Gmail was an odd addendum to all that tbh 

Personal email just used for verification and shit these days. 

Phishing and online fraud.

Dark web.

Internet trolls

In 2003 we did online shopping actually including Tesco, Amazon etc but if we go back abot 25 or 30 years it was certainly not there.

Love cuffs - 1 pair - Add To Basket

Hugey’s right tbf, life generally goes on getting better

Have we become happier generally? (Not us specifically who may have grown happier from the content of middle age, but human beings living in the first world)

If my getting better you mean we can do things on our phone or in front of a computer screen that used to involve going somewhere - shopping banking going to the library meeting girls (or boys) debating gossiping etc etc then yes life is more convenient.  I am not convinced it is richer though.

The juke box in your pocket that plays pretty much all the music ever recorded is pretty fooking cool though and would have been a  fantasy come true to my music loving teenage self.

Heh @ gmail. Bobbins.

life was better prior to the mass adoption of smartphones. less convenient certainly, but overall better

the internet being everywhere all the time has had mainly deleterious effects on society, culture and the nature of interpersonal relationships

Face ID

WhatsApp

Wifi

basically everything internet related 

Dial-up internet.

You’ve only just felt lucky to be alive? Statistically you’ve beaten the odds simply by being conceived*, gratitude from the word go to exist for a split second on this ridiculous rock. 

*this is not a diss at your mum, btw. I have no idea what she looks like.

It's starting to feel like a looooong time ago

Nell McAndrew and Chris Tarrant Launch 13th Year of Tesco's Computers For Schools at Snowfields Primary School in London, Great Britain. (2004)

https://twitter.com/shitbritishpics/status/1669650182302998529

Is Tarrant still sentient? I imagine he’s hoping to see out his days quietly. Nell McAndrew is absolutely smokin’

I think overall Chimp is right. There’s just too much connection and pressure from SoMe. The apps have really ramped up the pressure for dating and people who are single (for whatever reason) are seen to have “failed” since they should just be using the apps. It must be exhausting having to meet so many “matches”. 
 

With a bit of luck the next few years will rinse out enough millennials for some sort of normal order to be regained.

20 years ago, as a 25 year old I was still able to get a mortgage to buy a property in London.