After a very colorful Kodachrome look at the ’50s and ’60s, then the wood-paneled comfort of the 1970s, we most recently landed in the bold, beautiful, and totally tubular ’80s as part of our ongoing series exploring everyday life in America.
Now, we touch down in the 1990s, the decade that had the nerve to move the darn future into the spare bedroom.
The Rise of the “Computer Room” in the 1990s
Computer Family Room
This was when the computer stopped being just some weird giant calculator you saw on Dad’s desk at the office and started actually living in your house. Very likely, it sat on an indestructible but wobbly particle-board desk in the corner, or, for a very lucky few, it earned its official “computer room” status.
MORE: Can You Recognize These ’80s Celebrities Today?
AOL
The obnoxious modem screamed and screeched, AOL’s door opened and closed, and suddenly the whole phone line was off-limits while someone “logged on.” Hip ’90s kids were also busy feeding their Tamagotchis between classes while parents printed out directions from MapQuest, and everyone was sharing A/S/L in chat rooms they probably had no business being in.
Scenes From the Last Pre-Algorithm America
Transparent Electronics
But the ’90s will forever be remembered as the last decade that truly had a shared consciousness before everything became perfectly personalized and algorithm-driven. We all watched the same shows, heard the same songs, and showed off the same fashion trends at the mall. When swing dancing made a huge comeback thanks to a Gap commercial, it felt like the whole country moved together.
LOOK: These Everyday Photos Show Life in the 1990s as It Really Was
Before smartphones and algorithms, there were AOL logins, floppy disks, mall hangouts, and one family computer everyone had to share.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
