It’s a brand new year. Babies who were born yesterday on the 1st day of 2012 will turn 21 in the year 2033. But what will the world be like then? Although it may be hard for some of us current generation adults to accept, some of the things we’re most familiar with will be obsolete and completely unknown to the 2012 babies.
Here is a list of the some things today’s baby will never know:
BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS:
Just like the VCR, words written on dead trees are on the fast track to extinction. Devices like the iPad and Kindle will be good enough for today’s baby and will serve as a capable replacement to text books in schools and colleges.
MOVIE RENTAL STORES:
Can you believe we actually used to get in our cars and drive somewhere just to rent a movie? Then we’d have to drive back to return it on time or risk a fine. Today’s baby will never be able to fathom such an old concept.
WIRED TELEPHONES:
When you tell today’s babies that you used to pay upwards of $35 every month for a phone that plugs into a wall, that required you to stay within 8 feet of it just to use, they’ll either look at you in disbelief or laugh right in your face!
THE TELEPHONE BOOK:
Once upon a time we all used to look forward to the annual release of the 10 pound white pages and the 20 pound yellow pages. But modern technology and the Internet made them both obsolete for future generations.
LONG DISTANCE:
Remember a time when there was a distinction between local and long distance calls — where we’d have to pay per minute charges just based on the distance? That concept will seem archaic to today’s babies.
DIAL-UP INTERNET:
Plugging a home telephone cord into our computer, then waiting for the beeps and whistles to log us onto the slow as molasses world wide web was just how we did things less than 10 years ago. But for today’s baby, that will be inconceivable.
FAX MACHINES:
To get a document from the east coast to the west coast via telephone wires in less than 20 seconds was once a marvel of technology. Then came the “scan,” “.pdf” and “email.” The only way today’s baby will ever see a fax machine will be in a museum.
CDs:
First came records. Then 8-track tapes. Then cassette tapes. Then CDs. But the Apple iPod made having a hard copy of every piece of music an unnecessary burden. Digital music streaming from the clouds to any device, anywhere and at anytime will be all today’s baby will ever know.
FILM CAMERAS:
Putting film inside a camera just to take a picture, then waiting 3 days for it to develop will seem ancient to today’s baby. Having a built in camera on most every cell phone has made film cameras and even stand alone digital cameras completely unnecessary for today’s casual user.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS:
Try someday explaining to today’s baby how we used to buy an expensive set of books that were outdated even before the ink was dry. This will seem like utter nonsense to them.
WIRES:
Wires connecting phones to walls; connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other; connecting computers to the Internet; etc. Wires used to be built into the walls of new homes or strewn through offices just to keep us connected. But to kids born in 2012, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.
HAND WRITTEN LETTERS:
Oh boy… hand written letters, or for that matter hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote a letter, note, or anything in cursive? In fact, do you even remember what the word “cursive” means? Mentioning “cursive” to kids born in 2012 will be like speaking gibberish!
MULTI-TASKING:
Remember when it used to be rude to talk on the phone with someone while you were already in person with someone else? Kids born in 2012 will never know that concept. Instead, they will believe they’re supposed to maintain multiple text conversations with multiple people while pretending to pay attention to the person they happen to be physically in person with.
MAIL:
At the rapid rate the U.S. Postal Service is dying a sure death, the thought of buying a stamp, putting it on an envelope, then waiting several days for it to arrive is on track to being a forgotten memory before today’s baby even reaches the 1st grade.
T.V. COMMERCIALS:
They’re extremely expensive to produce, frequently avoided with DVRs and easily ignored. Once television loses the old broadcast model and becomes a la carte, commercials will be an unknown nuisance to today’s baby.
RADIO STATIONS:
The various AM and FM stations made available on car or home stereo systems are quickly becoming unnecessary with such services as Pandora and Sirius. Today’s baby will never need a radio station to play random miscellaneous songs for entertainment, when a streaming service or digital music player will prove much more effective.
LONG LOST FRIENDS:
Gone are the days when an old friend would bring up someone from high school who you lost touch with over the years. Thanks to Facebook and other social networking sites, today’s baby will have the option to remain connected with any and everyone for life!
