Living like it is 1993 for a week, no digital technology allowed

3 July 2025

Nathan Drescher, writing for Android Authority:

For one week, I lived without modern technology unless it was absolutely necessary for work and emergencies. I carried a Discman, scribbled in a paper planner, and made phone calls instead of texting. It was chaotic at first, but oddly calming by the time it was all over.

It can be argued 1993 was pretty much the last pre-digital era year. The internet was around, but was hardly mainstream. Digital phones had just arrived in Australia, though were confined to a select few users. And that was about it. But really, I think 1993 can be left in the past, hopefully as a pleasant memory. Same goes for those (cumbersome) Discmans.

I’m all for screen-free time, digital detoxing for a few hours here and there, but otherwise often feel I belong precisely in the time I presently live in, for all its flaws. No golden age thinking here. You won’t catch me feeling sorry about the demise of the landline phone, nor feeling nostalgic for their absence. Besides, I’d much rather text, or email someone, than call them.

I could go for a paper planner if pressed, I suppose. But websites (and blogs) weren’t quite with us in 1993, though they weren’t far away, and they would be something I could not live without.

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