By Thomas Sellers Jr.
It’s often said that technology can be our best friend and our worst enemy.
Improvements for mankind makes life easier and more convenient. In the reverse, advancements in technology can bring rough adjustments and loss of jobs.
Obviously there are more benefits to having better materials, objects and methods for everyday life. I love air-conditioned cars. Dang, I’m composing this column on an Apple computer instead of a manual typewriter.
No longer do I have to load up a CD to listen to music or select a chapter on a DVD to view a movie. Technology from my car to my home has made life in 2023 pretty awesome.
But this 41-year-old man is old enough to realize that all that glitters is not gold. Some things from yesteryear are better than modern day living.
Don’t believe me? I have 10 examples of things I miss and I know deep down inside you miss from the past. Instead of “Netflix and Chill,” don’t you wish you had a “Blockbuster Night” to help you get to know your date a little bit better.
Instead of investing in a person by getting to know their phone number by heart, we just type a face on our phone via social media or locking their digits into our phonebook.
No longer do we need a phonebook or 411 to find information, we pull out that cell phone and Google it.
I value the 21st Century and all it has to offer. My purpose in this column is to relive a little bit of my past and maybe we can incorporate some of these classic values back into our everyday life.
10. Supermodels
This industry used to be pure and easily defined. All I have to do is a quick roll call of Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Twiggy, Lauren Hutton, Claudia Schiffer, Heidi Klum, Cindy Crawford and Elle MacPherson to name just a few legends of supermodels.
Now several women have “model” on their resume because of social media apps like Instagram. Seriously? Just because you post pictures of yourself or get a friend to take a few snaps of you doesn’t make you a model. And most of these women are nowhere near the category of supermodel.
Body positivity is fine as long as you’re happy with yourself and what you see in the mirror. But your confidence in your appearance doesn’t mean a majority has to like it or view it on advertisements.
Before you roast me for my opinion, my personal type is not a supermodel. They’re not the standard of beauty for me. Saying that, I can admit they provide a generic appearance that is not too extreme in either direction.
9. Grocery shopping
This is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Since the global pandemic in 2020, several U.S. Americans have fallen in love with online grocery shopping. I’m learning what a tesco.com is. It was the leader in eCommerce for the supermarket field in 2020. Coming in second place is a grocery chain I am familiar with, Kroger.
I’m not a fan of online grocery shopping. I missed the days of heading to Mega Market on Covington Pike with my mom and sister on Saturday. Those precious moments of begging for something on an isle. My mom puts up a strong front until she realizes it fits her budget. Or better yet, she wanted to try the new cereal and we were the perfect excuse to buy the childish brand of sugary grains.
You can’t get those moments today buying everything online. Plus buying your food in person reduces the chances of you not getting exactly what you ordered.
8. Buying a true video game
When I was a child all you needed was the video game console, controllers and the actual game. Today you need passwords, uploads, downloads, headsets and speciality controllers. That’s just too much work, time dedication and financial investment for something that is supposed to be a relaxing hobby. Despite the gaming market being very lucrative, there has been a trend of decline for video games.
7. Speciality Stores
Speaking of a Blockbuster night, it is hard to find other types of storefronts dedicated to a particular market or product. We’ve said goodbye to Payless Shoe Source, Radio Shack, Fred’s and countless others in recent years.
I guess all that driving from store to store got frustrating. Going to a strip mall for a few hours of shopping was burdensome. Housing all these stores under a roof as a mall got too demanding by the 2000s.
In the minority, I miss those moments of getting out and about around other humans. Seeing another person interested in the same item as me gave me a chance to make a new friend. Or at the least I saw boys and girls, blacks and whites and those of different religions having a common bond.
6. Old-School ESPN
My alarm clock during high school was my television set to 6 a.m. The final channel I would watch before bed was ESPN and the show SportsCenter. That iconic theme was the first thing I heard every morning before heading off to Raleigh-Egypt.
At one point in time ESPN was the worldwide leader in sports. Now the network is a part of the news more than reporting what is going on in the athletic realm.
It just appears those who work for the four-letter network have an agenda and want to be liked by society. Instead of the mission being to give the best coverage on sports, ESPN wants to be political, social and all inclusive.
Memo to ESPN, you’re a sports network — just focus on the games and those who make it happen.
5. Relevant opinions
Back to our beloved cellular devices. With the upgrades in technology with our phones, most of us have social media apps. These applications provide us with a platform to express ourselves. We can give our opinions like we’re a licensed expert, veteran journalist or informed source.
If you’re willing to dedicate time and money, you can dress up your opinion with graphics, a background, intro, theme song and more.
Just because the presentation is shiny doesn’t mean your opinion is relevant.
Sometimes we need to sit out some debates. All hot topics don’t need your 15 cents.
People are becoming an eight-letter word. That word is related to opinions because it was once said we all have one.
4. Cable System
Is it me or is it hard to keep up with all the movies, shows and documentaries debuting? You have to locate what streaming service it will be broadcasted on.
Then do you have to pay or pay extra? Do you buy the streaming app just for this one show? Another question might be, when does it come on or will be available?
I have a solution, why don’t we put all the streaming services under one umbrella. Assign each platform a digit within this package. On that digital platform, the streaming service can play whatever they want and even give viewers an “live remote” option to control things like pausing and on demand.
All of the streaming services should rely on advertising for revenue and a percentage of the overall subscription to the package. Wait, that sounds like cable. Nevermind.
3. Old-School Youtube
When I discovered youtube.com back in 2005, it was a rabbit hole of nostalgia, information, entertainment, sports and reference material.
Now the social media app is limited entertainment, poorly, copyright friendly recordings and reactions to real news coverage.
The 15-second commercials don’t always have the skip option. But I have to admit I am impressed by how much information you can get into a 5-second ad. Quick question Youtube… if a video is more than 2 minutes, is it really a commercial?
Youtube has so many rules and changes consistently. The first days of the platform were pure joy. We’ll never have times like that again.
2. Computer staying relevant
In the past we updated our computer by purchasing an entirely new device after about 5 to 10 years. Now our PCs have mandated updates every week. Then a Mac needs a new app purchased just to be a basic computer.
I miss the good old days of updating your computer to get the new looking device. Now you have a shelf life for your personal computer. Then they will tell you after a certain amount of time, “We will no longer update this device” You’ll be forced to go buy a new computer if you want to keep your job, hobby or information.
1. Cell Phone Life
Another device not meant to last are cell phones. They are new automobiles. After 5 years with your car and the final payment, all the trouble starts. With cell phones, after the 2-year contact no more updates, horrible battery life and slow interactions.
I miss the flip phone days when it was indestructible, got service everywhere and performed the basic functions of a phone.
Now our mobile devices are designed to only work for one year and 350 days. These cell phone companies expect an old man like me to come running for the latest style and 5G network. No! I’m happy with my limited, consistently dying phone.
But I have received my notice. By May 1 I have to update my phone because they will no longer service it. You have to love technology.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
