Summary
A Reddit post sparked a conversation about life before smartphones, with people discussing how they used to memorize phone numbers and navigate without digital tools. The discussion highlighted how technology has changed the way people communicate and remember information.
Key Facts
- A Reddit user posted about watching a 1990s TV show, leading to a discussion about life before smartphones.
- The post received over 4,400 upvotes on the subreddit r/CasualConversation.
- People used to memorize important phone numbers or keep address books for reference.
- The first cellphones appeared in the 1980s but became more common in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- Dr. Shawn DuBravac explained that humans have historically transferred memory tasks to external tools, like writing and digital databases.
- The use of cellphones changed communication from a communal to an individual act.
- Commenters on Reddit reflected on using maps for navigation and libraries for research before digital tools were available.
