Ever wondered how people survived back when smartphones were non-existent? When Facebook, Twitter or Instagram weren’t part of our lives? It’s hard to imagine ourselves under those circumstances, but people back then actually managed. (I know, right?)

You had to carry a physical map

It’s hard to imagine navigating without Waze these days, but people found their way to their destination. What they had were annotated physical maps that they had to carry around. We were wondering what those rolls of Waze-like maps at National Bookstore were for.

People took photos using film

Shots were limited. You couldn’t check and delete photos. That’s what shooting in film was like. Every shot counted so they made sure to only capture the golden and precious moments. They did not have beauty effect back then, poor fellows.

Meet ups were built on trust

People had to plan in advance. They had to meet at the exact time and exact place—it required an unconditional trust between two parties. Wonder how that worked out?

People went to libraries for research

University research had to be done the hard way before  the internet birthed Wikipedia and Google. They had to photocopy pages of  books from the library, and their borrower’s card would always be full. We wonder how high the incidence of plagiarism was back then?

No emails after work

Checking emails was commonly done on desktops before (if they’re lucky to even have one at home). There were no laptops or smartphones that you could bring around. This only meant that all business related matters would end the moment you step out of the office. That’s one thing we all want back (ha, you wish!)

Asking for numbers with a napkin and pen

Napkins and pens were the tools needed to ask for a girls number  (landline number, of course), and the pickup joints were usually  in famed disco clubs back then like Rumors, Mars and Jealousy (Yes, those were the Craft, Belle and Dragon, and Valkyrie back then).

GM was a big thing

GM or group message was the thing during the heydays of texting. It was used to relay messages to your posse that could range from setting a meeting or just really random stuff (which was sometimes annoying).
e.g.

“Musta guys, kita kits bukas ng 10am sa 7-11 sa may school ha.
-GM”

“Sino pa gising diyan? Text naman tayo.
-GM”

People can get needy. But hey, some things never change.

Landline romance

Back  when applying for unli-calls were unheard of, lovers would talk to each other  via the landline– and could last for hours, until the sun comes up.

What was life like for you  before smartphones? Share some of the  nostalgia below!