People are sharing 15 'lost skills' from the past that Gen Z has no idea about

Technology moves fast, and the way we go about our daily lives changes right along with it. The routines that once felt ordinary can disappear almost without notice, replaced by new habits and tools that make the old ones seem almost impossible to imagine. What was once second nature for one generation can feel completely foreign to the next. For the people who remember, those details are still sharp. For those who don’t, it can be hard to picture life working any other way.

Recently, a Reddit thread by u/utssssssss sparked a flood of stories about everyday skills and objects that used to be part of the background of life. They’re the kind of things you didn’t realize you’d miss until they were gone, and hearing about them now might stir up a mix of nostalgia and disbelief. Here are 15 of the most memorable responses.

1. Understanding the timeline of technology

"My kids are very confused about the order in which different technologies appeared. They don’t really understand that computers came long before the internet, and that forms of the internet came long before people think it did (like dial-up AOL in 1989)." – u/BitcoinMD

2. Organizing files without the cloud

"File structures. Because of cloud storage, kids in high school have no idea how file organisation/folders/naming work, which leads to issues with searching for what you need specifically on a computer. Phones/tablets just throw the file at you. We had specific folders for GCSE coursework and would spend ages explaining how to save in a particular spot. A term later, we’d hear ‘MISS MY WORK DISAPPEARED’ only to find it in their personal docs." – u/Best_Needleworker530

3. Recognizing a busy signal

"What the sound of a busy signal means." – u/BOGMTL

4. Knowing constant tracking isn’t normal

"That being constantly tracked, surveyed, and recorded isn’t good." – u/Carefully_random

5. Holding a phone properly

"How to hold a phone up to your ear and mouth rather than holding it in front of you to shout into the mic at the bottom, apparently." – u/infectedsense

6. Reading a paper map

"Paper maps and how to use them." – u/sailingosprey

7. Independent adventures before streetlights came on

"I'm a teacher and the kids think it is some mythological world where children leave the house, go on adventures, and return home before the streetlights go up." – u/theneonwind

8. Submitting schoolwork on paper

"Handing in a paper in university on paper. I talk to university students now, and they hand in all their papers online. Back when I was going in the mid-2000s, everything was handed in on paper." – u/mikel145

9. Taking a screenshot

"How to take a screenshot, instead of taking a photo of your screen with your phone." – u/bemmu

10. Counting change

"It’s both hilarious AND frustrating watching my new hires struggle to count a $200 cash drawer. They do okay with the bills, but when they get to the coins…" – u/stootchmaster2

11. Using a pay phone and calling collect

"Pay phones AND having money for a call AND either knowing the number or having a little black book. Similar: calling collect and blurting out ‘momcomepickmeup’ instead of shelling out money for the call." – u/BriefShiningMoment

12. Showing up unannounced at a friend's house

"Needing to ring the doorbell at your friends’ houses to see if they’re home and if they wanna play outside." – Manonono_

13. Using a landline without confusion

"Using a landline without getting weird looks. Kids probably think it’s some ancient artifact." – u/One-Shame3030

14. Reading a TV guide in print

"Looking at a TV guide. I remember getting out the newspaper every Sunday and searching through it to see what horror movies were playing on late-night cable." – u/Butt_bird

15. Waiting for a Netflix DVD

"Streaming Netflix was still a novel thing compared to receiving DVDs in the mail. Also, TiVo was a big thing for DVR. It was the worst feeling to finally get your Netflix in the mail just for the disc to be scratched." – u/phenolate

For newer generations, this way of life may seem outdated, laborious, and tinged by nostalgia, but there was a certain simplicity to it. New age convenience is pushing us further away from human experiences, away from the capability to process everything we are doing. Perhaps when a newer generation takes the stage, even the easy ways of the Gen Z world will be tested to its limit.