Old Media
I had a long conversation with a friend of mine this weekend about how the media has changed since we were kids. Dave is a few months older than I am -- and I turned 49 this summer.
We talked about how, once a year, "The Wizard of Oz" used to be shown on TV. Every kid in the neighborhood (and Dave and I grew up in different states) would look forward to that night. At Dave's house his mom made popcorn, and they would all gather around and watch that movie. We talked about the old black and white "monster movies" that used to be show on Saturday afternoon. One of our neighbors got color TV and so, of course, we used to all hang out at their house. We talked about how the only radio was AM and the excitement we experienced when we got our first radios. Dave remembered one Christmas his parents bought him a tape recorder and how amazing the device was, and how he became popular in his neighborhood because all the kids wanted to record their own voice and listen to it.
Our phones in those days were only dial phones and if you wanted to make a long distance call you had to call the operator first. Long distance calls were very expensive and even your parents were reluctant to call your grandparents in another state for fear of the expense.
We used to spend a lot of time playing board games like monopoly, Stratego, clue, and Life. We played chess and cards. I learned to play bridge with my parents when I was 13. The kids played outside in the summer. There were a lot of kids on my block and we played capture the flag, kick the can, back to the boneyard, 10 steps around the house, and variations of "war" -- day after day.
The new media is so much more integrated into our lives. We have so many more choices about what we watch and do, and we can contribute our thoughts and communicate with others, and gain information SO much more easily. It is amazing really. Is there also something that has been lost?
We talked about how, once a year, "The Wizard of Oz" used to be shown on TV. Every kid in the neighborhood (and Dave and I grew up in different states) would look forward to that night. At Dave's house his mom made popcorn, and they would all gather around and watch that movie. We talked about the old black and white "monster movies" that used to be show on Saturday afternoon. One of our neighbors got color TV and so, of course, we used to all hang out at their house. We talked about how the only radio was AM and the excitement we experienced when we got our first radios. Dave remembered one Christmas his parents bought him a tape recorder and how amazing the device was, and how he became popular in his neighborhood because all the kids wanted to record their own voice and listen to it.
Our phones in those days were only dial phones and if you wanted to make a long distance call you had to call the operator first. Long distance calls were very expensive and even your parents were reluctant to call your grandparents in another state for fear of the expense.
We used to spend a lot of time playing board games like monopoly, Stratego, clue, and Life. We played chess and cards. I learned to play bridge with my parents when I was 13. The kids played outside in the summer. There were a lot of kids on my block and we played capture the flag, kick the can, back to the boneyard, 10 steps around the house, and variations of "war" -- day after day.
The new media is so much more integrated into our lives. We have so many more choices about what we watch and do, and we can contribute our thoughts and communicate with others, and gain information SO much more easily. It is amazing really. Is there also something that has been lost?
posted by Allen Webb at 7:27 AM
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