As technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, it can be tough to keep up with new inventions. On the flip side, we sometimes watch younger generations wrestle with understanding antiquated tech. (Many of my fellow Gen Xers, for example, might not know how to work a phonograph.)
Gen Zers, aka Zoomers, make up the first generation to grow up with texting, social media, and online videos available to them in their formative years. So when they’re presented with technological relics, even from the not-so-distant past, they often find themselves baffled by how they work. Enter the floppy disk.
Whatever could it be?
A clip from The Jennifer Hudson Show titled “Gen Zer Learns What a Floppy Disk Is” showed a young woman trying to make sense of the floppy disk. She said she thought it was something her grandparents used at some point. Then she asked, “Would they maybe play music through it in the car?” The hosts explained that you could store a lot of work on it, and they’d hold on to one in case she ever needed it.
One commenter on this YouTube Short highlighted once again how quickly technology changes. “I remember the first computer I came in contact with. When you put the power on, you couldn’t do anything. You had to put in a cassette and push play and wait 45 minutes. Then you could start doing things. It was 1981.”
‘What computing used to be like’
In a YouTube video posted by Thinking different., tech reviewer Jonathan Horst wanted to look at the files on a giant box’s worth of floppy disks. One problem: He no longer had a computer to support them.
He found a retro computing workshop in Vancouver called Disappearing Inc., where owner Mark Westhaver has equipment to help people sort out their old stuff. (We’re talking ultra-retro, including Atari 2600s, old Macs, Betamaxes, you name it.)
Horst stated that he had so many disks that he needed a Gen Zer to help decide what was worth reviewing. He explained, “I want to show these young’uns what computing used to be like.” He decided that his old colleague, Madison Reeve, was the perfect person for the job, and she showed up to pluck a few disks out of their storage boxes.
Locking in the floppy disk
After sorting through a massive number of floppies labeled as games, photos, and really specific software, they were ready for Reeve to try to make use of one. Horst began by explaining the different disk sizes and why they were called floppy disks.
Then he asked, “Do you know how to put it in?” Reeve laughed and honestly answered, “No. Is it this way? It’s this way? Are we sure?” She figured out how to push the disk into the slot and lock it in.
The trip down memory lane began. Reeve got excited about a Morse code tutorial but quickly found the software didn’t work properly because the floppy disk was created at a time when every computer that came out changed how fast the software ran. (Westhaver explained that the computer they were using didn’t have the “turbo button” needed to slow it down.)
This didn’t stop them from having a blast. As they continued looking at the disks, Reeve found himself impressed by the graphics.
Letting go of the past
Ultimately, Horst concluded that it was time to part with a lot of the disks. “It’s just crazy how you just move on from things; this was a part of my daily life, and now it’s just over.” Reeve felt that at least she learned how to use a floppy disk, sharing, “I don’t think I’d ever actually put this in a computer before.”
Many commenters found themselves reminiscing. One wrote, “I have some old floppies lying around somewhere myself lol. also looked at the list, it’s crazy that you have block out! such a great game, definitely a keep!”
Another YouTuber felt sentimental. “This was beautiful. I remember using floppies in school and I loved them. For me, they were very reliable and, to be honest, I still have a few lying around, plus a completely sealed box of blank floppies. Thank you for this video, it brought back happier times.”
