What did you do before the internet?

[aVoice2use]

I used to send smoke signals and wave flags at people as well as horns across the valleys and.......................
..... play records, play games . go out, stay in, watch bands, go to the pub , interact or not with others...........

[Grump]

I'm 30 and got the internet in 2008 when I was 24. Before then I used to watch TV, smoke weed (until about 2005), play computer games and listen to speech / talk radio (Nick at Night on Hallam FM was the highlight of my day haha). I used to go out a lot until I was about 21 because my best friend hadn't yet settled down with his girlfirend, and I had some other friends who I hung around with.

The internet has improved my life in so many ways though. Not least because I found out about SAD and that there are lots of other people like me!

[JakeKale]

This thread is bringing back some fond memories! I also watched lots of late night TV, like The Word (purely because I fancied Dani Behr). I still remember that one night I discovered Peter Jackson's Bad Taste for the first time!

Beyond that, lots of reading and gaming (playing Resident Evil 2 until three in the morning), also have fond memories of Teletext, particularly Megazine as edited by WLW and Digitizer.

It's weird. I don't think I'd trade the internet, but I do feel a sense of loss for those pre-internet nights.

[Grump]

Yeah I sort of miss those nights, even though I had far less going for me back then. (Not that I've got loads going for me now exactly).

Old analogue teletext and ceefax was great, I used to read every page. Chanel 4 teletext was good with Dear Nick and Bamboozle haha. I think they might have been part of megazine?

[JakeKale]

I do remember them, but I can't remember if they were part of Megazine or not.

I just did a quick Google and found this. It even has the thing in the corner!

http://www.mega-zine.co.uk/

[Morgana]

Listened to what few CDs I had and played on an old Playstation. Not good.

[jeeves]

I used to spend alot of time on cubase making Jungle etc, doing drugs & drinking, hanging out with friends, loads of video gaming, some outdoor stuff like biking & stuff.

[Mr. Spaceman]

^Funnily enough in the past few years I've started using my local libraries loads and I go there at least once a week. It helps that mine has a great selection of DVDs and books and a large archive as well that I can search online Having the internet makes some things a lot more fun. One of the great things about the internet is it means I don't accumulate so much stuff. I used to buy 1 or 2 cds a week and would fret about them eventually taking over, considering I only have a small place. I don't miss buying music physically at all.
I got on the internet relatively late, in 2008. Prior to that I would listen to my cd's a lot, watch TV, ride around on trains, and also spend a lot of time feeling lonely, miserable, frustrated and wondering why I was so weird.

[gloriousbirds]

I used to write and paint. Alot.

The internet has diluted me, too much water now. I miss juice!!

Nah, I mostly blame all the therapy. Mostly.

[gloriousbirds]

Originally Posted by Pinkandpurple

I used to get Library Books out (never do that now) and read Magazines. I would Text a lot and I used to listen to Cds and I collected Ornaments though I've got rid of them now!

I still love the library, but it doesn't love me. 60 odd quid fine, I know, how.

[Noddy]

Originally Posted by Medea

I'm 32. I first got the internet 13 years ago. I've always had insomnia and depression/SA etc and often spent many lonely nights and days before the internet either talking to myself (I used to make up stories) or watch the same things on vhs over and over. Sometimes just tv. 24hr tv wasn't up to much then. BBC went off at 1am and ch4 and itv had crap on all night.

So, what did you do before the internet?

Hi Medea. I was around 20 in '92 when email appeared and by age 25 in '97 I was a frequent internet user.

I had a very sociable and active life before the internet - playing rugby, judo, tennis, guitar, girlfriend, cycling, going out with friends, smoking, drinking.

Afterwards not so much and now I am neither active nor social.

Don't think that's due to the internet though. Not entirely.

[Concept]

I used to be on Freeserve. No love lost for dial-up.

[timmyb]

Originally Posted by Tabitha

Remember Freeserve anyone from 1998?

Yes I was on freeserve in about 99 I think when I first connected to the internet. I remember thinking on the first day that I'd limit it to just 1 hour a day. About 12 hours later at six o'clock in the morning I realized that my life had just changed irrevocably.

[Caribou]

I had Freeserve as well. Everytime the phone rang it would knock the Internet off. I remember thinking it was totally amazing though

[Caribou]

Originally Posted by Cynic

Not with me it didn't.

Have to be bloody different don't you?

[Consolida]

Some interesting posts

I think I connected up to the internet about 14 years ago, something like that, and very quickly discovered Dr Richards Social Anxiety website. It was very exciting to find so much advice and support at the click of a button and I then stumbled upon good old SAUK and felt so much less isolated once I came into contact with other SA sufferers.

What did I do before the internet? Hmmm, good question...

I used to spend a lot of time writing to foreign penpals, I definitely read books a lot more and studied for OU courses. I also spent hours staring at a TV screen instead of a Computer one. AND, I felt like I was the only person on the planet who had SA.

Sometimes I think the internet wasn't such a good thing as it meant I spent much less time living in the real world interacting face to face with other people and challenging my fears. However, on the whole, it led to some of my most positive experiences in life that, despite the ups and downs, I wouldn't change for a single second.

[The Jerk]

............Compuserve anyone?.......................

.................. I hope there is Internet in heaven..........

[Spectrelight]

Player guitar and bass
Played video games
Watched more films and TV shows
Read more books

As good as the internet is for meeting people, shopping, finding out things and so on I think I waste far too much time on it these days.

[Spectrelight]

Originally Posted by x-willow-x

This. And I also waste too much time on the internet. Now for example when I'm meant to be working!

I used to read a lot of books, probably about one a week. But I don't think I've read one for a couple of years now. I should probably do something about that!

Why do you always quote my posts when they have typos in? :banghead: Being on the net while working is fine though (I'm on my lunch break)

I didn't get through one a week or anything but it's been at least a year since I read a book.

Also, I didn't have a social life for a long time and I now have friends through this place and I meet the odd girl from a dating site as well so the internet has been good for me overall.

[ExSAguy]

there was stuff before the internet?!

lol just played computer games nonstop. I havery evolved into watching other people play computer games on YouTube, bitching about my crappy life here and then trying to make friends on sites where 90% of people are made up hahaha

[Cheshire Cat]

Spudgun: "I wonder what people did before telly.'

Dave Hedgehog: "Well, they probably had their dinner didn't they?"

Eddie: "No... before telly was invented."

Dave Hedgehog: "Oh, they had cock fights."