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17 Things That Were Socially Acceptable Back in the 90s, But Not Now!

Those were the days!

If you think back 20 years or so things seemed a lot simpler back then.

If you grew up in the 90s you should be able to easily identify with these things we did back then that were socially accepted.They may seem a little baffling to todays generation of smart technology and social media.

So let’s take a look…

Making Plans To Meet Up

In the good old days you and your friends could arrange to meet up days in advance. All you had to do was say “goodbye” and then show up on the day and time you had originally set, there was no need for contact in between and it was simple.

Running Late

The only problem with making plans is if you were running late, because there was no way of letting this person know.  The only way of communicating with them to let them know was by landline and they’d already left their house. We didn’t use SMS or messaging like we do now.

Nowadays it’s easy for someone to cancel at the last-minute if they just can’t be bothered. Back then you had to make an effort as your friend could be left waiting for hours!

Being ‘Off the Grid’

Today we can be contacted and even tracked wherever we go. In the 90’s we were ‘off the grid’. Once you left the house you could go hours and hours without communicating to anyone and they wouldn’t go into a panic and think you had been abducted or murdered!

Turning Up at Someone’s House

Remember when you had to actually go round to someone’s house to see if they were in? Today when we hear our door bell ring or a knock on the door we go into a blind panic and think “Who the hell is this?”

It’s easy now just to text just before hand to say you will be round in a minute, because in the last 20 years just turning up unannounced seems wrong!

Finding Your Way

Back before sat-navs and smart phones people had to rely on old-fashioned means of navigation such as road signs, map books or by asking for directions and there’s no way a guy is going to ask for directions! We rely so much on sat navs nowadays believing what they say over road signs even if it is directing us to drive through a lake!

Knowing Stuff

Having knowledge was a special power back in the 1990s, when people asked a question and you could answer it they were impressed and not only that, but they believed you.

“Wow! You are so learned”

Even if you told them total bullshit, they couldn’t argue about it. Today, all we have to do is ‘Google‘ anything and we can get an answer instantly, although you should really check the source before taking it as fact!

The Bedroom Posters

We mean wall-to-wall giant posters of musicians, film stars, video games and various other pop culture icons. Kids didn’t need wallpaper or paint back then, they could just plaster their walls with things that represent what they were into. We didn’t have sites like Facebook or Instagram so we showed off what we loved on our walls and school books.

Renting a Movie

If you wanted to go watch a fairly new film you had to make an effort to go down your local video shop. It was kind of an event! You could spend ages walking down the endless aisles for a copy of the latest Van Damme movie. Then you’d get suckered in and end up renting ‘Big’ for the tenth time. You’d also have to rewind and return the tapes in the next day or two. With todays modern streaming and smart TV services this is a thing of the past. You just browse and press Watch in an instant!

Making Time to Watch TV Shows

If there was a TV show on that you regularly watched then you would have to make time to sit and watch it when it was scheduled to be on the TV, or you had to set your VCR to record it. TV wasn’t as convenient as it is today and if you missed the show, then that was it, because there was no catchup TV or Netflix. You may never see that episode of the show ever again if it isn’t repeated!

Having Limited Capacity for Music While Mobile

With no MP3 players or smartphones in those days we were limited to how much music we could carry with us. We had to rely on personal stereos or CD players. We had to make a decision on which tapes or CDs you were going to take with you. We didn’t have our whole music collection available at the touch of a button. Making the choice on which album you would take with you was a real art in choice making.

Baggy Clothes

It’s all fitted and skinny fit clothes at the moment, but back in the 90s people loved to wear baggy ill-fitting clothes. Baggy jeans, baggy jumpers, jackets and even suits. Now if you wore baggy clothes you look like a kid wearing your dads suit. Fashion goes in cycles though, so it will probably make a comeback very soon who knows?

Having to Fight Over the Phone

A families main source of contact was a landline phone and unless you were well-off you only had one line, which the whole family would have to fight over. Many a times you would hear someone in the house yell “Get off the damn phone!”

Having to Fight Over the Internet

Having one phone line and dial-up connection also meant getting permission to use the internet because once you were ‘surfing the web’ it would block the phone when you were on it. People couldn’t ring in and if someone picked the phone up in the house you’d lose the connection. They were testing times!

Having to Remember Phone Numbers

Now it’s easy to phone people just by pressing one button or even voice dialling, but back in the day we had to memorize peoples numbers like we were Rain Man! Now if you reeled off your friends numbers they’d think you’d turned into some kind of crazy stalker!

Throwing Water Over People

I know this isn’t something we would do on a regular basis or even at all, but in those halcyon days It was so easy to pour or throw water at people or even push them in a lake or swimming pool. Why? Because it was funny of course! Just dare try it now and you can bet you’d get more than a punch in the face, but a demand for a replacement iPhone or Fitbit.

Rushing Out to the Sales

Remember those days where shops would have a sale on and you had to get up at the crack of dawn to rush down to the shopping centre? We don’t need to do this any more as all big retailers have online shops open 24 hours and you can buy your clothes, tech and furniture all from the comfort of your living room, bedroom or even on the go.

Doing a Weeks Big Shop

Although, most people probably still do their weekly shop by driving to the supermarket and then choosing their own shopping, it is so easy now to shop online for all your food needs and have it packed and delivered to your door at the time you want. There is no need to spend a nightmare couple of hours trying to keep control of your kids, trying to think of meal ideas while pushing that shopping cart with a dodgy wheel around the supermarket.

Written by Jay

A caffeine-based life form with a love of the 80s and pop culture.

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