In a very short amount of time, our smart phones have become a necessity in our day to day lives. When our parents were our age or younger, they weren’t even a figment of Steve Jobs’ imagination. There were so many things they were never exposed to – and vice versa.

Here are five experiences our parents went through that we won’t — unless you don’t use the internet. In which case, how are you reading this article?

Taking Photos And Getting Them Developed

Back in the day when our parents would be taking a selfie (if that was even a thing then?) they obviously used cameras instead of smartphones and editing apps.

They’d also just take one photo of an event and that was it. These days, since our phones are so accessible, we take hundred of pics on a night out In a way, photos have lost their specialness. In our rent’s generation, it was a process to get photographs printed and added to the photo album.

Also, “DELETE, I LOOK UGLY” certainly wasn’t a thing. The photo was developed and you just had to cringe and bear it.

Backpacking Properly

Everytime I hear the travel stories of my parents or friends’ parents, it sounds completely different to the “backpacking” we’ve all experienced. They’ve hitchhiked country to country, slept on beaches in Greece and budgeted to spend $20 a week for their indefinite length of a trip.

It was a different time, and we’ve grown up with wanting and needing more protection. We book hostels and AirBnbs and still sip expensive cocktails even though we tell everyone back home that we were “backpacking” Europe. 

Moving Out As Soon As They Turn 18

Again, a different time. We all envy the fact that our parents moved out before we ever will and bought their first home when they were probably around 23. We, on the other hand, are all expecting to stay at home for as long as we can. Because let’s face it, real estate in Australia now has become completely unattainable. Sad reacts only. 

Growing Up Without The Internet

But now, now — it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the 70s. They had no internet. Not even computers. Nothing! The internet’s our world now. It’s completely unimaginable what their lives would have been like without it. They had to go to the library and find a book on whatever answer they were looking for. Now it takes literally 30 seconds to find out anything we want. They had to watch their fave shows live on TV, and wait a week for the next episode. Try to imagine never having had a Netflix binge — like, no thanks.

Different Societal Expectations

There was a time where the standard home life was the mother being a housewife and the father working at a nearby business. Now, if you live and breathe the show Modern Family like me, you’ll know that families are very different these days. Family roles are different. Jobs are different. Social expectations are, thankfully, different. We’re in a very lucky time to be alive — people feel more free and open about their sexuality, the wife can be the breadwinner and everyone feels that it’s OK for every family to be a little different.

Our generation wins points for this one!