Do you remember answering the phone with no way of knowing who was calling you? Those were our...

Alessa · 22-25, F

Way before my time but then again, I've heard the horror stories about the party lines, before that.

Back in the pre-dark ages, people shared party lines. Five or six households and you didn't actually dial numbers, you picked it up and a operator got on and you'd tell them the number which was alphanumeric (from what I was told) and then they would connect and ring it.

If anyone in any of the households picked up their phone they could listen in on those conversations. Not just in your own house but yeah the five or six that shared that line and they were neighbors in the same area.

I can only imagine the sheer horror of having some noisy neighbor listening in on all those different households conversations.

Matt85 · 36-40, M

yes "Aaaaant, it's Maaaatt on the phone!"

FreddieUK · 70-79, M

I do and I seem to remember we were told just to say 'hello' or your number and let them tell you who they were. These days numbers are spoofed so often you can't trust what showing on the screen.

Zaphod42 · 51-55, M

I remember when you had to lick a stamp to send a text, and it took days or even weeks for a single reply! ✉

BadAssTunaBotHoe

When you had to leave a message with your friend's mum when they weren't in

SmileOnYourBrother

I remember party lines.

rfatoday · 61-69, M

I remember the old party-lines as they were called and my grandmother telling me "If you hear anyone come on and say it's an emergency, hang-up and free the line (paraphrasing). They had one twisted-pair line that serviced their house and the two apartments behind them that they built in the early 1950's.