Which Of These “Retro Activities” Have You NEVER Done?

It’s 2023, which means that you might have to be in your 40s to remember a time BEFORE the Internet.  A new poll asked people if they’ve done various “retro activities.”  They included people of ALL AGES. Here’s a rundown of what they found:

1.  6% haven’t listened to music on a cassette.

2.  7% haven’t used a printer in their own home.

3.  9% haven’t sent a postcard.

4.  10% haven’t taken photos on a non-disposable camera that used film.

5.  10% haven’t used a wall calendar to keep track of birthdays and events.

6.  11% haven’t bought a physical newspaper.

7.  12% haven’t used a fountain pen to write.

8.  13% haven’t used the Yellow Pages to look up a phone number.

9.  14% haven’t used a public pay phone to make a phone call.

10.  15% haven’t listened to music on a vinyl record player, even if it’s hip again.

11.  16% haven’t used a floppy disc on a computer.

12.  18% haven’t used a physical road map.

13.  19% haven’t connected to the internet using a dial-up connection.

14.  19% haven’t paid for something using a check.

15.  25% haven’t made a phone call on a rotary phone.

16.  26% haven’t watched a black-and-white television.

17.  26% haven’t owned an encyclopedia.

18.  33% haven’t typed on a typewriter.

19.  36% haven’t sent a fax.

20.  42% haven’t smoked a cigarette.

21.  44% haven’t written to a pen-pal.

22.  73% haven’t used a pager.

23.  73% haven’t had an account on MySpace.

24.  78% haven’t sent or received a telegram.

 

Hit up YouGov.com for even more, including how the percentages broke down by sex and age.

 

BONUS: Top 7 Activities That Should Be Considered “Retro Activities” by Now, but Aren’t!

1. Flossing.  Sawing string between our teeth feels very 1723 . . . not 2023!
2. Dropped calls.  C’mon, phone companies…is it THAT hard to provide coverage to the back of our house?!
3. Scrubbing the BBQ grill.  Why can’t we just lock the lid, press a “wash” button, and open it an hour later to behold sparkly-clean grates?!
4. Figuring out what the dog wants.  If we have the technology to hit an asteroid seven million miles in space, we should have the technology to interpret “Woof!”
5. Paying $70 for printer toner.  What’s in that cartridge…Vibranium?!
6. Pushing all those buttons at the gas pump.  Why don’t we have a biometric “fill-up profile,” so that the pump just scans our eye and knows right away that we A) don’t want a car wash and B) don’t have a loyalty card and C) don’t WANT a loyalty card!
7. Commuting.  Where are the jetpacks we were promised?!