42 Memes for Younger and Elder Millennials Who Grew up During Simpler Times

John Summers • Contributor

Jul 17, 2024 12:00 AM EDT

Remember when we used to connect to the internet? I mean, sure, today we log into the internet countless times a day, but we never "connect" to the internet anymore. I remember sitting in front of my computer screen and saying, "Let's log on to the internet to see what's new." Then it was an entire ordeal of unplugging the landline phone and connecting it to the modem, double-clicking the "Internet" icon, putting in your username and password, and then sitting and waiting as your computer literally dialed up your internet service provider. After a minute or so, you were in!

Only then would we open up our internet browser (Netscape Navigator in my case) and go online, usually to a "portal" that would recommend several different websites for us to try. The internet felt different back then. It was mostly text-based, with very few low-quality images and no video whatsoever. But it felt like stepping into another world - the information superhighway!