Only ‘90s kids will understand. Welcome to MsMojo, and if you think you have it rough, for today’s list we’ll be looking at daily struggles kids had to deal with back in the ‘90s.
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00:00 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and if you think you have it rough, for today's list, we're
00:08 looking at daily struggles kids had to deal with back in the 90s.
00:16 Number 10.
00:17 Searching through the phone book.
00:18 Talk to anyone who grew up in the 90s and you might be surprised at how many still remember
00:22 their home phone number from when they were a kid, as well as that of their best friend.
00:30 However, when the number was unknown, that meant using a massive tome called a "phone
00:38 book," which listed every phone number in the area in alphabetical order.
00:45 The books were certainly helpful in the 90s, whereas these days their primary purpose seems
00:50 to be for attempting feats of strength.
00:58 Number 9.
00:59 Understanding song lyrics.
01:00 We've all listened to a song and questioned the lyrics.
01:16 So what do you do these days?
01:17 Well, it's easy.
01:18 You just Google the lyrics.
01:20 Or you can often have them displayed right there on your streaming music app.
01:23 But not in the 90s.
01:33 Back then, the first thing to do was grab the compact disc case and pull out the booklet
01:38 hoping they were included in the decorative sleeve.
01:41 And while that worked sometimes, many times the booklet provided nothing more than copyright
01:45 information, a track listing, artist info, and maybe a photo or two.
01:50 That might help explain why some 90s kids thought Ace of Base was singing "All That
01:54 She Wants Is Another Bagel."
02:00 Number 8.
02:01 No GPS.
02:03 When was the last time you used a printed map to help you get somewhere?
02:06 For some of you, the answer is probably never.
02:13 But that's because you didn't grow up in the 90s.
02:16 Back in the 20th century, printed maps were used all the time to figure out where things
02:20 were and how to get there.
02:22 And if you took the wrong exit, the map didn't automatically reroute you.
02:32 Printed maps were an essential part of every road trip.
02:35 Typically, it would be the person in the passenger seat in charge of navigation.
02:38 But it was a lot of pressure.
02:46 Number 7.
02:47 Y2K.
02:48 It seems silly now, but in the years leading up to the turn of the century, there was a
02:51 real concern around the world that things were gonna fall apart at midnight on January
02:56 1st, 2000.
03:02 The anxiety stemmed from predictions that computer programs wouldn't be able to handle
03:06 the date change.
03:08 As many represented years with just the final two digits.
03:12 Leading up to New Year's Eve 1999, some people began hoarding food and supplies, taking money
03:17 out of banks, and prepping for the end of the world.
03:30 But in the end, Y2K, as it was referred to, came and went with very few incidents.
03:35 There are probably millennials who don't even know that it was ever even a thing.
03:50 Number 6.
03:51 Waiting for the TV Guide.
03:53 Not everyone collected them like Frank Costanza, but there was definitely excitement in the
03:57 air when the TV Guide arrived.
04:09 As the name suggests, this little magazine provided 90s kids with all the information
04:13 regarding television shows, networks, and airtimes for the upcoming week.
04:17 When would we see our favorite shows?
04:19 Had shows been moved to different time slots or days?
04:22 Were there any good movies on that week?
04:27 The TV Guide was the crystal ball 90s kids used to predict the televised future.
04:33 At least as far as the next seven days of viewing possibilities were concerned.
04:41 Number 5.
04:43 Batteries.
04:44 Yeah, we know batteries still exist and can be an annoying part of our lives today.
04:47 However, the bulk of our modern frustrations involve having to plug in the device in order
04:51 to recharge the internal battery.
04:54 Whereas back in the 90s, batteries had to be removed and replaced altogether.
05:00 Which meant not only opening up that one drawer full of batteries that everyone had in their
05:04 house, but also hoping that there were enough left in the size you needed.
05:16 Then there was the question of whether the batteries were still good or not.
05:19 Because of course used batteries ended up back in that same drawer as well.
05:23 Raise your hand if you remember those batteries you had to pinch to see how much charge was
05:26 left.
05:31 Number 4.
05:33 Doing Research Without the Internet.
05:35 We take for granted that we have basically all of the world's information at our fingertips.
05:43 With a computer, a laptop, a tablet, or even your smartphone, you can fully and completely
05:48 research pretty much anything.
05:50 Have a paper to write for school?
05:52 Sign up a word document and a few tabs on your chosen browser to research and you're
05:56 ready to go.
05:57 Now, let us take you back to the 90s when you'd have to go to the school or public
06:07 library to find everything you needed.
06:09 In actual books.
06:11 Or maybe, depending on the topic, you might be able to get away with just using your household
06:16 set of encyclopedias.
06:20 Number 3.
06:21 Waiting for Movies to be Returned to the Video Store.
06:24 These days, the only reason we can't watch what we want when we want is that Netflix
06:29 won't let us use our parents' account for free anymore.
06:38 But if you think that's hardship, just remember that 90s kids had to leave the house and go
06:42 to a physical video store.
06:44 Ever heard of Blockbuster?
06:55 Then once they got there, they had to hope there was still an available copy of the VHS
06:59 or less likely beta left on the shelf to be rented.
07:03 Because if it wasn't there, that meant having to wait for the person who rented it to bring
07:07 it back.
07:15 And then hoping that they had rewound it so there wouldn't be any more waiting around
07:19 back at home.
07:25 Number 2.
07:26 Waiting for Internet to Dial Up.
07:28 Growing up with dial-up internet access really lets you appreciate just how good we have
07:32 it today.
07:33 Just open your laptop and voila, turn on your phone and there it is.
07:39 Walk into a cafe, select the wifi and instant connection.
07:42 No extended wait times or super annoying screeching sounds coming from the modem.
07:51 And to think, 90s kids put up with all of that for, at best, 56 kilobytes per second
07:56 browsing speeds.
07:57 Oh and, let's not forget that internet connections relied on freed up telephone lines.
08:02 So if someone in the house picked up the phone, the connection was immediately cut.
08:07 If someone in the house was using the phone, we couldn't log on to the internet at all.
08:26 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
08:30 Having to call collect.
08:31 Not a quarters but need to call mom to pick you up?
08:34 Just use the collect call trick.
08:39 Someone taping over your VHS.
08:41 You sit down to watch the show you recorded and it's another show instead.
08:57 Rolling down the car window.
08:59 You did it yourself with an actual handle.
09:04 Discman skipping.
09:05 They skipped so much that skip protection became a major selling feature.
09:14 Waiting to see your photos.
09:15 You'd never know someone's eyes were closed until the rule was developed.
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09:41 Needing to be home to make and receive phone calls.
09:44 One of the best things about mobile phones is they allow you to be, well, mobile.
09:49 To make and receive calls from pretty much anywhere.
10:00 By contrast, in the early 90s, the mobility of a phone was directly related to the length
10:04 of the cord attaching the handset to the body of the device.
10:08 Making and receiving phone calls often meant having to stand in the kitchen while the rest
10:11 of the family was around too.
10:19 And as if that wasn't bad enough, imagine finally working up the nerve to call up your
10:22 crush but one of their parents answered the phone instead.
10:26 Yeah, we do not miss that.
10:28 Which 90s struggle are you the happiest about never having to contend with?
10:32 Let us know in the comments.
10:34 Do you agree with our picks?
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10:41 [MUSIC]
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