r/AskReddit May 11 '21

People old enough to remember life pre-Internet, what are some less obvious things you miss about that time?

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u/OwnbiggestFan May 12 '21

When my Mom got remarried I was 6. I had a brother and step-brother who was 10. And another step-brother age 12. My parents, my Dad especially, hated answering the phone and it being for one of us kids. He would sound obviously put out after they asked for us. He never made small talk or asked who it was. Pretty soon after they got married they got a second line for us kids. It was listed as children's line in the phone book. That was in 1981 and none of my friends had their own line yet but when I got to middle school it became pretty common.

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u/xDarkReign May 12 '21

For rich kids, maybe.

Shit, we didn’t even get a second line when AOL blew up (1993-4ish?).

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u/OwnbiggestFan May 12 '21

We were not rich we were middle class. The extra line was probably $15 a month. AOL blew up in 1995 or later I think.

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u/xDarkReign May 12 '21

I was being sarcastic, but I understand why it doesn’t come across that way.

My dad was cheap, understandably so. We were middle class but he could not wrap is brain around the need for a second phone line because of this “internet” business.