10 Interesting Things 21st Century Kids would never know

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The new world is arguably the most easygoing place to live in and the best time to be born. However, past years have had a lot to contribute to this and sadly much of it is only memory today. Many ideas and cultures have died down as new things take their place. As life has become more materialistic, everything is treated as an object and as people have gotten busy, looking back and taking a notice have become things of the past. So, hoping to change all that, here are some interesting things that a kid born after the dawn of the new millennium wouldn’t know and the ones who’ve grown up and forgotten would miss.


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Most 21st century kids wouldn’t have seen a VCR tape or a floppy disks except in photographs even though they were very popular a decade or two back. VCR tapes were used to record sound and video from broadcast television to play at a later time. All personal videos were also played on the VCR including wedding tapes, karaoke etc. while the floppy disks were almost solely responsible for transferring data and saving it. It might be astonishing to know that the initial type of Floppies had only a few megabyte of memory space. The usage of floppies started declining before the start of 21st century as better technology came in with recordable CDs with greater capacity while VCRs too became obsolete.



Today when there are more cell phones in a middle class household than there are people and with more connectivity and reach than ever before, it is hard to imagine wait for hours for STD and days for international calls. When landlines were newly popularized, one had to first call the operator and tell them the name/ number of the person you wish to speak to and then finally be connected. Having land-lines was an expensive affair and thus people generally used public booths to make calls whenever required.



Water Bubble Ring Toss was one of the very popular games back in the day when children did not remain exposed to screens all the time. Even though there was more outdoor activity, children used to be very fond of it and loved playing it especially during travel. It remained popular and was a common sight in children’s hands for years and decades to come till it was replaced by advanced, small, hand held video games which were more engaging are offered multiple games. This game is an example of how non-virtual games, too, could be and are very engaging and envelops all the toys in this category.



Pluto, the newly categorised ‘Dwarf Planet’ had actually been a planet for decades since its discovery in 1930. Even though it was the last planet in terms of distance from the Sun and only 0.0021 times Earth’s mass, it was given the status of a planet. Even though it is officially no longer a planet only since 2006, its category had been questioned since the late 1970’s after discoveries by powerful observatories. Today, Pluto is considered to be just another object in the Kuiper Belt as astronomers estimate that there are at least 70,000 icy objects, with the same composition in this Belt.



Contrary to what you might think, I am not talking about the mobile application. I speak of the actual machine that was a common sight in malls, diners, cafes, department stores all over the world and what was also common was to see people standing next to it wearing headphones and dancing care-freely. Jukeboxes were the life of the party and were very fascinating with their colourful buttons and lights. It was a contributor to making music a mass movement and an important part of culture. The jukeboxes were not just music players; they were also symbol of the universality of music and of the young and lively. But as technology progressed and Mp3 players came into being, the jukebox culture diminished putting an end to public performances.



This slogan finds its roots in the opposition to the Vietnamese war in the counter culture movement that was started in the USA and spread through the world. The slogan signifies passive resistance and non violence policy. However it was used worldwide to represent the counter or as it is popularly known, hippie culture. Even though this movement was initially politically driven, it became more of a way of living later on where subcultures promoted alternative art, underground media, drugs, sex etc. Many a songs, graphics and other art forms were produced inspired by the slogan. The idea was dropping out of society to change it. The hippie movement (culture) died out as mainstream media absorbed the art and culture produced by it.



As the city skylines become taller and taller and we reach closer to the sky, the view of a clear starry night has ironically become a rare sight. With city lights shimmering all the time having fictitious beauty, the sky has lost its attraction. The stars which are light years away are consumed by the brightness of the harsh city lights. Gone are the days when one could lay on the terrace and look at all the stars twinkle like fireflies and find constellations. To those born in the 21st century, one of the most beautiful sights of nature is unknown.


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Since the days of drum beating and pigeons, communication, one of the most important aspects of the existence of social animals, has always been on changing for the better in terms of speed and ease. With worldwide connectivity a touch away, the world is smaller than ever; but, as cliché as it may sound, distances have actually increased. The interactions have become more mechanical than ever. Earlier, receiving a letter from a friend or a relative or your lover filled you with joy and made you long for the time you meet them. Today, even though we can talk 24*7, video chat and text, this generation will never know the anxiety of waiting for a letter, the excitement of receiving it and the satisfaction of cherishing it.


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Today, hundreds of science fiction T.V. series and movies that are engaging, with great special effects and VFX, but what 21st century kids have missed is Star Trek (The Original Series). Even though it was cancelled after three seasons, it had major influence on the pop culture and would remain the part of television even after it ended. It talked about futurist humanitarian concepts and has underlined messages. This also led to five successor T.V. series and twelve movies. Star Trek’s influence on the world is often reflected through other shows here it is quoted and is a part of the story. It is also alleged that the character of ‘Sheldon Cooper’ from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is inspired by various characters in Star Trek.


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Internet has amalgamated with our lives, so much so that it is IMPOSSIBLE to imagine life without it and we have forgotten the alternatives to it, how to research, how to socialize, how to share information, how to learn without the existence of the place you do it all. With teens spending 1-2 hours each day using it, it’s hard for them to realize that all this was absent 50 years ago. Even though the internet has made life easy, convenient and brought the world closer on a common platform it has ironically also complicated life, increase procrastination and brought in bizarre attitudinal changes in people. And the fact that you are reading this on a website online is probably as paradoxical as it gets.


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