People Raised In The 70s & 80s Appreciate 7 Modern Conveniences More Than Anyone Else
FREEPIK2 / ShutterstockLife has changed so much over the last few decades that it’s nearly unrecognizable now. Huge advancements in technology have given people new ways to interact across all aspects of their lives. Most people feel grateful for these modern conveniences, but some have had an especially significant impact on 70s and 80s kids, who are incredibly grateful that they can now do certain things more quickly and easily than they used to.
7 modern conveniences people raised in the 70s and 80s appreciate more than just about anyone else
1. GPS navigation
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Anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s knows what it’s like to try to figure out what route they need to take on a paper map or follow someone’s verbal directions. It really meant just hoping for the best, especially if you weren’t very good at navigation to begin with.
Now, GPS apps are built into everyone’s phones, so you barely have to think about where you’re going anymore. There are 900 million GPS receivers being used across different industries in the U.S. alone. Someone could easily make the argument that we’ve become too reliant on GPS technology, but it’s hard to believe how much simpler it is compared to the alternative.
2. Weather apps you can access at any time
If people wanted a more accurate weather forecast than what they could find out from stepping onto their porch, they used to have to tune into the local news at a specific time. Even that forecasting was pretty impressive at the time since no one could predict the weather on a wide scale until just about a century before.
Now, waiting for a forecast on the news seems totally unnecessary. It’s become easier to check the weather over the years, first with websites devoted to it and then with apps. No one has to play a guessing game while they’re waiting for the news anymore.
3. Online shopping
When 70s and 80s kids were growing up, the only way to order something they couldn’t find in the store was through the mail via a catalog, which was usually a lengthy process. They also had to deal with the long drive needed for some stores, depending on where they lived.
Shopping couldn’t be more different now. In 2025, just under 16% of all retail sales happened online, which added up to $3.6 trillion in the U.S. You can order almost anything online and get it delivered so soon that it’s often quicker than squeezing a trip to the store into your schedule.
Few things are as convenient as being able to order what you need on your computer or phone with just a few clicks. It’s been life-changing for people who have a hard time going to the store in person.
4. Unlimited picture-taking capacity
Photography has undergone a major evolution since the 70s and 80s, when people needed actual cameras with film that had to be purchased and developed. They could only take so many pictures, and each one cost money, so it was usually saved for special occasions.
That’s a far cry from the photo bursts people can take on their phones now by holding down a button. What’s interesting is that some young people are rejecting the technology they grew up with and going back to film cameras and Polaroids for a vintage feel. What feels extremely convenient to one generation seems to be leaving another feeling nostalgic for the good old analog days.
5. Smart appliances for cleaning
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Most people who were raised in the 70s and 80s are part of Gen X. Their generation was known for becoming self-sufficient very young because of their latchkey childhoods, so pitching in to help clean up around the house was just a normal part of their routines. If you could go back in time and tell those kids who diligently did their chores while they waited for their parents to get home that they would one day be able to use smart appliances like robotic vacuums, they probably wouldn’t have believed you.
That’s just reality now, though. Of course, smart appliances are so pricey that it’s hard for some people to justify buying them instead of doing the cleaning the old-fashioned way, but those who do make the switch have a lot of free time on their hands.
6. The ability to stay in touch with people in any location
Communication is probably one of the parts of life that has changed the most for people who grew up in the 70s and 80s. When they were young, no one worried about being unreachable when they left the house for a few hours because they didn’t have another option.
They also had to be careful about how often they talked to loved ones who lived far away. Long-distance calls cost a lot, and those prices didn’t start to come down until the early 2000s. Making a video call to see someone on the other side of the world was just a dream back then.
7. Streaming services for watching movies on demand
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It wasn’t all that long ago that people had to go to the theater if they wanted to see a movie, or buy or rent it several months later. Now, you can watch pretty much anything you want to on a streaming service that doesn’t require leaving the house at all.
Many people still look back on the time they went to Blockbuster once a week with fondness, but they probably wouldn’t choose to go back to it. The only concern is how these changes will impact the film industry overall and how quickly it will adapt.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
