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A family in 2013 survives with tech from 1986. That may sound like the plot of a new fall TV show, but in April a Canadian family got rid of all tech in their house that wasn’t around in 1986. As an experiment, they are going to try to live for one year without any post-1986 tech.
The McMillan family was prompted to try this experiment after the father Blair asked his son Trey to go outside and play ball with him. When Trey refused because he wanted to play a game on the iPad instead, Blair became concerned. “When I was a kid, I lived outside,” said McMillan.
So in April this year he and his girlfriend Morgan decided to give their two kids, Trey who is 5 and Denton who is 2, the childhood they had, without modern tech. Both Blair and Morgan were born in 1986 so they decided that was the cutoff year for tech in their house.
They locked up their computers, smartphones and tablets, cancelled their Facebook account, and got rid of cable TV (I know, cable TV was around in 1986 but this is their experiment, not mine). They use a rotary phone with no answering machine (I’m thinking they don’t have Call Waiting either). Photos are captured only on film that must later be developed. Blair even has gone so far as to sport a 1980’s hairdo, getting his hair styled into a mullet. “Business in the front, party in the back,” he says.
Here’s a video showing how the McMillans are dealing with their blast-from-the-past tech life:
If you visit the McMillan home you’ll have to lock up your tech in a box until you leave. No checking your smartphone for emails while you’re in their house. Ask Blair a question and he’ll look up the answer in a World Book encyclopedia they bought for the experiment.
The kids play on a vintage Nintendo game system in the basement with an old-school version of Mario. No DVD’s or CD’s for the McMillans, they watch videotapes on an old VCR machine and listen to music on cassette tapes. Morgan misses watching Big Brother, though they have received lots of VHS movies from their friends.
The McMillans even took a trip across the US this summer without tech. Their kids were entertained in the car with stickers and coloring books. They used paper maps to navigate their way around. Their only “cheat” is their car, a 2010 Kia.
They say that the experience has been a positive one for their family. Morgan says she reads more books. Their kids have adapted well and show more imagination when they play now. When the family began the experiment, they moved into a house that was built in the early 1980’s so their kids associate tech with their previous house. Blair admits that this experiment would be much more difficult, if not impossible, if their kids were 10 years older.
[note] Also see, Nostalgic for Tech! to remember how tech used to be simpler. [/note]
The experiment has had its drawbacks. Blair’s business has suffered because he refuses to use a computer, even for work. He can’t apply for jobs with companies who accept only online applications. He takes work orders only via fax machine so his business partner quit on him but Blair says he’s saving a lot of money by not having to pay cable or cell phone bills.
Morgan uses a computer at work but swears she hasn’t cheated otherwise. They both miss being able to connect to the Internet to find out what’s going on in the world.
The family seems well-positioned to complete their experiment and endure a year without post-1986 tech. Whether they stay committed to the 80’s, move on to the 90’s or end the experiment in April remains to be seen. Also unknown is how long Blair will be wearing his mullet.
What About You?
Could you live without tech from 1986 and later? Would you be willing to give up your post-1986 tech for a year? Would you prefer life without modern technology? What tech would you miss most?
Vote in the poll and let us know what you would miss. You can vote for more than one choice:
How would your family fare with this experiment? Do you think teenagers could be convinced to give up their post-1986 tech? Would you dare take a cross-country trip without tech? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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* 1980’s cassette tape photo by Chris Jones
Hi Carolyn,
Good post! I would miss having a digital camera the most. I use Skype quite a lot too. I would welcome the games from the 1980’s though. I used to swap games and other software with friends and still have lots of the early games on floppy disk. I used to program when I had my first PC and write batch files and even jokes. I remember one that made the computer sound like a washing machine when you put a disk in; it was great when it went onto spin cycle! A lot of the games were simple platfrom games with great playability. Games like Scorched Earth, the later version was 3D and terrible. The platform games were quite fast and some like SimCity, educational too. I taught my nephews how to use DTP software, wordprocessors and spreadsheets. I only use a wordprocessor now and have no interest in programming. Life became too complicated! Even photography became a little bland with PhotoShop. That’s why I don’t use it. We can still have some fun with technology though. There is less freedom though, it’s dominated now by a few multinational companies. Access to information helps me a lot now and I do prefer a laptop to a desktop computer.
I could write a blog post about this… 🙂
Hi Mike, Yes, you could write an excellent blog post about this. I would be very interested to learn about your thoughts on retro tech, especially film cameras vs. digital ones.
The McMillans didn’t mention word processing, but going back to a typewriter would be extremely challenging.
We take so much tech for granted now that even going back 27 years in time would be a monumental change in our lifestyle.
Wow, what a thought! I think I could live without most of these. I am not a movie fan, I don’t like to skype, and I text because that’s the way everyone communicates. But I will admit – take away my iPhone and I might just be lost! So can I keep one item??
Lol, Carol, you can keep all of your tech if you don’t do the experiment. But if you choose to do it, and keep one thing, would it really be your iPhone? How about your car or would you drive a pre-1986 car?
Or are you going to ask to keep two things? 😉
But if you keep your iPhone and don’t keep any other tech, then you’re really just using it as a phone. No maps, email, social media, Internet, Wikipedia, camera or any other apps. May as well have a flip phone then!
Okay, I didn’t think of all that that goes with the iPhone. I want my iPhone WITH all the stuff! So I guess I won’t survive the challenge. lol As for the car, yes, I think I would do ok with a pre-1986 car. My current car is ten years old and doesn’t have much of the new technology in it. But it would have to be a fun pre-1986 car!
Hi Carol, Yes, isn’t it amazing how quickly we begin to take tech for granted? When the iPhone was first launched, there was no iTunes App Store. Now we don’t know how we would survive without all of those apps. We rely on them for information, communication, navigation, shopping, and many other purposes.
My brother has a classic car from 1984 that he loves. No navigation systems, air bags, satellite radio or other technological advances, but it gets him from point A to point B and keeps him happy. Seeing him, I would have to agree with you that driving an pre-1986 car would be the easiest part of this experiment.
Hi Carolyn,
AWESOME! I would be the happiest person and really NOT miss anything at all without all of these things 🙂
This is a kind of life that’s really bliss as it would bring the families so much closer, because the world nowadays is literally full of tech things that keeps all of us forever busy. I think it only makes sense to drop it all, at least for a while and experiment to see how you like it. I know perhaps it’s tough for teens and the older kids to get used to it, but we did this once with our kids when we took away their mobile phones and they have no television to see also…..they were miserable, but only for 2-3 days, the remaining time, we were a realy happy family.
I’ve been wanting to write a post on this since a long time, so thank you for bringing it up again – I think life would really be so much more worth living without any tech 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hey, Harleena, what kind of crazy talk is that? No tech and you’re happy??? That truly is a wonder. 😉
I have two words for you: no blogs. You and I met over the Internet and I know you have many friends you have met through blogging. I’m thinking you would not only miss your wonderful blog but also your online relationships. To be cut off from Internet communication may be a true loss for you.
But your in person relationships may indeed be deepened without the distractions of tech. Going back to a pre-1986 world would definitely affect many parts of our lives.
I would be honestly 🙂
But yes….I would miss my blog and my friends, that’s for sure of course, hadn’t thought about that 😉
I guess such posts teach us a lesson to have and do everything within limits, isn’t it?
Thanks once again 🙂
I know I would miss your wonderful blog quite a bit, Harleena. I can understand why Morgan makes an exception for work. Many jobs require workers to use tech. It’s difficult to imagine many jobs you could do without using post 1986 tech. Think of telling a new employer or client that you don’t have a cell phone. I remember President Obama had to negotiate with Secret Service so he could keep his BlackBerry phone.
What the McMillans are doing is tough, especially with Blair not using post 1986 tech at work. I wonder how long most of us would really last.
Wow Carolyn. I can’t make it a day, never mind a year though I do see some advantages like no eye strain or carpel tunnel aches. Of course real conversations are great too.
Hi Lisa, Excellent point. Instead of doing this experiment for one year, we could try it for a day, a week, a weekend, a month instead. Why not see how long we could do it?
I’m not sure I would last very long either. I know I would miss writing The Wonder of Tech and reading other blogs as well. Being cut off from people would be tough. I’d also feel lost without being in contact with my cell phone.
It truly is amazing how much our lifestyle has changed in one generation. The Technological Revolution has widespread effects on our lives.
Hi Carolyn!
Very interesting, though as dedicated to family time as I am, I doubt I would have gone as far in the experiment as they did. I do however wonder about the possibilities. Imagine having a tech free day a week – maybe on a Sunday, or a tech-free hour a day.
I’m sure that if I had small kids at home I would be tempted to do these things.
Our first child was born in 1987 and we resisted cable, even though, as you say, it was around, and computers and even those digipets as long as we could. But you couldn’t stave off tech for long. Good thing because not long after we got our first computer (after the dawn of the new millennium) our son made his first web site. Today we couldn’t be living where we live, the way we live, without technology and the sites he started back then.
Lori
Hi Lori, Great point. I know a family who tried to ban tech on Mondays but their kids had homework that required the use of a computer so that didn’t work out too well. A tech free hour seems more doable…maybe.
That’s so great that your son started using a computer and then created a website. Very cool!
Hi Carolyn !
This is an interesting and awesome article !
If i achieve my goals and everything i wish in real life ,it wouldn’t be much difficult for me to give them up.. I like to travel , rather than using the technology of 1980’s I’d spend entire year traveling around the world with my family 😀 .
Thanks for sharing this article with us ,
-Pramod
Hi Pramod, I think that’s one of the biggest challenges of living without modern tech, giving up the navigation capabilities. Finding your way around by paper maps is much more challenging. If you’re traveling far, you have to figure out how to get local paper maps. I’m thinking many places don’t sell them any more. Plus, you wouldn’t have any traffic information.
If you’re flying, then you wouldn’t have any information about delays, gate changes and other important data.
But traveling around the world with your family would be a wonderful way to spend a year!
Oh, wow. That seems like an awesome experiment 🙂
What I will miss the most is informational sites. Internet makes it very easy to access information, instead of going to a library and looking it up (And you don’t have any guarantee that you will learn what you need).
As for today’s teenagers. I can’t imagine many of them doing this, especially if they are born and brought up in the first world countries. Like he mentioned, the experiment would have been next to impossible if his kids were teenagers.
I could see the benefits of doing something like this, but there are lot more disadvantages (the fact that the everyone else depends on technology makes it harder).
Anyways, thank you for sharing the experiment, Carolyn 🙂
Hi Jeevan, You’re exactly right, there are benefits to this experiment but there are consequences as well. Teenagers would have a very tough time, even if they weren’t addicted to tech. Many schools require tech for homework and projects. Schools today want to educate children in how to use tech so they will be prepared for the world.
I would miss information sites too. We are very accustomed to having any information we want at our fingertips!
Agreed. Harder if they are in college. Schools were okay for me, I just needed my computer for research, writing essays and looking up information. But, in college, everything is online (homeworks to textbooks to other things).
Having information online is cool, but what happens if there is an EMP wave that destroys electric devices? (Not being pessimistic, just considering the options :D).
Or let’s consider a more plausible event: dead battery for smartphones/laptops? Or maybe no internet?
Yes, Jeevan, I just read One Second After over the summer, a book about the US being hit by an EMP. Let’s just say the author didn’t imagine utopia.
EMP’s are a possibility as is a future with no Internet due to security issues. Our dependence on current tech seems to leave us vulnerable to a world without it.
I agree with Carol that without my iPhone I would get lost on the way to the store, i’d have nothing to do when standing in line at Starbucks, and I wouldn’t have any idea where my friends went on vacation.
Hi Kyle, Wow, you would truly be lost without modern tech! I’m thinking that you would have difficulty doing your job with pre-1986 tech too.
Hi Carolyn,
I worked in a printing company as a stripper back in 1986. (Stripping negatives prior to burning of the offset printing plates.) I make my living on the internet. Hmm… I wonder what I’d be doing if I had to go back to 1986.
– Cole
Hi Cole, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Hmm…I wonder if you would be a stripper again. 😉
You’re right, it’s amazing to think how many careers didn’t exist back in 1986. I certainly could not have been a tech blogger back then. I could have written a column for the newspaper, but there wasn’t a lot of news about personal technology back then.
I can never live without all these things. it is because these are the things via which i work and earn my dollar.
And for me, it will be my Android phone. I simply can’t imagine my day without it.
And yeah, hats of to this family.
Hi Andrew, Yes, what this family has done isn’t easy. Many of us need tech for our jobs and it sounds as if Blair does too. I’m wondering if perhaps he could use the tech in his job without sacrificing quality time with his family. That way he wouldn’t hurt his career or his family.
Hi Carolyn,
This is a post that raises a lot of questions. 1986 and today are obviously two different worlds in terms of technology, behavior, mindset and many more.
The motivation of the couple : they felt that technology somehow breaks the family ties (they were sitting in the same room each with his or her own devices and didn’t talk to each other). The man felt the danger of losing his family and decided to take action, to reunite the family.
This means that technology has a darker side, too. In the video, the man talked about some positive changes in their sons’ imagination, in just a few months. Positive changes! Probably they were closer to each other now.
Another aspect : technology breaks the links between man and nature. In today’s world almost all natural environment had been replaced by a technological one. This implies a lot of changes in lifestyle, psychology, food, move, health and many more. These changes are not always positive.
The question to meditate is this:
It seems there is no absolute gain and there is no absolute loss. Whenever you gain something you lose something on another side or level.
What did we gain and what did we lose with the advent of modern technology?
Have a wonderful day
Excellent points, Silviu. With all advancements come loss. What are we giving up by embracing a life dependent on technology? Are we truly dependent? Some are, but the McMillans don’t seem to be.
You’re right, their motivation for giving up modern tech wasn’t a knee-jerk anti-tech reaction. Instead, it was concern for the quality of their family life. Their goal was achieved by a higher quality of play, interaction and imagination. We can all learn a lesson from their sacrifice.
They gave up technological conveniences and career opportunities to nurture their family. But why can’t we have both?
You’re right, this is an important question for all of us to consider. What are we losing when we gain the convenience of technology and how can we achieve balance?
Thanks so much for adding your valuable insights to the conversation, Silviu.
What a great idea for today’s tech obsessed, and perhaps less exercising kids. Although I must say I can see a few adults who could benefit from this. For me life was outside as a kid too. We did have tech – atari and such, but still outside was where we met and played. I still do not use tech as much as many people. But not being able to use a computer for an experiment and not getting jobs as a results seems a bit extreme.
Hi Ashley, Good point. Blair could use tech at work without compromising his relationship with his family, which is what prompted this experiment in the first place. By using tech he could do his job better and perhaps support his family better financially.
But I also understand his desire to pursue this experiment whole-heartedly. Between his complete rejection of post 1986 tech and his hairdo, Blair seems to have embraced this experiment in many respects. He’s almost half way through. I do believe he will last the entire year. Who knows what he’ll do after the year is over?
I think that he landscape that kids in has changed forever and it is hard to take them awy from it. I think that a healthy mix works rather than taking it all away from them.
My kids don’t even watch TV anymore really and online is where they live.
The idea is great but the practice is hard.
Hi Kieran, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, many people spend more time online than watching television, especially since you can watch TV online. You’re right, the changes we’ve seen are not reversible, but the McMillans are doing a great job of giving their kids a taste of what it was like to live back in the 1980’s.
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve heard of families doing this but I never actually knew one.
But honestly how can getting your kids to read more books and show more imagination be a bad thing? I’m thinking that they probably could have done that without being so drastic, but to each his own I guess.
I’d have to say, I’d miss my computer. I’m lost without. In fact whenever I decide I’m finished for the day and turn off my PC I find myself a little lost, bad huh?
Blessings,
Liz
This family went to the extremes though and I’m thinking that probably wasn’t necessary, especially if it interferes with your job or business. Giving up the social thing might be OK
Hi Liz, Yes, it was interesting not only learning what they were doing but how they were coping nearly half way through the experiment. You’re right, Blair has completely embraced his trip back in time. Perhaps using tech in his job would have enabled him to do the experiment with his family without sacrificing his job.
My brother and I oftentimes will admit that we grew up during the right time. We were always outside playing as kids Carolyn and we even had a trampoline in our backyard. We rode our bikes a lot and never came inside until Mom called us for dinner.
There was no cable TV or even VHS when I was growing up and yes, this is pre 1986 because you know how old I am.
We had rotary phones as well and only one in the house with no answering machine either.
Today I couldn’t go without the internet of course because it’s how I make my living but I could do without the iPhone, I have no iPad and I only use the laptop if I’m traveling. I don’t watch movies really anymore and I could honestly do without social media on a personal level. It’s the business that would suffer but I admire what they’re doing.
Although their children will do okay with this it’s only a year so as they grow older they’ll be right back into technology so I’m not sure exactly how much that will benefit any of them. Maybe just spending more time with the kids but if they’re parents they can always limit their children’s involvement with the digital age.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, this generation is certainly growing up in a unique environment. The technology that affects their daily lives is drastically different from previous generations. What effect that will have on today’s children remains to be seen.
Children do need to be educated about technology in order to thrive and survive in the world. But they also need to experience classic fun such as jumping on trampolines. Good points, Adrienne!
Wow, Caroline – this is my kind of post! Loved reading this, watching the video and thinking about it. Like Harleena, my initial reaction was that I wouldn’t miss much at all – I do think this tech world takes a lot from us in terms of time outdoors, in the real world, reading books rather than blog posts etc.
The main think I’d miss, apart from the online friends I’ve met via my blog, is internet shopping – we live out in the sticks and hardly ever go to a big town, so buy huge amounts of stuff online. I’d also miss the ‘encyclopedia’ aspect of the internet – just being able to look things up and find things out so easily and quickly.
I really admire this couple for trying this out for a year and I’m sure their kids will benefit – I think children today are suffering in all sorts of unseen ways, physically and psychologically, because of the inordinate amount of time they spend staring at screens.
I think Silviu makes a good point about gains and losses – I’m not sure where the scales fall when it comes to the pros and cons of all the technology we’re now immersed in. It’s probably different for each of us.
A very interesting post – many thanks 🙂
Hi Sue, Excellent point. Online shopping is a necessity for many who would be without goods otherwise. The ability to read reviews and comparison shop makes us much more informed consumers.
You’re right, just because we enjoy the convenience of tech doesn’t mean that it has to take over our children’s lives. Limiting time in front of the screen is an important responsibility for parents.
Hi Carolyn,
That was like a walk down memory lane watching the video…. I never had the hair cut but the cut off’s…. Sure did 🙂
Personally I couldn’t go back to the 80’s when it comes to tech and the things we used. But I can see the benefits when it comes to our kids, not so much mine as they’re grown up now. But I know some kids won’t come away from their phones, ipads, x-boxes or laptops. My brothers kids are exactly like it…
Your post took me back to my childhood and what we had available at the time. My mum was deaf so we had no phone, no music centre, no radio and the TV only had 3 channels and they closed at 11pm (not that I was allowed up till that time 🙂 )
Oh the memories…. But let’s leave them as memories and stick with today’s offerings 🙂
I’d maybe try it for a week to show others what it was like, but more than that…..
It’ll be interesting to see what his kids are like after the experiment. Whether they jump straight back onto the new items or continue as they have for the last 12 months…
Thanks Carolyn,
Barry
Hi Barry, Yes, a week or a month might be more doable for some. A year would be very difficult, especially at work.
I’m sure that fond childhood memories were brought back for the McMillan family as well. Perhaps the kids will be telling their children about the year that they had to give up pre-1986 tech.
What if the McMillan kids repeated this experiment in the next generation? Imagine how their children might react to having to “suffer” using only the tech we have today!
Hi Carolyn,
Wow, how awesome! I loved watching that video, it brought back so many childhood memories from the 80’s! The VHS, cassette player and the ever-so-awesome Nintendo 8-bit! Not so sure about the mullet though..:D
I thoroughly admire this family for doing this and it got me thinking that I’m glad I have a childhood that consisted mainly of playing outside, socialising with kids in the neighbourhood and reading books. But I could never, ever live like this now. I adore my technology and I’m a self-confessed tech-junkie. I would be totally lost without all of the information on the internet and without my Google maps (London is a big city!) and not having access to things like Skype or instant messaging/email would make it much more difficult to keep in touch with my family who live in Finland. I do however do other things too. I still read books, exercise and meet up with friends and have wonderful real-life conversations with them. I guess for me it’s all about balance and that’s what I would want to teach my kids too.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Laura
Hi Laura, You have a very balanced approach to tech, which is perhaps the best way to deal with tech. You can still enjoy the non-tech aspects of life, such as the convenience and information, but also enjoy real life experiences such as face-to-face social interactions and exploring the world around you.
Perhaps that is the most desirable goal, not to give up on tech but to balance it with real life experiences. Thank you for your valuable insights on this topic, Laura. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I salute McMillan family that they are living with the post 1986 gadgets at this era, where people can’t even live without cell phones for a second. Its tough to make your mind but they did the great job, for there kids and for themselves too.
Hi Jon, Yes, what they’re doing isn’t easy but they seem to be getting some benefits out of it, including saving money on monthly bills and more quality time for they’re family. From the poll results it seems that many people would struggle with this experiment!
Hi Carolyn,
Interesting post. If there is something i would miss, it would be the social networks, Twitter and Facebook. It is a sad but fact, that most of us are addicted to social networks. Don’t you agree?
Hi Gautham, Good point! Yes, social networks can be very addictive. I would definitely feel cut off from the world without Facebook and Twitter.