Cell phones have been around for decades now, but that doesn’t make it any easier to get used to some of the changes they’ve brought about in society.
Unfortunately, there are some activities that will just never be the same. You’re less likely to see a young person reading a book in public, and you can forget being able to see the stage at a concert.
These 22 vintage photos hearken back to a time when people did things for fun, not to film and post to social media. The years when friendship meant face-to-face conversation, and free time meant skinned knees, grass stains, and bicycles, not Instagram and Angry Birds.
Check out these pics of things that kids today have no interest in, because they’d rather watch videos of other people doing them.
1
Building a backyard fort, 1965
2
Birthday party in the 1980s. Not a phone in sight
3
Man reading on the hood of his car, 1962
4
Enjoying the view while riding the train, 1965
5
Skateboarding for fun, mid-1960s
6
Taking the chopper out for a spin, 1970s
7
Attempting extremely dangerous tricks on bikes, 1970s
8
You could take photos, but you had to actually get them developed. 1970
9
Playing in the hydrant or drinking from the hose. NYC, circa 1977
10
Popping a wheelie, 1969
11
Chatting on the payphone, 1980
12
Before cell phones or social media, this is how you figured out where your friends were
13
You had to go to the arcade if you wanted to play a game, 1970s
14
Walking, reading, and listening to music on the radio. 1969
15
You could see a movie without the person in front of you checking their texts, 1975
16
Pink Floyd concert in 1975. Nobody is blocking your view by holding their phone in the air to take a video they’ll never watch again.
17
If you needed to get somewhere, there wasn’t Uber. Getting taken for a ride with your friend’s parents. 1971
18
Quality time with family, 1963
19
Actually looking where you’re going when you cross the street, 1979
20
Hanging out at the A&W in the 1950s, colorized. Spending time with your friends face-to-face, instead of texting them.
22
Kids and teens hanging out and talking to each other in Trafalgar Square, London, circa 1968
