I miss having physical copies of things/90s technology
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (13480)
United States
September 19, 2026 9:40pm CST
Maybe it's the millennial in me, but I really hate that everything is digital. I like having physical copies of things. I like to know that if something shuts down or the internet goes out, I have an actual physical copy of a movie or a video game. I miss going into a rental store and renting a movie. I love the convenience of streaming, but we rely too heavily on everything being digital.
My son has really gotten into retro everything lately. He says there's something about it he just loves. He loves having physical copies of movies, music, and video games. I hate relying on everything just being online. I like being able to pull out a favorite movie and pop it into a DVD player or a VCR. I still own a VCR and will, on occasion, watch a VHS tape.
I have a very large movie collection, and I often pull from it to watch DVDs. My husband and son love that I have this collection. I have a variety of movies to pick from, and there is something for everyone. Not to mention, it's difficult to find a lot of older movies on streaming, so I've had to actually purchase them.
I was watching something once on FB about parents trying to give their children more of a 90s childhood. I feel like you can only do that to a certain extent. You can have them experience VHS tapes and older TVs, etc but it's a bit different when the technology is still out there. Back in the 90s, everyone pretty much had the same technology. You went to school, and you talked about things, and almost everyone had a VCR, and they went and rented movies or watched the same television shows. Now, if a kid goes to school or out in the real world, they will know exactly what they are missing, or at least what everyone else has. I wouldn't necessarily say missing because some kids might be content with what they have and enjoy it. I miss the simplicity of it all.
I miss a world where people weren't glued to a screen. I miss the experience of going somewhere and actually enjoying the moment. I miss not having everything all over social media. I love certain aspects of technology and having some social media, but I also miss everyone living in the moment.
When we go places, the only time I really have my phone out is if I'm taking pictures. I love capturing moments. There is a time and place for technology, but people need to stop relying on it so heavily. I've found myself putting my phone down more and more lately and just being present. I still take some photos and videos, but after that I put my phone down, and I'm just in the moment. After the year I've had, I'm really learning what is important.
I love that more and more millennials are bringing back physical copies of things, and I've found millennials are even bringing back records and record players despite records not being a major part of a lot of our childhoods. We had a record player when I was a kid, and I remember having little records with stories on them, but I knew a lot of kids who didn't have a record player in their home.
I remember having a lot of books as a kid that had some sort of audio with them. We had an ALF book that had a cassette tape that read it, and you had to follow along and turn the page with it. I remember my parents would sometimes put that in for me. I loved anything involving books, so my parents would often find those for me, along with my mom reading me a large pile of books. I never really see those little books anymore that have the read-along audio.
I always used to request those little books with the buttons that, when you read it and you saw a certain picture, you pressed that button and it made a noise. I was always envious of my friends who had those books because my mom never bought them for me. I don't know why I wanted one so badly, but I did.
There are just so many pieces of my childhood that I miss and wish kids today could have a piece of and fully enjoy it without the pressure of the outside world. We can raise our kids with our technology and give them pieces of our childhood, but the outside world will still be out there influencing them in a way we didn't have during our childhoods because the other technology didn't exist.
6 people like this
6 responses
@Deepizzaguy (125458)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
20h
I know how you feel since I also miss the days of playing records on vinyl.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (46804)
• Denver, Colorado
20h
That's why I still collect vinyl and Compact Discs. And I have DVD's of the movies I like. Nice article!
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (46804)
• Denver, Colorado
16h
@sissy15 - I'll sometimes stream something I don't have but feel like listening to, but I don't do it much.
@AmbiePam (127550)
• United States
19h
For my sister’s Christmas gift last year I got her a children’s book of Sleeping Beauty, only each page has a button you push, and it plays portions of the Sleeping Beauty opera. She absolutely loved it.
There is still a large portion of older people who do not know how to do everything digitally, and it bothers me that people are requiring them to learn or go without.
For instance, an 80 year old man has season tickets with the Dodgers and has for 54 years. After this year, he will no longer have them. The Dodgers will no longer give out printed tickets, which means you have to have a smart phone to get your tickets. He does not want to buy a smart phone. Thus, no more season tickets for him. I mean, really? They can’t print a paper ticket for the man? There are still Mylotters here who do not have a smartphone either.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (13480)
• United States
17h
I know. My dad doesn't have a smartphone either because he wouldn't know how to use it. I think it's insane to require people who never learned how to use newer technology to suddenly figure out how to use it. My dad has us to help him figure it out, but what about those who have no one? It really makes me angry. I had such a hard time because he wanted to do something, and he needed an email, and I had to go and make one and make it so I had access to it. It was such a pain.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (194102)
• Boise, Idaho
1h
I feel lucky to have grown up in an era where there was no internet. It didn't come along until 30 years later. I think a nice happy medium can be found where kids play outside and then have time online as well.
@sissy15 (13480)
• United States
17h
I know a lot of older people, including my dad, are having this issue. They were never taught to use them and are struggling now that it has basically become something that is needed. My dad has had a cell phone for a long time, but he doesn't have a smartphone because he doesn't know how to use it.
1 person likes this
@Wrexxo (7788)
•
17h
This really got me thinking, I still keep my old DVDs just in case streaming ever pulls something I love. Your son sounds like he found something real in the retro stuff, thats pretty cool honestly. Those read along books with the buttons, man I forgot those existed until you said it.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13480)
• United States
17h
I never really had any. I used to read them at other people's houses. My parents, for whatever reason, never bought them for me. I think DVDs are going to make a big comeback. People are sick of dealing with streaming, especially since they keep raising prices. My son loves most retro things. We have some older gaming systems he's been asking us to get back out for him.
1 person likes this







