People Under 30 Will Never Understand These 11 Simple Joys
There's not much better in life than these simple joys.
MAYA LAB / Shutterstock Many people under 30, largely Gen Zers and millennials, have lived their lives in a completely different environment and context from their older counterparts. From the entertainment they indulged in, to the way they were parented, and even the societal standards they operated alongside, the world they navigated as kids has altered the person they are today.
While there are certainly many good things they’ve experienced, like connecting with new people online and having access to new communities from their phones, that older generations did not have at the same age, people under 30 will never understand these other simple joys. In the same way, the internet, social media, cell phones, and the digital landscape altered people under 30 early in life. These simple joys are the same for their parents and grandparents.
People under 30 will never understand these 11 simple joys
1. Saturday morning cartoons
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Many people over 30 fondly remember Saturday morning cartoons from their childhood. Before being told what chores to do and what was on the agenda, it was a treat to sit in front of the TV with breakfast and a sibling and enjoy the cartoons.
In the modern world, with technology like tablets, cellphones, and streaming services for anything you could ever want to watch, there’s really no consumer base for these cartoons anymore. Everyone is constantly busy and searching for the quickest and most convenient way to entertain themselves. Even settling for whatever was on TV at that moment is a foreign concept for younger people today, who can simply search for and pay for whatever they want to watch at any given time.
However, today, these morning cartoons and old-school films are all a matter of nostalgia and memories for elder millennials and Gen Xers now, a reminder of simpler times that the age of convenience has subtly, yet swiftly, taken away.
2. Developing film
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The excitement of developing film and reliving old memories as if they were new again is one of the simple joys that people under 30 will never truly understand unless they actively seek out the process or invest in a film camera. Now, everyone has convenient technology in their back pocket, with photos, videos, and memories easily accessible and shared.
"It's not that people are 'settling' for smartphone photos. I think that it is more about accessibility and the ability to be connected to the world at any moment in time," Penn State professor Katarin Parizek argues. "The difference is, in the past, images cost something. Film was expensive and it had to be developed, which also cost something, so there was a worth associated with this process. For this reason, people thought a little more before they snapped a picture."
There’s something special about a single photo or piece of film that will never be as convenient as a cell phone or digital camera, but will be endlessly more sacred. When you give it to someone or store it away in a special place, it’s the one and only.
3. Mixtapes and CDs
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While convenience is great in a number of ways, offering opportunities to save time and invest it in the things that truly matter in our lives, it’s also subtly removing sentimentality and intentionality from our lives. We can take as many photos as we want, text someone instead of calling, or even use Spotify to make a playlist in five seconds.
When we show music to someone, it’s not a huge effort. In fact, it takes no more than 10 seconds to share a playlist with someone right from our phones. However, the intentionality, time, and beauty in making someone a mixtape or burning them a CD is so much different from the convenience alternatives we use today.
People under 30 will never understand these simple and intentional joys, because they have everything they could ever possibly want, from jobs to education, information, music, and entertainment – right at their fingertips.
4. Passing notes
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Whether it’s in class or at a public event, many people under 30 will never understand the simple joy of passing notes to friends and crushes. Instead, they spend hours on social media and send quick texts from their screens in ways that feel less intentional, genuine, and physical.
They’ll never hold onto a note from their crush or reap the benefits of handwriting something to express gratitude, because the convenient alternative is right in their back pocket.
5. Hearing their favorite song on the radio
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The excitement of hearing your favorite song on the radio on the way home from work or driving to school is one of the simple joys people under 30 will never understand. If they want to hear something, they use social media, Spotify, or YouTube to pull it up and play it from their phones. They’d be confused and annoyed about the thought of having to wait to potentially never hear it at all.
However, that’s the fun of it for other people who grew up without any of the extra technology or music options in their car. Hearing these songs was exciting and special, never at risk for being chronically overplayed.
Like many of the other things they’re missing out on, the convenient alternatives are too good to give up. In fact, many Gen Zers don’t even use the radio at all, opting for Bluetooth alternatives and CarPlay.
6. Someone remembering your phone number
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If you gave your number to someone and they remembered it for years, how would you feel? In today’s world, it seems unrealistic. Why would anyone try to remember a phone number when they can put it directly into their phone contacts?
However, for people who grew up without smartphones, remembering their friends’ and partners’ phone numbers was the only way they’d be able to get a hold of them using landlines and home phones. It wasn’t just a daily practice for them. It was a reminder of their intentionality. If someone wanted to get a hold of you, they’d figure out how to.
7. A childhood without social media
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While there are certainly a number of exciting and beneficial things that people under 30 experienced from having access to cell phones and social media growing up, the consequences of having access to a phone, endless information, and a world of people right at their fingertips are almost impossible to consider in their entirety.
As a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health argues, kids who overindulge in screen time and social media are not only facing worse mental and physical health outcomes, they’re also more isolated, insecure, socially anxious, self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and grounded as adults.
They missed out on the simple joy of playing outside with friends, dealing with boredom, coping with emotional concerns and issues without technological distractions, and experimenting with their identity without the pressures of comparison online.
8. Figuring out physical maps
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Whether the memory is fondest in a tense car with their families on vacation or trying to make their way to a friend’s house for the first time, people older than 30 couldn’t forget the simple joy of using physical maps and MapQuest printed directions, even if they tried.
For younger generations, it’s unfortunately one of the things they will never understand – with their phones and digital navigation systems conveniently on them at all times. In fact, according to an Ordnance survey, 83% of Gen Zers rely completely on the Internet or their phones to get where they need to go.
So, being able to read a physical map isn't just a simple joy, but it’s also a life skill that some Gen Zers are greatly missing out on.
9. Watching commercials
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Watching commercials is ironically one of the simple joys that people under 30 will never understand in the age of social media, premium subscriptions, and streaming services online. They pause shows to get a snack, rather than running with their siblings to make it back in time to keep watching their show. They don’t make fun of the jingles or act out the boring commercials with friends, because they don’t see them at all.
It’s these simple things that house the funniest memories and more unsuspecting simple joys.
10. Answering the phone
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Without Caller ID or cell phone contacts, every time you answered the phone, it was a surprise. Sadly, the game and mystery of “Who’s calling?” is one of the simple joys people under 30 will never understand. Of course, the grass is always greener. Many people over 30 remember vehemently arguing with their family members about having their personal phone calls answered at home.
However, it’s part of the nostalgia of the past and the excitement of not having access to everything at all times that many people under 30 will never understand or get to experience.
11. Getting magazines in the mail
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While it’s true that physical magazines and print publications are coming “back into style” with many younger generations experiencing digital fatigue from their phones and social media, the height of their popularity as the primary news outlets for many people is something people under 30 will never understand.
They can order them online, read them from time to time, and supplement anything they don’t get with their time on social media, but for their parents and grandparents, reading magazines or the newspaper was their source for the news and cultural happenings.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
