I still remember a time when “high-tech” meant having a telephone with a (very long) cord stretched across the living room. Anyone with me?

Those days might seem like ancient history to today’s teens and twenty-somethings, but for those of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, it feels like it was just yesterday.

You know what I mean, right? Blink, and suddenly the gadgets and gizmos we once considered oh-so-normal are now museum pieces in the eyes of Gen Z.

I find it both hilarious and a bit humbling. My grandkids, for instance, recently stumbled upon an old cassette tape in the garage and asked me if it was some kind of vintage decoration. 

Today, we dive into seven everyday items from the ’80s and ’90s that now look like bona fide antiques to Gen Z. 

And while we’re taking this trip down memory lane, I’ll share a few of my own reflections on how these “relics” shaped our lives back then—and how they might still have something to teach us today.

1. Rotary phones

Rotary phones were a staple in my house growing up. I can still picture my mom’s avocado-green model sitting on our kitchen counter, complete with a curly cord that seemed to tangle itself up no matter how careful we were. 

If you handed a rotary phone to a Gen Z kid today, I think they might press a finger in one of the little circular holes and wonder, “Okay, how do I unlock this thing?”

It’s not surprising these phones look so alien. Back then, we didn’t have speed dial or a touch screen, and you had to patiently spin that dial for each number. Yet there was something almost meditative about it—no texting while half-listening to the person on the other end. You had to be fully present.

That phone certainly kept things simple. If you wanted to call a friend, you sat there, dialed the number, and waited. No distractions, no group chats—just one human voice connecting with another. Makes you wonder if all our modern communication channels really make us any closer, right?

2. VHS tapes and VCRs

I can’t count how many Friday nights were spent watching rented VHS tapes from the local video store. 

There was an almost sacred ritual about choosing what to watch, too: scanning the aisles, picking out the perfect movie, and hoping it was “in stock.” Then, once you got home, you had to fiddle with the tracking knob on the VCR to make sure the picture wasn’t too fuzzy. These tapes had a shelf life, too—watch them too many times, and you’d get those snowy lines dancing across the screen.

Today, Gen Z might see a VHS tape and ask, “Is that a book? Or maybe a weird rectangular box?” And don’t even get me started on the process of rewinding. 

In fairness, streaming platforms are more convenient, no argument there. But there was something special about physically selecting a film. It felt like an event, and maybe we appreciated each viewing more because we’d made the effort to pick up that clunky tape, pop it into the VCR, and hit play. 

Now, with every movie just a click away, that sense of anticipation—of truly savoring something—seems a bit lost.

3. Cassettes

Remember when we thought cassettes were cutting-edge? We had cassette singles of our favorite songs, made painstaking mixtapes for friends (or crushes), and learned the universal skill of rewinding a tape with a pencil. 

I recall one road trip with my family, countless hours in the car, and the only way to re-listen to my favorite track was to flip the cassette over and fast-forward or rewind. There was a charm in that imperfection—it forced you to pay attention and be intentional about the songs you chose. 

Compare that to the endless skip button on streaming apps: sure, it’s convenient, but how often do we let a song really sink in these days?

In just a few decades, cassettes went from mainstream to museum-worthy. Who would’ve predicted that rapid a transformation back when we were meticulously labeling mixtapes with ballpoint pens?

4. Floppy disks

Back in the day, if you wanted to save a document, you’d stick a floppy disk into your big old computer and wait for that whirring sound to stop. Each disk held a whopping 1.44 MB of data —enough for a handful of word processing files, maybe a small program, and not much else.

These days, kids see that plastic square and might say, “Oh, that’s the ‘save’ icon from my word processor.” The idea that it was once a physical storage device is mind-blowing to them. Yet at the time, it felt like magic to be able to hold our digital creations in our hands.

5. Polaroid cameras

In an age of Instagram and instant digital images, it’s easy to forget the original pioneer of instant photos: the Polaroid camera. 

My mother had one, and I remember how thrilling it was to take a picture, hear that click and whir, and then wait with bated breath as a white square popped out. We’d hover over it, blowing on the film and shaking it. 

Try explaining to a Gen Z teen that each photo cost money to print, and once you snapped that shot, there was no delete button to help you retake it. Each photo was a tangible memory—sometimes a bit blurry, sometimes accidentally overexposed, but real and unfiltered. 

Ironically, modern photo apps now imitate that same Polaroid “vintage” vibe, complete with faux film borders. I guess everything old becomes new again eventually.

6. Portable cassette players (the Walkman)

Before smartphones allowed us to stream any song at any time, we had our trusty Walkmans. 

Packing my Walkman for a weekend trip felt like a big deal. I’d carefully choose which cassettes to bring—maybe a homemade mix of my favorite rock tunes and one or two comedy tapes for variety.

When my grandson first encountered a Walkman, he tried to open it from the wrong side and pressed the buttons like he was expecting a touchscreen. I can’t blame him; portable music now is about apps and Bluetooth. 

But in the ’80s and ’90s, carrying around those bulky cassette players gave us a sense of freedom. We were the boss of our own soundtrack—until the batteries died, that is.

7. Typewriters

Finally, we come to the clackety-clack machine that helped so many of us craft essays and letters before computers became common. 

Typewriters might look like a steampunk invention to Gen Z, with their heavy keys and that distinctive ding at the end of each line. But for some of us, they were the gateway to a world of written expression.

I remember the first time I sat down to a typewriter as a teen, pecking away at a short story. There was no autocorrect, so every typo was a real pain—literally. If you typed the wrong letter, you had to break out the white correction tape or liquid correction fluid and wait for it to dry. It taught patience and thoroughness, qualities we often lose in an era of instant editing.

Looking back, I think about how important it was to be mindful with each keystroke. Now, with digital word processors, we can revise endlessly—great for productivity, maybe not so great for focusing on each sentence as we write it. 

Parting thoughts

The rapid march of technology can make yesterday’s must-haves look downright prehistoric to a younger generation. 

Each of these items—from rotary phones to typewriters—was once the height of innovation. And who’s to say our modern devices won’t join them in the tech graveyard sooner than we think?

So let me leave you with a question: which of today’s gadgets do you think will look like an antique to the kids of tomorrow? It’s worth pondering. 

After all, the future has a habit of sneaking up on us, and the next time we blink, we might find ourselves holding yet another “vintage” relic in our hands.