Do you remember how we all used to watch the same thing on the same nights because there were only three or four nationwide channels?
Then
Your mom is reading articles in the T.V. guide, but you want to know what’s on tonight so you go find the section of the newspaper with the comics in it because the daily TV schedule is always published. Your excited to see that new show called “Who’s the Boss?” had taken the place of Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley on ABC.
Now
You are not sure what to watch so you flip on the channel guide on your streaming service. Your kids mock you because “only dinosaurs” use the channel guide. They can’t fathom why you don’t just turn on exactly what you want to watch and skip the surfing.
Then
You go to turn on the television and it is fuzzy so you run downstairs and grab a box of tinfoil that you can attach to the antennae. You make a long rod out of the tinfoil so you can move your arm around when the reception gets bad to try and improve it.
Now
Your TV isn’t quite working so you realize you have the wrong HDMI connected. You ask your kids to tell you which one is the right one.
Then
Everybody you know watched Cheers last night. You all sit around talking about whether Sam and Diane are ever going to get together.
Now
You and your friends all binged different shows from different streaming services. You jump on the group text to see which ones you think you should check out next.
Then
It’s Friday night so you are downing can after can of Tab so you can stay awake late enough to see Friday night music videos.
Now
You are watching a reality show on MTV with your kids who don’t believe you when you tell them the channel was launched exclusively to play music videos. You might really blow their minds if you told them TLC was launched as the learning channel.
Then
You fell asleep watching TV and are awoken by the sound of the national anthem playing, letting you know it is going off the air now. You are annoyed because you are going to have to wait for summer reruns to see the episode you were watching.
Now
You fell asleep in the middle of the sixth episode of a series you are watching. You wake up and decide to keep watching, so you back the episodes up to exactly the last thing you remember.
Read Gen X Summer: Then vs. Now here.
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