wherever. They’ll be massively disadvantaged and I’m not sure why that would be your goal for your kids

??? It looks like DD 8 AND DS 14 are messing around here! I looked at the post count, it said 3! confused me too. Guess I need to change my password.

EDIT: DD not DS

They can perfectly learn all this when they are grown up. Tell me, how on earth did we learn all this techy stuff? I was 14 in the 80's, no iphones then. Also the older 2 kids can code, and do techy stuff. They just dont know how to use the touchyscreens.

Friends in Canada sent their children to a Waldorf school and rate it very highly. They had to sign a contract promising the children wouldn't use tech at home (which they don't follow to the letter... the kids do have all the latest gadgets and games systems at home, BUT at least Mon-Fri in school is screen and tech-free).

The problem is that uni and the workplace aren't going to want to teach your children to use these, they will expect them to be proficient in using them in order to get the job

Candidate who is proficient in different OS systems and devices Vs one who would need to be shown, probably multiple times, how it works, who is going to get the job?

Uni it may not be an issue, but tutors are there to teach their subject matter, not how to work the devices needed (I've not been to uni and mine are too young, I've no idea if it's all laptops or tablets but my sons use tablets daily at primary school)

Unfortunately it's not going away it's only getting more and more advanced, and that's only accelerating since AI

Everyone learned at the same time because the tech was new. Now the tech is established, they'll be expected to just get it, as everyone else their age will know how to use it. And I seriously doubt how advanced the 'tech stuff' you kids can do is, since they are unable to use a new iPhone, which literally tells you what you do at every step.

Is teletext even still transmitted?

For everyone saying you need years to learn how to use tech - have you tried an Apple product? They're super-intuitive and take about 3 seconds to figure out how to use.

Gen-AI, most software, most hardware, are among the most user-friendly, accessibly-designed, products in existance. They can be learned in a day. And they will only get easier as A.I. grows. Voice commands etc. Little brain power needed to use it.

Yeah I understand. DD8, AND DS14 They can code in python, just not use the touchscreens. Still they can use a mac, the library has them. Just not the touchyscreens.

The OP said that her children (including a teenager) were unable to switch on or operate an iPhone.

The touchscreens we find hard, not the macs, we have them in the local library! We love them, and the poem was written by ds14 using chat gpt when I asked them.

Thank you so much! Looks like it might be waldorf school in the future!

Tech is easy to learn
Creativity less so.

The way things are going, it's the latter which will lead to happiness (and the best jobs + purpose). A.I. will take care of the first.

Many Waldorf schools have faced controversy due to Steiner's connections to racist ideologyand magical thinking. Others have faced regulatory audits and closure due to concerns over substandard treatment of special needs children. Critics of Waldorf education (e.g. Roger Rawlings) point out the mystical nature of anthroposophy and the incorporation of Steiner's esoteric ideas into the curriculum.[7][8] Waldorf schools have also been linked to the outbreak of infectious diseases due to the vaccine hesitancy of many Waldorf parents

sound fab

Your 8-yr old mist have spent a significant amount of time at the library learning Python, if you don't have a computer at home! I'd be astonished if your kids couldn't use a touchscreen device - you literally just touch whatever you want it to do, and if they're proficient coders they must know their way around an OS.

Oh. I guess things change though, and 14 year olds were getting married in those times, so nothing stays in concrete. The waldorf schools near me have none of that batshit, after I asked a couple of waldorf parents. Anyways this is a tech aibu, not a waldorf one. Might post the waldorf idea in education though

Most of the ‘tech-savvy’ phone-addicted students I teach are not actually that good at tech, so I don’t think giving kids devices actually teaches them anything. It takes about 5 mins to learn how to use a touch-screen device, so if your kids choose to go to uni, a week-long crash course will do them just fine.

I admire you greatly for this OP, but expect lots of negative responses. We are all so addicted to our phones and screens that it’s confronting when a family chooses an alternative path.

Agreed. The kids have made pices of art, taken fantastic photographs.

You started the thread by saying IN CAPITAL LETTERS that it was your third post. Then you said you don’t know how. Now you’re saying your child has posted the weird poem and you didn’t know?

Are you all quite alright?