Things from Stranger Things that kids these days won’t understand

Season three of Stranger Things has recently hit our screens and the throwbacks to the ‘80s are just awesome. Throughout all three seasons, the attention to detail from the creators has given the series a truly authentic ‘80s feeling. While most of us viewers coming from that era can recognize the surroundings and remember them from our childhoods, there’s a whole generation of younger fans who just have no idea what they are looking at.

Communication

Getting in touch has never been easier than it is today. Everyone we know has a personal smartphone. Seeing how kids in the ‘80s communicated must be a bit of a shocker for the younger generation. Our favorite kids from Stranger Things are seen using walkie talkies, ham radios, and big landline telephones that are stuck to the wall and have a round dialer. Today’s kids wouldn’t have a clue how to use that old phone. Instead of turning the dial they would no doubt be trying to push the numbers.

Film

Today, everything is digital. Our cameras are digital and even the videos we take are digital. Even Hollywood is turning more towards digital than regular celluloid based film. So when Jonathan brought out his old-school film camera, there were many youngsters wondering what exactly he was doing with that old fossil. Just to add to the confusion, we see Jonathan developing his own photos in a darkroom. This one would definitely be foreign to anyone born after 1995. Personal dark rooms took a hike in the ‘90s when photo developers started popping up all over.

Music

Again, we are talking about the difference between analog and digital. While CDs were invented in the early ‘80s, it wasn’t until the late ‘80s to early ‘90s that they become the medium of choice for music. Stranger things shows Will with a big old boom box complete with a tape deck. And Jonathan has a great looking record player and amplifier in his bedroom. Both of which would be totally foreign to today’s youth. It won’t be long until the next generation of kids won’t know what CDs are… feeling old yet?

Television

So much has changed in the world of television technology. Kids of today will be looking at an old TV and wondering why the screens are so small and rounded. And why is there such a big box behind the screen? This is exactly what we see in Hopper’s cabin in the woods. Eleven uses the background static of that old TV to help her mind reach the other side. Today’s generation would be even more surprised by how few channels were available.

Calculator watch

Is that a smartwatch that Mike is wearing? Um, no. That’s actually a calculator watch, and they were super cool in the ‘80s. The digital watch was a great trend that made telling the time all that much easier. Then they added a calculator to it, because you never know when you will need to get some accurate math done. Watch technology improved along with the times, so by the mid to late ‘90s, the calculator watch wasn’t really in fashion anymore. Guaranteed though, all of today’s smartwatches are coming with built-in calculators.

The list of great ‘80s throwbacks for Stranger Things goes on and on. Even those puddings in the cans aren’t available anymore.