What was it like growing up without a smartphone?

I couldn't troll people in the comment sections and be called a fig by an anonymous person while I was driving down the road.

Great in a lot of ways, but I assume people feel less boredom now.

In the palm of your hand you have so much information to read, videos to watch, and / or people to interact with.

With most things -- smartphones are awesome and awful at the same time. One way they are amazing is they make travel so much easier than I imagine it was as a kid.

Used to have to carry a pocket full of nickels, then dimes, then quarters. The cost of a pay phone always went up.

Carried a pager and had a FM two way radio in my company vehicle.


I’ve relayed a radio message from Houma, to a tugboat in Atchafalaya Bay, to Intracoastal City, to Cameron then to Sabine Pass.

It was amazing. Head out exploring the city with the boys on our bikes. Just be home by dark.

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It meant when you were off work you were not working!

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Man isn't that the truth. Leave me a message on my apartment answering machine and I'll get back to you at some point

Those were definitely better times

You had to make plans to see friends. I mean DETAILED plans!

“Hey, where are yall going?”
“Probably the mall”
“When?”
“I told Cheryl we’d meet her there around 3:00 by the Orange Julius”
“Yeah, but she’s always late”
“I know right? So I told her if she doesn’t get there by 3:30, we’re going to be at Space Port, or maybe at Spencer’s.”
“If we miss each other, tell her to call the pay phone at Space Port and ask someone if they’ve seen us. We can tell someone there where we’re going.”
“Is your mom driving us?”
“No my sister’s boyfriend is bringing us in his Trans Am!”
“frickin’ A!”
“When’s he picking you up?”
“I don’t know. I’m hanging out until he gets here.”
“I’ll come to your house on my bike, so don’t leave until I get there, okay?”
“Okay, but I can’t make him wait for you, ya’ know what I mean? Because he’s got that job as Assistant Manager at Shakey’s Pizza, and he can’t be waiting on us.”
“Aw man, you got to stall him somehow! I’ll cut through the woods on my bike! I can be there in like 20 minutes!”
“Okay, but if you miss us, you can go you your grandma’s house on Green Street and ask her to bring you.”
“Yeah, she’d bring me, but not until after Oprah, so I’ll miss you and Cheryl at the Orange Julius.”
“Well look, if that happens, just go to Space Port and we’ll find you there.”
“Yeah okay, but try to wait for me. I’m leaving now.”
“Okay hurry, and bring your quarters!”

IMO ……. less stressful

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I was around 30 when I got my first smartphone, and post college when I got my first cell phone, a brick Nokia.

You didn't really need one that much to make a phone call. There were payphones all over the place.

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Same.

When I started LSU, my mom got me a phone card with a 1-800 number you could call then they would route you to the number you wanted to call.

So you grew up in New Orleans East.