Boomer shares 'simple joys' that no longer exist today — and Gen Z is really missing out

A TikTok video from creator @over60andfabulous is reminding millions of people that the Baby Boomer generation grew up in a world that looked very different from today’s. In her post that gained over 85,000 views, she walked viewers through what it meant to live before cell phones, social media, and constant digital connection, beginning with, "Hey Boomers, do you realize that we are the last generation that exists who knows what it's like to live without social media or cell phones? We're the only ones who know what it's like to wait for a crush to call you on the phone and not know who it was when the phone rang until you picked it up."

From there, she recalled the frustrations and freedoms of that time, including the long phone calls that tied up the landline and busy signals that sometimes made it impossible to reach a friend. Without texting or email, people had to decide whether to keep trying or just give up. When friends hung out, there weren’t selfies or blurry tagged pictures, but just time spent together. She also shared how Boomers knew "how to make mixed tapes and listen to them on our boombox, to break up with someone and never hear from them again." She remembered what it was like to go on vacation and completely disappear, waiting days after returning to see if the photos developed properly, all while hoping the film wasn’t ruined by accident.

She also pointed out how mistakes didn’t live forever online. "We look like how we looked, imperfections and all," she said. People left the house without phones, and no one cared. "If we needed to call someone when we were out, we'd rely on our brains because we had those important numbers memorized," she recalled. Television meant just a handful of channels, and if you missed an episode, it was gone. She also reminisced about how notes were folded and passed in class, and asking someone out happened face-to-face, nerves and all. She closed with a bittersweet reflection, saying, "We didn't have followers. We had friends. What a concept."

Her reminiscence lines up with what studies have found about how Boomers and older generations actually lived through the analog era, when life wasn’t curated through screens. Today, about 68% of Boomers own smartphones, but only a small fraction feel comfortable using newer tools like AI, according to a Pew Research Center survey. By contrast, Millennials and Gen Zers are immersed in tech — 86% of Gen Z say technology is essential to their lives — and their memories are often documented, shared, and stored online, as per a CTA report.

The video quickly made its way across TikTok, with viewers chiming in to share their own memories and appreciation for her perspective. @skislopeshaul commented, "To write a letter to a far away friend, then wait for 2 weeks for a letter back." @userrr19383484904 added, "Lol. I’m the last of the Boomers and I’m so glad I was born into that generation. Great childhood, great parents, great memories. No matter how hard I try, my children will never experience what we had." @garyrediger wrote, "Very well said. I'm Gen X but I remember most of the things you tell us about it. Those were the good old days. Much simpler than today."

You can follow @over60andfabulous on TikTok for more lifestyle videos.

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