SIphotography / istock.com
Some of you were born before the internet. You, like me, lived through a period of time when analog was real.
Think back. Do you remember setting an alarm clock by hand, maybe even winding a dial? What about reading a book[1]? Did you flip sheets of paper to scroll through the narrative? Do you remember appointment TV[2], rushing to make sure you were home at the right time, on the right night, to watch your favorite show?
Read also: Comcast: How customer experience drives product development[3]
When it came to news and community, do you remember actually talking to people and reading the paper or watching the news? News wasn't provided by just anyone[4] (including foreign frenemies) who could drop some words in 86-point Impact font on top of a picture.
Yes, national TV news was somewhat homogenous, but the real action was in all the local news outlets[5], both TV and newspaper, which reflected a wide variety of viewpoints and agendas.
Community was your church or school or club, and while you might get together outside of meetings and event times, you weren't constantly in each others' face at all times of the day or night. If Sally said something outrageous at church, you could spend a whole week thinking about what to say back to her. You didn't read her screed at 2am and instantly scream back[6] in all capital letters. It just wasn't done. It wasn't even possible.
Work was also different. When I first entered the workforce, the idea of working from home was an oddity. When