Top 25 Then and Now, Parents Just Don’t Understand, But Can We Blame Them?

by Staff

DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince hit the nail on the head in 1988: Parents just don’t understand. It’s not their fault, though. Given the ways we play with language, adapt to technology, and “borrow” old terms and images to suit our clever needs, it’s amazing any of us knows what anyone else is talking about, ever. Traffic is a good thing. You used to close a book, but now it has to be turned off. Little old “i” was once just a letter, and now it’s an empire. No one would ever eat a Blackberry. Even our anatomy has had to keep up with the shifting tide. Feet? Those are now mainly for photographing and occasionally for walking.

Here, we’ve compiled a list of where we’ve been and where we are. By the time you’ve read it, there will be updates. Not Facebook updates, just regular, old-timey updates.

We used to tumble;  now we tumblr.

We used to clean our rooms;  now we clean our hard drives.

Streams used to flow continuously; now they stop when we least expect it.

We used to type with typewriters; now we pose with them.

Boards used to be for surfing; now they are for pinning.

Status used to be a symbol; Now it’s an update.

We used to make JIF; now we make GIFs.

We used to make hash browns; now we make hash tags.

We used to have Spam on our sandwich; Now it’s in our inbox.

We used to write in full sentences, BTW; now we ROFL at anyone who does.

We used to just catch mice; now we click them.

We used to eat our food; now we Instagram it.

Screens used to be for looking; now they are for touching.

We used to eat cookies; Now we  disable them.

A surrey used to be a horse-drawn carriage; now Suri is a Cruise.

We used to use five fingers; now all we need are thumbs.

We used to watch videos on the boob tube; now we watch them on the YouTube.

We used to go to outer space; Now we go to cyber space.

Ice Tea and Cocoa used to just be drinks; Now they are reality stars.

We used to catch a virus and go to the doctor; now we call the geek squad.

We used to drink a cup of Java; now its another language

A dell used to be a computer; now she is a singer.

We used to get excited and scream Yahoo! Now we search it.

We used to put books in nooks; WE STILL PUT BOOKS IN NOOKS.

U.N.I.T.Y. used to be a Queen Latifah song; now it’s the name of our company.

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The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.

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