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Gen X parents challenge their Gen Z kids to put a cassette in a boombox and the struggle is real

"Have you given him a phone book or a map?"

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Cassette tapes next to a boombox. A Gen Z-er is frustrated.

There seems to be no shortage of generational videos where kids try to grasp the technology their parents grew up with. It's impressive that they even want to learn, and it's always fun to watch.

In one delightful clip, a Gen X dad (@dakydd07) dares his Gen Z son to put a cassette into a boombox. That's it. That's the entire assignment. With the chyron reading "When Gen Z user meets Gen X device, part 1" we see a young man sitting on his bed holding the box like he was an alien discovering a puppy. We hear the voice of his dad say, "I had him plug in the cord, which that took about a minute to find out where it goes."

The young man continues picking at the boombox. The dad leans over and says, "Now the main objective is to take this cassette…" He then shows an old cassette tape that he explains is an "old mixtape" he made years back. "Put it in. Rewind it to the beginning and press play."

One problem though. The Gen Z-er can't get the door of the boombox open. "You're supposed to press down. I know it's supposed to go in there," he complains. The dad tries to help. "You're sure there's not a button? On top?" This is helpful because lo and behold, he finds it.

The father isn't all that impressed. "Yes. The one that says eject." The kid tries a number of ways to put the tape in, with the dad jokingly saying "Nope" on repeat. "Now he's really in a pickle." He keeps trying… and trying… and his efforts can't be dismissed. The dad finally offers this bit of advice: "Listen to the force."

In part two—and, yes, there is a part two though it's mistakenly also labeled part one in the clip—we have liftoff. Well, kind of. He gets the tape in, but unfortunately we don't get to hear the mixtape because it doesn't play. (This may or may not have been user error.)

Same premise: now a mom tries to get her 15-year-old daughter to get a cassette tape (of course, it's the pop singer Tiffany) into a boombox of her own. She, at first, adorably tries to stick the whole tape, while still in the cassette box, into the contraption. She finally gets it open, but gets frustrated that once she puts it in, it won't close. She eventually turns it upside down and after a little back-and-forth with her parents' help—voila!


@momma_t_75

She just doesnt know how cool it was to have your cassette tapes and boombox!! The 80’s Rocked!!!! #80smusic #80sbaby #80saesthetic #80sthrowback #boomboxclassic #cassettetape #throwback #nostalgia #debbiegibson #tiffany #rockstar #millennial #teensbelike #tiktok #fyp

She is unimpressed with the results, and when asked, "So, would you want to live in the 80s?" she gives a resounding "No" and says she prefers Spotify.

The truth is some Gen Z-ers, especially on the younger side, are drawn to what they call "dumb tech." In a piece for Ad Age, via Hello Superheroes, it's described as "simpler devices that lack the 'smart' features we’re used to today. But calling it dumb isn’t quite right—it’s the tech of the past, the foundations of today’s advancements. These are the gadgets we grew up with, and that’s where the nostalgic appeal comes in."

 boombox, cassette tape, gen x, 80s tech, old tech An old boombox sits on a table.  Photo by Dave Weatherall on Unsplash  

 

Quoting one of the Gen Z-ers they spoke with: "We want to go back to simpler times. Flip phones, devices without Instagram or constant notifications. It’s a countertrend. We've been told we’re being brainwashed by social media, that we’re addicted. So, getting a flip phone is a way to prove we’re not. It’s about showing we can live without it, that we’re still functional members of society.”

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Why so many people say they'd ditch modern day tech to go back to life in the 1980’s

More technology doesn’t equal happiness.

Images via Canva

A person stares longingly at a 1980s cassette caps

Technology is great. It’s wonderful to have infinite information (though not necessarily wisdom) at our fingertips. Our lives are exponentially more convenient, productive, and efficient compared to the ol’ analog days. And not for nothing—I for one love being able to take a thousand photos to get an angle I actually like, versus, clumsily mishandling a disposable camera and forever being haunted by the results.

But has it truly made our lives…better? For everything technology has given us, it has also taken away just as much. And many would consider opting for the simplicity of a bygone era.

In fact, when a viral X post asked, “would you give up your cell phone, internet, and all of the inventions of the past 35 years to live in the 1980s again?” an overwhelming amount of people came back with a resounding “yes.”

 

“In a heartbeat,” one person wrote, while another said, in call caps, “YES, YES, & HELL YES!”

Or course, some of this yearning might have more to do with nostalgia. The past often feels more appealing than the present because our brains filter out the bad stuff due to a process called “rosy retrospection.” So the good ol’ days seem good because of how we’re currently processing a precious memory.

You can even see a bit of this playing out in some of the comments. One person wrote, “Yes, I would have a chance to see my Dad again and tell him - that I loved him,” while another said, “Absolutely. Ditch the Iphone, give me a Walkman, and a pantry full of Pizza Rolls. I’ll be slow dancing to Phil Collins in a power suit while my VCR eats a Blockbuster rental.”

 

Neither of these examples truly indicate that the minimal tech era was indeed better for the whole of humanity (or even for the individual). But it does contain moments the commenters found positive. Bringing back the concept of photos, it’s akin to seeing a picture you took years ago, that you thought you looked fat in, only to now bask in how young and vibrant you were.

Still, as many experts and everyday folks can agree, the rise of technology in the age of capitalism is nonetheless a nasty combo.

As Dan Demers wrote in Forbes, “instead of streamlining and simplifying, technology has become a constant game of one-upmanship. Companies are always trying to outdo one another by cramming in more and more, without really thinking about what is absolutely essential.”

Similarly, in his online blog business strategist and author Chris Skinner noted how the prevalent presence of technology keeps up “working nonstop” and “consuming the planet.”

So, the obvious, most honest answer is, of course: technology has made our lives better…and also worse. But one could argue that it’s mainly unregulated technology + unregulated consumerism that’s the culprit. Technology is, after all, merely a tool.

This is where digital detoxes come in. Since, barring a Matrix-style takedown of all robot lifeforms, technology isn’t going anywhere, all we can really do is take control of our own consumption. Luckily, in terms of mental health, it really works.

According to the Newport Institute, there are 8 effective ways to take a break from your digital devices:

1. Dedicate chunk of your day to going offline, even if you can't commit to a full day

Most of us simply can’t completely disconnect due to work, school, or other obligations. But even an hour before bed each night can be effective.

2. Start small and work your way up

First 15 minutes each morning, then 30, then so on. Maybe you can work your way up to a full day, but no need to pressure yourself.

3. Turn off notifications

This is a big one. You can either test your restraint every time you get a little ding on phone, or you can eliminate the temptation.

4. Delete apps

Like step 3, on steroids. As the Newport Institute article notes, you can always get these apps back if you find that you do in fact need them.

4. Physically separate yourself from your phone

Leave it in another room, in a box that automatically puts it in airplane mode, or, if you’re brave enough, at home completely.

6. Start an accountability group

Odds are there are other folds in your social circle that would love to digital detox as well. Have a no-phones dinner or hike with friends. You could even start a money pool for those who end up braking to keep things interesting

7. Invest in a cold school alarm clock

This automatically sets up to at least not wake up with your device.

8. Make tech-free plans

There are plenty of activities—a beach day, a bike ride, a nature walk—that don’t requite a phone, and are far more fun without them.

Bottom line: we might never agree on whether or not technology is the savior or doom of civilization, or whether the pre-tech 80s were in fact the better time to be alive. But we can all say that we are here, now, and there are ways to make the best out of life, no matter what era we’re in.

We can also all agree that nobody needs to go back to 80s hair bands, right?

80s tech, technology, 80s nostalgia, life before cell phones, life before the internet, big techNobody wants this. media3.giphy.com

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16 nostalgic sounds only people over 30 will recognize

Most of these will never be heard in their natural habitat again.

Canva Photos & Jason Toney/Flickr

The sound of a dot matrix printer, or the pop of a Snapple bottle — that's what the world used to sound like.

Is it just me or has the world become increasingly silent? Don't get me wrong, we're certainly bombarded by things fighting for our attention—ads, content distributed by algorithms, notifications. But it's mostly visual noise. The more time goes on, the more it feels like there are fewer and fewer real, tactile sounds in our life.

Even the relatively iconic "iPhone ringtone" is a thing of the past, as is the text message "ping." A majority of people keep their phones on silent, even going so far as to watch YouTube and social media videos without sound. After all, auto-captions are far less intrusive when out and about.

One social media user, perhaps nostalgic for when real-life objects actually made noise, had a question for people over 30: What’s a sound from your childhood that younger generations will never hear?

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The answers in the Reddit thread did not disappoint. Collectively, they're a warm and welcoming stroll down memory lane, and a reminder that the world used to sound, well, really nice.

1. A floppy disk being read

Honestly everything about old computers was so manual and tactile. This is what booting up a computer and reading a few files sounded like back in the day. You can practically feel the vibrations running down your spine in the best way!

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

2. The clink of a metal seat belt buckle

Buckling yourself into the car used to sound so much better when the entire buckle was made of metal and not plastic. The satisfying "cachunk" really made you feel safe and protected.

You just had to watch yourself if your car had been sitting in the hot sun for a while, or you could seriously burn your leg. But that's also why the 80s and 90s invented car window shades that looked like a big pair of sunglasses.

3. Cassette tapes and VHS tapes rewinding

It might shock younger people to hear it, but that Netflix button "Play From Beginning" didn't always exist. No, media used to be linear, and when you were done watching, you had to rewind it back to the beginning for next time (or for the next person... "Be Kind, Rewind" was the saying).

The sound was incredibly soothing.

4. The sound on AIM when your friends logged on or off

To me, this is the sound that encapsulates middle school. It was mine and my friends' first taste of freedom; the freedom to communicate with each other outside of school without our parents facilitating it. We'd spend hours on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and the sounds of a buddy logging in, logging out, and sending a message are forever etched in my brain.


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

5. The sound of the phone operator

Hey, remember when you picked up the phone and waited too long to dial? Or dialed the wrong number? I bet you can recite the script from memory if you're over 30:

"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again."

6. The sound of hanging up a phone

Just trust me, kids. Pressing the little red "End Call" button on your phone has nothing on physically hanging up a telephone receiver the size of a large hot dog.

If you were pissed at someone you could even slam it down to end the call with incredible emphasis. It was powerful. It was awesome. You really had to be there.

7. The Windows start-up sound

In the 90s and 00s, you were either a PC family or a Mac family. If you were a PC family, you probably walked into your family's "computer room" thousands of times only to hear this:


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

8. A dial tone and the busy signal

On some modern phones and carriers, you may still hear some form of "busy" signal when you call someone who's talking on the other line. Chances are, though, the phone will just ring and eventually you'll be sent to voicemail.

The dial tone, though, is truly special. Any time you picked up a phone, you'd hear this sort of plain, inoffensive, steady tone that indicated your phone line was active and waiting for you to punch in a number.

Anyone who's old enough to have used a landline phones knows these sounds intimately.

9. The dial-up Internet sound

Similarly, you have to be of a certain age to remember "logging on" to the Internet. You'd have a small machine called a modem that, instead of being constantly connected, had to quite literally dial a number to connect to the web.

For some reason, they all made the same hideous screeching noise while trying to connect. It's called a "handshake" and it's basically the sound of your modem exchanging data with a server somewhere. Why our poor ears had to hear it is a mystery, but after all these years, the horrid sound has become nostalgic and quite pleasing.

10. The "KASHUNK!" of turning off an old, chunky TV

Older televisions, too, were not dainty little things. They were filled with tubes, lead, circuit boards, and gasses. They made real noises, both when you pressed in their gigantic Power buttons (or better yet, turned a knob).

But the innards also made very satisfying sounds when they turned on and off. Some models had a very tangible pop that felt so much better than modern TVs which just silently go dark.

11. The sound of a quarter in a juke box

Or an arcade game. Or a vending machine.

Sliding a metal coin into a slot and hearing it fall down and activate the mechanical mechanisms inside a machine was so outrageously satisfying. And you knew right away when it didn't sound right and the machine was broken! Today, most machines are coinless. Some still accept bills, while others take credit cards or "game cards" that are loaded with money. We really lost something when we got rid of quarter pinball machines, I'm telling you.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

12. The popping of paper caps in a cap gun

It might be for the best that toy guns are no longer in vogue, but the sound (and smells...mmm, the smells) of paper caps popping off from a cap gun just take you right back to childhood.

I can still remember exactly what the little cap rolls looked like, the way they felt in my hands, and what they sounded like as those little puffs of white smoke drizzled out of the end of the toy. Pure bliss.

13. AOL: "You've got mail!"

It's not just a rom-com! No, "You've Got Mail" was truly a way of life for early Internet users getting by on free AOL trial CDs.

Can you imagine your computer literally saying "You've got mail!" every single time you get an email nowadays? It would simply be unmanageable. But back in the 90s, getting an email was an exciting event, and AOL helped commemorate it with this iconic sound effect.

14. A dot matrix printer

Laser printers really ruined everything. This is what real work is supposed to sound like:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

15. The "Cha-Ching" of an old cash register

Cash registers are still around, obviously, but they're computer-driven with fancy interfaces, touchscreens, and automatic drawers.

You haven't really lived until you've experienced what a real cash register sounds like. When you hit that drawer button and the mechanical springs pop the drawer open, my goodness does it sound nice. It sounds like commerce is supposed to sound. In fact, "Cha-Ching!" is so iconic that we all associate it with money even though most young people have never heard the sound in its truest form.

16. The popping sound of opening a fresh Snapple

Snapple may still exist in some stores, but there was a time when it was one of the most popular beverages on the planet. And it had to be in no small part because of the satisfying "pop" you'd hear when you twisted open one of their famous glass bottles.

As a little bonus, you were then treated to a Snapple Fact under the lid for your effort. Now that's refreshing.

The good news for millennials and Gen Xers is that tactile, mechanical buttons and interfaces may be making a small comeback.

Engineers and designers have recently realized they've gone too far in some cases—people truly don't want everything to be a touchscreen. In cars, for example, customers find computer interfaces annoying and distracting, much preferring a real knob to change the temperature or a button to turn on their hazard lights.

We like a little physical and audible feedback in our lives. It's why our phone sometimes buzzes or pulses every so slightly when we press a button. But those little vibrations just aren't the same as a ratcheting dial, a thick heavy button that snaps in and out of place, or even the iconic trilling noise of collecting coins in Mario. Call it pure nostalgia if you want, but some things were actually better when they made noise, and this list is the proof.

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Gen X woman describes what Halloween was like in the 80s with perfect accuracy

"Every single member of Gen X can smell this photo."

Photo credit: ~ tOkKa/Flickr, Canva

Halloween costumes in the 80s were terrifyingly terrible.

Halloween has come a long way since the 70s and 80s, when Gen X kids donned the worst mass-produced costumes known to man to go out and ask strangers for candy that we were sure was laced with poison or razor blades. Those sure were good times, though, weren't they? Social media creator Kelly Manno shared a video describing what Halloween was like for kids who grew up in "the forgotten generation," and holy moly is it accurate.

First, Manno showed a photo of someone dressed in an "80s costume" for Halloween, with neon colors and legwarmers and big hair, and said, "Absolutely nobody looked like that in the 80s, especially on Halloween. We looked like this."

Then she showed a grainy photo of kids in the plastic masks and poorly printed costumes that were the hallmark of the age.

"Every single member of Gen X can smell this photo," she said. "It's like a vinyl, like plasticky paint smell."

Manno explained that our parents only took a few photos of us per year, and Halloween was always one of them.

"You knew, before you went out trick-or-treating, that you had to line up with your cousins in front of the fireplace, in your highly flammable costumes, with your mom chain-smoking Virginia Slims.'"

Oh, those masks were the worst inventions ever. The eyeholes never lined up properly, so you were constantly trying to adjust them to be able to see even a little bit.

media4.giphy.com

"We would push our tongue through the slit in the mask. It would cut our tongue, but then we'd keep doing it again because we were eaten up with OCD and ADD and nobody cared."

Then Manno described the "garbage bag costumes" we had, which were basically trash bags printed with whatever character it was supposed to be. So janky. So sweaty. So crinkly when we walked. But somehow still socially preferable to your mom making your costume from scratch.

"Look at us, we were terrifying," Manno concludes. "No wonder people tried to poison us."

media1.giphy.com

Her descriptions of what it felt like to trick-or-treat in those costumes and haul our own bodyweight in candy are spot on, and people who lived it are feeling the nostalgia.

"So much truth in one video! 😂 I just saw, heard, and smelled my childhood."

"You are literally making me laugh so damn hard, cause you described it exactly as it was, but my mom smoked Winston's!"

"It was always freezing on Halloween that the vinyl/plastic suit would crack and tear halfway through the night."

"Or the rubber band breaking at the second house and you had to hold it up on your face at the door the rest of the night. 😂 Good times."

"The tongue thing is on point. I can still feel it. 😂"

"I can totally smell that picture lol. I remember the steam from inside the mask would have your lashes and eyebrows covered in dew then after a couple streets of running house to house the crotch would tear out. We would stay out until everybody turned their lights off and the pillow case was full."

"Yes!!!! And we used a pillow case for our candy. And no adult supervision."

"My mom made me really nice homemade costumes, but I remember begging for the plastic Strawberry Shortcake garbage bag one. So, she bought it for me one year. That was a terrible, sweaty experience. 😂"

"Let’s not forget having to inspect every piece of candy for razor blades. I swear I lost half my haul to my father in that clean up. 🍬 🍫 😢"

Kids these days have no idea, with their official city trick-or-treat hours and their parents walking around with them and their costumes that actually look like the thing they're trying to be. The 70s and 80s were a wild time, and as funny as it is to reminisce about those Halloweens of old, most of us would agree that the experience has been much improved for our own kids.

media.giphy.com

Pillowcases still make the best trick-or-treat bags, though. Some things do not change.

This article originally appeared last year.

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