Edited by Sophia Savva
I’m turning 20 years old soon, which means I’m getting pretty damn old. Of course, this calls for a bit of self-reflection as I start becoming a proper adult (which, to be honest, will never completely happen). One of the things I’ve been thinking about is how technology has been such a huge part of my life, and how I’ve grown up with some of the biggest technological advancements in the past 100 or so years. Our generation has been known for living in a time when we mostly played outside and enjoyed old-fashioned games, but also quickly adapted to the highly technological world of today. So I thought I’d reflect on all the devices I have been using for the past 20 years of my life, and how much they have progressed over the years, all the way to the smartphone and laptop I use today.
1. Walkman (1-3 years old)
When I was a toddler, my parents played Bollywood songs on their Walkman and left it near wherever I was playing. I loved and used the Walkman so much that by the time I was 3 years old, I learned how to switch the cassette tape sides by myself. Looking back, I realized how I readily embraced the technology from such a young age, while my parents still have trouble texting with their smartphones. I also noticed how much easier it is to access multiple albums. Now I pretty much store all my music in my phone and access albums from Spotify, which means I don’t have to change the cassette for the next album.
2. Barbie.com, Miniclip, and other websites (5-12 years old)
My first foray into the internet was through websites like Barbie.com, Miniclip, and YouTube. My parents were pretty strict with my internet access, but I was still fascinated by how much I could do with the internet. As a child, my knowledge of the internet was mostly restricted to games, but as I started getting access to YouTube and Google I started to realise how useful the internet really was. I quickly learned how to use search terms properly on Google and use the internet properly for my needs. It’s considered a given, but a lot of people actually struggle with it. Growing up surrounded by technology actually helped me adapt to new technology like the internet much easier.
3. First computer/laptop (5 – 15 years old)
My first computer was a desktop that my family used together. It was a bit of a hassle to handle to be honest, and was loud and slow. There was a lot of things that had to be done when switching it on, like switching on the CPU, connecting the keyboard, waiting for the dial-up internet to connect, etc. In grade 8, I got my first laptop, which was a hand-me-down PC from my parents. It was definitely an upgrade, but was still a bit slow and was definitely incapable of doing many things.
Today, I own a MacBook Air that I saved up money to buy, and it definitely has a lot more features to use. I can store documents and access them in different places and devices, I can listen to music, quickly access wireless internet, etc.
4. First MP3 Player (12 years old)
After the Walkman, this was my chance to play more music. Now I could carry multiple albums in one device instead of carrying cassettes for each album. I also started using YouTube and Google extensively and started exploring more songs in multiple languages and genres, so I started developing an interest in collecting music. I still collect music today, making playlists on Spotify and iTunes for my commute. Downloading music was still a bit of a hassle, and of course, services like Spotify didn’t really exist. Today, it’s much easier to access a variety of music and save albums on multiple devices, and access them from multiple devices (I can access the Spotify playlist I made on my phone from my laptop!)
5. First phone (14 years old)
My first phone was a flip phone that I borrowed from my mother. I wasn’t allowed to call or text anyone but my parents, and I really couldn’t do much else with it anyway. It had a pre-loaded game called Snake, which I used to obsessively play. I got the hang of texting with keys and accurately pressing the buttons quickly to get the message I needed to send. In grade 9, I was able to get my first smartphone, which allowed me to store music, call and text anyone, and access the internet. It was huge jump in technology, but I quickly got used to it!
6. Current iPhone (18 years old)
Of course, my phone today beats most of the technology I owned and interacted with up until now. I have an iPhone 5S, and while it probably pales in comparison to the iPhone X or iPhone 8 that was released in the past few months, it is definitely a huge improvement and a nice combination of everything. I can listen to and store music, access the internet, communicate, as well as watch TV (if you’re huge on Netflix like me)! I’m also able to access and transport any work related files I have for a short period of time, or access it through a Cloud or Drive app.
It’s pretty amazing to think that everything is converged into this small device I carry around with me everywhere, and it makes me realize the extent to which technology has developed in the last 20 years. I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
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