What did you do with your time before the internet came along?

Went to school, hung out with friends.

I read books. Lots of them. I don’t read nearly as much as I used to and I’m annoyed with myself about that. I did buy myself a book today but I am still stuck on a book that I have been reading for about 2 months, I really want to finish it as when I do set time aside to read I love it.

I lay around, bored, edgy, and unable to fill my time in any satisfying or meaningful way.

I was a kid, so I was going to school and training in gymnastics.

read

I played video games and partied.

I used to read more and socialise more. I first came across the Internet at work and it fascinated me from the start. It has sucked me right in.

ditto on what others have said,

read, played video games, watched movies, socialized (and partied)

I read books. I still do, and I hiked, but there’s not much outside fun-the kind I like anyway, where I live now..

In my profession, I relied on seminars, vendor pitches, etc. to obtain information about technology. I printed/mailed out a heck of a lot more information, and the fax machine was my friend. Personally, I read and watched TV much more than I do today.

My first experience with the Internet was setting up my company’s website, and my impression was that “geez, any idiot can set up a website.” And I was right ;-)

While I love the freedom of having so much information, misinformation and entertainment at my fingertips, I do rather miss some of the pre-Internet “vibe” that is a thing of the past. The Internet has (ironically) leveled the playing field in some areas and widened the gap in other areas.

I was first introduced to the internet when I was 8, but I didn’t have regular access to it until I was 12, and even then I didn’t use it that regularly until I was 14. Before that, I do feel like I read more books, but the amount of interaction I had with other people remained about the same. I’ve always been fairly gregarious and the internet didn’t really take away from that. I still party and socialize quite often. In fact, the peak of my internet usage was probably junior-senior year of high school (2007–2009) and I was almost at the peak of socialization then too.

Worked two jobs, taught at a community college, etc.

I actually went outside. I can’t remember what the Sun feels like.

I talked to people face to face. I can’t remember what my voice sounds like.

My previous procrastination tool was the boob toob.

My previous procrastination tool was the boob.

LMAO @erichw1504

I was coming up on my pre teens in the age of windows. So, I’m not sure how to answer. I guess before that I was too busy playing in the woods with a stick and some mud.

I did the same things I do know it’s just that I use 5 minutes less for each activity so I can have some time for the intrAnet ^^

Masturbated a lot.

nothing much has changed

I used to spend my days watching TV and creating gifts to be donated to charity auctions and fairs. I made all my own greeting cards and most of the presents I gave people.

I have recently returned to doing that, instead of spending time on the computer.

Good for you, @YARNLADY ! : )

when did the internet start? I think I wasn’t born…

@nailpolishfanatic

I think this is the 20th anniversary of the WorldWideWeb.

I masturbated using the Sears catalog. Actually, graphical UIs were rare prior to the early 1990s, and consumer modems tended to run at about 300 bits per second so that the WWW as it is today wasn’t feasible. The internet is the infrastructure underlying the WWW, and I used it to follow usenet newsgroups and obtain technical information and software via anonymous ftp.

I read books.

Played with Barbies and BB Guns (sometimes simultaneously)

talk on the phone (very rare now to have a phone convo except with a few certain people)
read magazines
go out and hang in bookstores

I read in bed, played cards with friends, went out dancing. I started using the internet in the mid 90’s, learning after hours at work. I’ve never before had a job where I sit for so many hours so it’s only in recent years I really use the internet much.

Nowadays I use the internet mostly to research stuff, comparison shop, budget, plan and keep in touch with far away friends.

My life without the internet would be much the same except I’d be paying for an unlimited celly plan, buying physical books, consulting a big old address book, plotting on cabinet sized calendars, sticky notes would be everywhere in my house and my few days off would be consumed with shopping errands instead of fun.

Played video games, and had to depend on video game magazines to help me out with tight spots. Anyone remember when strategy guides and ’‘ProTips’’ were awesome?

Well actually ProTips sucked; press B to jump. Wow, thanks man. Actually played outside with friends, or went on sleepovers so we could kick each others’ asses in Mortal Kombat II or try to beat those damn Megaman X games.
Aaaah SNES, good thing you were around back when the net didn’t exist lol.

read alot more. Otherwise, not much different. I still interact with friends and other people about the same in a face to face versus internet way.
I researched things very differently before the internet.
First experiences were putting it into use in companies I worked for. Prior to it becoming common use was connecting to things on Prodigy or CompuServe

I got into a lot of trouble.

I read books or played outside.

@Brian1946 ah then i was not born;)

I went to the mall a lot, talked on the phone, visited friends.

What did people do before the wheel was invented?