9 Things We Used to Distract Ourselves Before We Had Phones

Scientists say smartphones are incredibly distracting, even when we’re not using them. That they’re killing our ability to have high-quality conversations with each other. In other words, smartphones are basically the devil. Before we were glued to our pocket-sized Internet devices, we were all smooth-talking, socially adept conversation gurus. Or maybe not. The truth is people have been avoiding long, heart-to-heart conversations with friends, family members, and strangers for a long time. I’m not saying we’re not distracted by smartphones. We definitely are; just that smartphones aren’t the first time-wasting distractions to have made their way into our lives. Here are just a few things we used to distract ourselves in the pre-smartphone era.

Books

Before there was Reddit and Buzzfeed. People spent their days reading non-Internet material in the form of ink and paper books. You can read more material with a smartphone and a mobile data connection. Still, phones are bad while books are good.

Newspapers

Nobody has ever wanted to interact with strangers on public transportation, as evidenced by these photos taken by Stanley Kubrick in 1946.

Music

Long before we had smartphones we had portable music players. Nothing says don’t talk to me like a pair of headphones.

The Radio

It’s not like families sat around, and talked to each other before smartphones wormed their way into our lives. Check out this photo of a family tuning in to the radio in 1938 complete with gas masks at the ready.

Television

Some people like to think smartphones are the most distracting invention of the 21st century. Still, that honor almost certainly goes to television. We planned our lives around the TV, inventing things like the TV dinner and trays.

Sports

Radio, television, and the Internet play into one of the biggest and oldest distractions of all time, Sports. It doesn’t matter how you watch a sports match, listen to one, or follow one on Twitter. You’re almost certainly not paying much attention to the people you’re with or having meaningful conversations with your loved ones.

Smoking

Before smartphones and the Internet, people wasted time at work by taking smoking breaks. Frequent smoking breaks. But smoking had declined since the late 90s when technology started changing. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Writing letters

There have always been ways to communicate with people without actually talking to them. Writing letters and notes, for example. A handwritten letter may be more personal than a group text message. However, it’s still less personal than a person-to-person conversation.

Solitaire

Before, there was Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, Words With Friends, and good old-fashioned Windows Solitaire.