For example a 16 year old in 2005 who does not really know about things like chatrooms, Myspace, Aim and Gamefaqs.
Would they be Considered ignorant?

For example a 16 year old in 2005 who does not really know about things like chatrooms, Myspace, Aim and Gamefaqs.
Would they be Considered ignorant?


I'm don't think you'd be made fun of.  I've known a lot of kids/teens in the mid 2000s who wasn't always on the internet or cared too much about it outside of maybe 1 or 2 websites they'd normally visit. When Myspace was king there was still people who didn't have an account due to not caring yet they wouldn't be made fun of (I'm one of those people). Nowadays having internet and social is a requirement. A ton of groups, companies, celebrities tell you to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc etc. Back in 2004-2006 admittedly I didn't see that as much. As for Gamefaqs or AIM I don't rememeber them being things that nearly everyone would know about or make fun of you for NOT knowing about.

The year 2005 is quite an interesting year. Facebook wasn't nowhere near as popular so you didn't hear about it. Youtube just came out and in its infancy and wouldn't hit popularity until a few years after. Myspace had just risen in major popularity, but was common to find many people who didn't have an account on there yet. It's hard for some to realize or admit it, but 2005 is pretty dated when compared to how things are today in terms of popular trends.

You were 15 in 2005, shouldn't you be able to tell?  ;D

In 2004, some of my friends still didn't have a computer at home. I didn't make fun of them though, that would be mean, and that topic rarely came up. Doing group projects that required internet was always a pain though. We were 11/12.

In 2005 I moved to a more well off area. I can't remember if people didn't have a computer, not that I recall.

You were 15 in 2005, shouldn't you be able to tell?  ;D

In 2004, some of my friends still didn't have a computer at home. I didn't make fun of them though, that would be mean, and that topic rarely came up. Doing group projects that required internet was always a pain though. We were 11/12.

In 2005 I moved to a more well off area. I can't remember if people didn't have a computer, not that I recall.

Well I barely went online in 2005 and from what I noticed my classmates did not make fun of people like me who barely went online back then. My purpose with this question was I wanted to have more opinions on  how kids who barely went online or had no internet were treated by those kids who considered the internet of back then a necessity

For example a 16 year old in 2005 who does not really know about things like chatrooms, Myspace, Aim and Gamefaqs.
Would they be Considered ignorant?


Not sure about the mid 2000s, but I remember in the early 2000s you were more likely to be made fun of if you were a "computer nerd" than if you didn't have one at all.

I'm don't think you'd be made fun of.  I've known a lot of kids/teens in the mid 2000s who wasn't always on the internet or cared too much about it outside of maybe 1 or 2 websites they'd normally visit. When Myspace was king there was still people who didn't have an account due to not caring yet they wouldn't be made fun of (I'm one of those people). Nowadays having internet and social is a requirement. A ton of groups, companies, celebrities tell you to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc etc. Back in 2004-2006 admittedly I didn't see that as much. As for Gamefaqs or AIM I don't rememeber them being things that nearly everyone would know about or make fun of you for NOT knowing about.

The year 2005 is quite an interesting year. Facebook wasn't nowhere near as popular so you didn't hear about it. Youtube just came out and in its infancy and wouldn't hit popularity until a few years after. Myspace had just risen in major popularity, but was common to find many people who didn't have an account on there yet. It's hard for some to realize or admit it, but 2005 is pretty dated when compared to how things are today in terms of popular trends.


This is pretty much my experience. I turned 18 in 2005, and I didn't really become aware of MySpace until that fall, and didn't start my first account until early 2006, but nobody ever gave me a hard time about it, or really even mentioned it for that matter. Hell, I didn't even buy my first cell phone until late 2005, and I don't recall anybody noticing that either.

You're right about 2005 actually being a fairly "old school" year compared to 2016. I mean, like you said, Twitter didn't even exist yet, Facebook and YouTube were both in their infancies, and while MySpace was popular, it was still far from being the vital component of your everyday life that social media is today. And even though I did use stuff like AIM to chat back in '05, I generally spent much less time online back then than I do today. We still had dial-up at the time, which was a major inconvenience, so just about the only time I would use the internet was if I needed to look something up.


Not sure about the mid 2000s, but I remember in the early 2000s you were more likely to be made fun of if you were a "computer nerd" than if you didn't have one at all.


That's a great point. Man, how much things have changed since then! ;D

I remember back when I was high school, computer lab was always my favorite class and I would breeze through my lessons and get finished before, like, 75% of everybody else in the room. I do definitely remember other kids making fun of me for being a "computer geek", although it wasn't all that mean spirited, and was more of a good-natured ribbing than anything.

I don't think it mattered back then. Although I used the Internet often in the mid 2000s, I wasn't that obsessive over it. When I was a kid in 2005, I only used the Internet to play games and go on kids websites. It wasn't until the summer of 2007, when I found Youtube during its prime era.  Nobody really became obsessive for social media until the late 2000s, so nobody gave a crap about making fun of you for not having the Internet.

I believe there were, but I would not make fun of them that's kinda sad :-[

I'm with Toon and Machine, no you would not get made fun of for not being aware of social media during those days. It was still primitive compared to today especially considering people could only access them though PCs.

Lol really! People on here have made fun of me for having Windows XP and broadband internet since the end of 2001!

Lol really! People on here have made fun of me for having Windows XP and broadband internet since the end of 2001!


That doesn't seem like something people could make fun of.

Thanks for the answers.

Lol really! People on here have made fun of me for having Windows XP and broadband internet since the end of 2001!


You were ahead of everyone else. So in order for us to not feel jealous we decided to make for of you. But deep down we all were jelly. ;)

What if someone couldn't afford to have internet back then?  :\'(

What if someone couldn't afford to have internet back then?  :\'(


I don't think it mattered. Pop culture wasn't that deep towards the Internet until the late 2000s, when YouTube started to get into the mainstream.

I don't think it mattered. Pop culture wasn't that deep towards the Internet until the late 2000s, when YouTube started to get into the mainstream.


I suppose you're right. It's not like there was anything very interesting to look at or do online.

What if someone couldn't afford to have internet back then?  :\'(


Then you as a kid back then would've saved for one.

As far as discovering youtube what year would one be considered late in finding out about it

I never heard of anybody being made fun of for not having internet before.  :P

As far as discovering youtube what year would one be considered late in finding out about it


To me, it's after 2007 since almost everyone I knew has heard of YouTube at the time.

I suppose you're right. It's not like there was anything very interesting to look at or do online.


I'm pretty sure there's plenty to search online.

I never heard of anybody being made fun of for not having internet before.  :P


I wasn't being made fun of for not having the internet.

I wasn't being made fun of for not having the internet.


I'm glad you weren't made fun for it!

The only thing I got made fun of was my weight, around age 12. But it was only one time.  :(

I'm glad you weren't made fun for it!

The only thing I got made fun of was my weight, around age 12. But it was only one time.  :(

I'm happy that kids and adults without internet or who barely accesed the internet were not made fun of in the 1990s and 2000s.

I'm happy that kids and adults without internet or who barely accesed the internet were not made fun of in the 1990s and 2000s.


The internet didn't really become 'the majority' until 2003, at least in the US. I think that's what someone on this site said, one time! I forgot who.

I'm happy that kids and adults without internet or who barely accesed the internet were not made fun of in the 1990s and 2000s.


I'm not sure about the whole 2000s. The late 2000s was when the Internet started to get serious, but I wouldn't think it was everywhere compared to the early 2010s.

The internet didn't really become 'the majority' until 2003, at least in the US. I think that's what someone on this site said, one time! I forgot who.


Internet became more common as we move through the 2000s, but it wasn't a requirement for you to have. It was more or less just a luxury to be honest. You could still do a lot of things offline, but nowadays nearly everything is done online now. In 2005 if you said you didn't have the internet people would be understanding. In 2015 if you said you didn't have internet you'd get strange faces with people going "wuh?".

I'm pretty sure there's plenty to search online.


Yes there is now, but in the time period mentioned in the topic the internet was boring. No Facebook, no Twitter, no myspace or Youtube, and some other sites that didn't exist back then.

Yes there is now, but in the time period mentioned in the topic the internet was boring. No Facebook, no Twitter, no myspace or Youtube, and some other sites that didn't exist back then.


2005 Youtube was empty. Surprising how it changed so fast by 2007. All I think I remember using internet for in 2005 was uploading to Deviantart and playing some MMOs. .............And pirating music  ;)

Yes there is now, but in the time period mentioned in the topic the internet was boring. No Facebook, no Twitter, no myspace or Youtube, and some other sites that didn't exist back then.


I know, now people are more occupied than ever.

Yes there is now, but in the time period mentioned in the topic the internet was boring. No Facebook, no Twitter, no myspace or Youtube, and some other sites that didn't exist back then.


Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube all existed in 2005, but they weren't as popular as they were until the late 2000s (late 2007-2009, tbh). Although, Myspace was already dead when we were in 2010. The only site that didn't exist back in 2005 was Twitter, but it didn't even reach popularity until the early 2010s. I haven't even noticed hashtags until mid 2010, but I only thought of them as the number sign.

Yes there is now, but in the time period mentioned in the topic the internet was boring. No Facebook, no Twitter, no myspace or Youtube, and some other sites that didn't exist back then.


I remember back in 2003 the internet was generally only used for e-mailing.

I remember back in 2003 the internet was generally only used for e-mailing.


and there was no YouTube at that time.

and there was no YouTube at that time.


There was Funnyjunk though!

5gbProBuXjs

Nowadays, Funnyjunk has transformed into a Trump/4chan circlejerk, lol.

I wasn't teased, it was just a pain in the ass because every one of my friends had a damn computer and I had to keep going to library because my mom thought if she bought me a computer all it would go to is Michael Jackson sites.  >:(
Joke's on her, by the time I got one (AFTER) I graduated in 2004, I was into 3T.  ::) and I was THISCLOSE to being a scene chick on Myspace too!

Nowadays, Funnyjunk has transformed into a Trump/4chan circlejerk, lol.


How fitting.


I wasn't teased, it was just a pain in the ass because every one of my friends had a damn computer and I had to keep going to library because my mom thought if she bought me a computer all it would go to is Michael Jackson sites.  >:(
Joke's on her, by the time I got one (AFTER) I graduated in 2004, I was into 3T.  ::) and I was THISCLOSE to being a scene chick on Myspace too!


;D Was that your rocker phase?

People would most certainly be weirded out if you didn't have the internet in the mid 2000s. Early 2000s it would be slightly more understandable but still.

I remember back in 2003 the internet was generally only used for e-mailing.

Lol no it wasn't. I clearly remember using multiple websites in 2003. MSN Instant Messenger was big too. The early 2000s was the time when the internet became more than just for emailing. MySpace was also created in 2003 which started the social media era of the mid 2000s. I don't know why so many people think the internet was that primitive back then.

Lol no it wasn't. I clearly remember using multiple websites in 2003. MSN Instant Messenger was big too. The early 2000s was the time when the internet became more than just for emailing. MySpace was also created in 2003 which started the social media era of the mid 2000s. I don't know why so many people think the internet was that primitive back then.


2002-2003 school year is exactly the school year I remember MSN being socially "mandatory". Everyone had it!  ;D Even kids who didn't have a computer at home used the school computers for MSN when the teacher wasn't looking LOL

I got broadband in 2003, and yep, I had a lot of fun on the Internet back then! I used it for school work/research, online shopping, downloading junk on Kazaa (P2P), SNES emulators, (aforementioned) Funnyjunk, Yahoo! Music videos, minigames on sites like miniclip.com, Yahooligans, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Neopets etc. It was primitive, sure, but other than obvious omissions (YouTube, Wikipedia), you could pretty much do everything then that you can now, including post on inthe00s!  ;D

2002-2003 school year is exactly the school year I remember MSN being socially "mandatory". Everyone had it!  ;D Even kids who didn't have a computer at home used the school computers for MSN when the teacher wasn't looking LOL

I got broadband in 2003, and yep, I had a lot of fun on the Internet back then! I used it for school work/research, online shopping, downloading junk on Kazaa (P2P), SNES emulators, (aforementioned) Funnyjunk, Yahoo! Music videos, minigames on sites like miniclip.com, Yahooligans, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Neopets etc. It was primitive, sure, but other than obvious omissions (YouTube, Wikipedia), you could pretty much do everything then that you can now, including post on inthe00s!  ;D

These guys born in 1999 just don't know  ;D

Lol no it wasn't. I clearly remember using multiple websites in 2003. MSN Instant Messenger was big too. The early 2000s was the time when the internet became more than just for emailing. MySpace was also created in 2003 which started the social media era of the mid 2000s. I don't know why so many people think the internet was that primitive back then.


Well maybe that was the case in the US/Canada. I'm not suggesting that people didn't access websites, but over here at least, the internet was primarily used just for e-mailing.

These guys born in 1999 just don't know  ;D


Aww, that's harsh.  :-[ I think their parents maybe used it only for email, but millennials were crawling all up and down the Internet that year  8)

People would most certainly be weirded out if you didn't have the internet in the mid 2000s. Early 2000s it would be slightly more understandable but still.


I don't think a lot of people would give a crap if you haved the Internet during the mid 2000s. Sure, it was widespread throughout North America, but it's not people were obsessed over it like today.


These guys born in 1999 just don't know  ;D


I used Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network's websites during the mid 2000s. Especially MSN where it had all the fun games, before Youtube took over as a mainstream site during the late 2000s.

I don't think a lot of people would give a crap if you haved the Internet during the mid 2000s. Sure, it was widespread throughout North America, but it's not people were obsessed over it like today.


Yeah they did. I remember in 2004 a kid in my class said he didn't have the internet to the teacher for some activity and the other kids were like "what, you don't have internet?" and they were weirded out. Teens were just as obsessed with the internet as today. The only difference is the format that people are addicted to to, mid 2000s it was desktops and these days it's phones. Same idea, different advanced format

I certainly don't remember anyone getting made fun or or given weird looks just because he/she didn't have internet in the mid 2000s. In the mid 2000s I've known many who didn't have a computer or barely used it if they did yet no one wold care too much, but this is just my experience. Same goes for all other experiences.

How fitting.

;D Was that your rocker phase?


Yes it was. Kind of glad Mama didn't let me go full on scene back in the day. I'd have scared the hell out of Taryll Jackson. (I really have been following 3T on social media a loooooong time.)

Yeah they did. I remember in 2004 a kid in my class said he didn't have the internet to the teacher for some activity and the other kids were like "what, you don't have internet?" and they were weirded out. Teens were just as obsessed with the internet as today. The only difference is the format that people are addicted to to, mid 2000s it was desktops and these days it's phones. Same idea, different advanced format


I'm pretty sure most teens (especially in America) just used the Internet for AIM chats, and to update their Myspace profiles or whatever they had. Hell, even kids in my elementary school used the Internet just to go on kids sites at the time. The mid 2000s weren't as wide as it is now. You could use anything for social media like Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and it could be addicting to most people.

There was Funnyjunk though!

5gbProBuXjs


;D

There was Funnyjunk though!

5gbProBuXjs


Oh nooo,  ;D

I'm pretty sure most teens (especially in America) just used the Internet for AIM chats, and to update their Myspace profiles or whatever they had. Hell, even kids in my elementary school used the Internet just to go on kids sites at the time. The mid 2000s weren't as wide as it is now. You could use anything for social media like Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and it could be addicting to most people.


The internet was even more advanced in 2004 than 2003! That was a majority Web 2.0 year. I got on Runescape and Habbo Hotel that year. :D And the start of my troll life on Urban Dictionary.  :-[ ;D

The internet was even more advanced in 2004 than 2003! That was a majority Web 2.0 year. I got on Runescape and Habbo Hotel that year. :D And the start of my troll life on Urban Dictionary.  :-[ ;D

Yeah I got Habbo Hotel in 2004 too. A group of my friends showed me it and I was hooked.

The internet was even more advanced in 2004 than 2003! That was a majority Web 2.0 year. I got on Runescape and Habbo Hotel that year. :D And the start of my troll life on Urban Dictionary.  :-[ ;D


All of that stuff were kinda popular before 2004. It's probably that you saw them for the first time, like of how I saw YouTube since 2007.

2002-2003 school year is exactly the school year I remember MSN being socially "mandatory". Everyone had it!  ;D Even kids who didn't have a computer at home used the school computers for MSN when the teacher wasn't looking LOL

I got broadband in 2003, and yep, I had a lot of fun on the Internet back then! I used it for school work/research, online shopping, downloading junk on Kazaa (P2P), SNES emulators, (aforementioned) Funnyjunk, Yahoo! Music videos, minigames on sites like miniclip.com, Yahooligans, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Neopets etc. It was primitive, sure, but other than obvious omissions (YouTube, Wikipedia), you could pretty much do everything then that you can now, including post on inthe00s!  ;D


2003 looks a little bit different from the perspective of somebody like me that did not have broadband at the time, though. I really couldn't do any of that stuff. My connection was 56k on a good day in 2003 so P2P downloads, video game emulation, and certainly watching videos online were all nothing more than a pipe dream to me back then. At that time, I was still strictly a CD-buying/SNES-hooked-up-to-the-CRT/watching-music-videos-on-television type of teen.

I completely agree about MSN, though. I remember I got my first e-mail address through MSN in early 2002, and it was around that time that all my friends started asking me for it so I could chat with them on Messenger. It definitely dominated the 2002-03 school year.

2003 looks a little bit different from the perspective of somebody like me that did not have broadband at the time, though. I really couldn't do any of that stuff. My connection was 56k on a good day in 2003 so P2P downloads, video game emulation, and certainly watching videos online were all nothing more than a pipe dream to me back then. At that time, I was still strictly a CD-buying/SNES-hooked-up-to-the-CRT/watching-music-videos-on-television type of teen.

I completely agree about MSN, though. I remember I got my first e-mail address through MSN in early 2002, and it was around that time that all my friends started asking me for it so I could chat with them on Messenger. It definitely dominated the 2002-03 school year.


Oh yeah, that's true. If you had dial-up then there wasn't much you could do. From what I remember, dial-up was mostly gone by the end of 2002 or early 2003. It must be the urban/rural divide. I can't find any stats, though.  :-\\

Searching for the stats, I came across this interesting article

IT World Canada: What's up for the Internet in 2003? - published January 2, 2003

Some of those predictions ended up being dead on, and others were strange ;D

Select quotes

Also, Internet access will take flight, whether from your living room or a city block. Wireless technology – Wi-Fi, or 802.11 – is among the most promising for 2003, according to analysts.

I like how the name of Wi-fi wasn't even standardized ;D

Also, broadband may become more inviting when it bans spam; as backbone providers start skimping on bandwidth, they may be motivated to block the massive amounts of junk e-mail that sap much of their network capacity.


Junk email takes up that much bandwidth? :o

By the end of 2003, Cometa expects to have about half-completed its network, rolling out 5,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, said Steve Harris, Cometa’s vice president of corporate affairs. By 2004, the company wants hot spots to be so common in those 50 markets that you will never be more than a five-minute walk from wireless Internet access.


I think we went above and beyond "never more than a five-minute walk from wireless Internet access" ;D


Meanwhile, a start-up named Vivato is working on 802.11 antenna technology that boosts the range of a Wi-Fi hot spot from the current 300 feet to as far as 4 miles.


Imagine that turned out to be true... getting your own Wi-fi at the local mall *_*


On the device side, semiconductor giant Intel plans to unveil in 2003 a wireless-enabled chip, code-named Banias, that integrates Wi-Fi capability into notebooks and other mobile devices. Within three years, as many as 30 million laptops and gadgets could be wired for Wi-Fi, Intel estimates.


Another conservative estimate! ;D

Once wireless-data prices drift down, we will see a proliferation of location-based services married with relevant data, Gartenberg said. He envisions a car device that provides voice-enabled driving directions by pulling data from the Net, a PDA that offers automobile price comparisons because you’re at a car dealership, or a cell phone that links to your bank account so you can tell whether you can afford that new projection screen TV.


Someone find this person!!


In 2003, Microsoft will push SPOT technology that uses a wireless Internet connection to automatically update everything from keychains to refrigerator magnets to wristwatches with contextually relevant information, according to Gates. For example, Microsoft describes an alarm clock with an online link to an atomic clock and weather feeds so you know exactly what the time and weather are before you get out of bed. Gartenberg goes further, saying that by 2004 our daily routine will be filled with “smart objects” that have been enhanced with contextually relevant information.


2004 was trash. 2010s was where it was at.

I didn't have internet at home during most of the '00s. I had to rely on school and public library computers mostly, and I usually accessed message boards. For one brief period in 2007, my family bought this old computer, but it broke down before long. In fact, I didn't have any internet access at home until I got my own laptop for Christmas in 2009, my senior year of high school.

I was never made fun of specifically for not having a home computer, though I was a little dorky in school for other reasons.  ::)

Oh yeah, that's true. If you had dial-up then there wasn't much you could do. From what I remember, dial-up was mostly gone by the end of 2002 or early 2003. It must be the urban/rural divide. I can't find any stats, though.  :-\\


I found this chart, which is dial-up vs. broadband usage in the United States only. Not as inclusive as I'd like, but still a solid guide.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pew-US-Home-Broadband-Dial-Up-Adoption-Trends-Aug20131.png

Assuming these numbers are accurate, in 2003 dial-up usage was at about 37%, while broadband stood at about 16%. 2004 seems to be the year where broadband usage finally began to outpace dial-up, and it was a pretty much downhill after that for dial-up. By 2007, only 15% were still using it.

I found this chart, which is dial-up vs. broadband usage in the United States only. Not as inclusive as I'd like, but still a solid guide.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pew-US-Home-Broadband-Dial-Up-Adoption-Trends-Aug20131.png

Assuming these numbers are accurate, in 2003 dial-up usage was at about 37%, while broadband stood at about 16%. 2004 seems to be the year where broadband usage finally began to outpace dial-up, and it was a pretty much downhill after that for dial-up. By 2007, only 15% were still using it.

I didn't hear much about dial up after 2002.

I found this chart, which is dial-up vs. broadband usage in the United States only. Not as inclusive as I'd like, but still a solid guide.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pew-US-Home-Broadband-Dial-Up-Adoption-Trends-Aug20131.png

Assuming these numbers are accurate, in 2003 dial-up usage was at about 37%, while broadband stood at about 16%. 2004 seems to be the year where broadband usage finally began to outpace dial-up, and it was a pretty much downhill after that for dial-up. By 2007, only 15% were still using it.


Oh yeah, I'm familiar with that one. I was talking about urban vs. rural broadband access.  XD Like Slim I didn't hear much about dial up after 2002. At that point, broadband was so cheap, if it was still expensive for anyone they just plain didn't have a computer in the first place, rather than no broadband.

Oh yeah, I'm familiar with that one. I was talking about urban vs. rural broadband access.  XD Like Slim I didn't hear much about dial up after 2002. At that point, broadband was so cheap, if it was still expensive for anyone they just plain didn't have a computer in the first place, rather than no broadband.


Yeah, I'd also like to see something breaking down urban vs. rural broadband usage as well, but have yet to find anything. I would assume that it's a pretty substantial difference, though. Probably the overwhelming majority of those 30% of people that still used dial-up in 2004 were people like me living in the middle of nowhere. And remember, we didn't finally get broadband (in the form of DSL) until June 2006, by which point less than 25% of the country were still using dial-up! :o

Yeah, I'd also like to see something breaking down urban vs. rural broadband usage as well, but have yet to find anything. I would assume that it's a pretty substantial difference, though. Probably the overwhelming majority of those 30% of people that still used dial-up in 2004 were people like me living in the middle of nowhere. And remember, we didn't finally get broadband (in the form of DSL) until June 2006, by which point less than 25% of the country were still using dial-up! :o


It didn't come to your area until 2006, or you just didn't get it until then?  :o

This is why 18 year old me voted to nationalize the telecommunications sector ;D

It didn't come to your area until 2006, or you just didn't get it until then?  :o


I believe broadband was first available in our area in 2005 and my parents just didn't get it until 2006, but we were still awfully late to the game either way. I'm one of the few people out there who had the experience of going on YouTube when it initially took off during the first half of '06 using a dial-up connection, and let me tell you it sucked. I would have to wait until a video had completely loaded before I could watch it uninterrupted, and that could take as long as 30 minutes for a 3 minute music video!