By Cheryl Yee
Being a teenager in the early ‘90s was marked by the rise of technology. Companies like Sony, Motorola, and Nintendo had created devices that would revolutionize the way that teenagers grew up.
My auntie, a ‘90s Galileo alumni, remembers technology fondly. “It adds a lot to the entertainment. Like you walk home from school and can listen to music at the same time. A personal portable music player.” She also commented on the social aspect of cassette tapes: ”I think it’s also [amazing because] you can share your cassettes with other people.”
For those who are like my auntie and grew up with this technology, prepare to walk down memory lane. As for my fellow Gen Zers, prepare to be amazed.
Sony Walkman (…and then the Discman)
“Oh my gosh, the Walkman! I remember that. But when the Discman came out, it was a whole other game.”
Before Spotify and Apple Music, there were things called cassette tapes. And there was a thing called the Sony Walkman to play these tapes. You would pop open the lid, place the tape in, and press play. Listening to our conversation, my auntie’s husband added: “There was eventually an auto-flip function that flipped the cassette from Side A to Side B, so you didn’t have to manually do it.”
But when the Discman came out, it was game-changing.
“First, you didn’t have to rewind the tape to go back on the song. You could just skip to a part with the CD. Second, a CD could store way more songs than a small cassette tape.”
In addition, this new technology allowed her to become a Karaoke pro. “I was interested in Karaoke before it [the Walkman] already came out, so [after it came out] I would practice the song so I could sing karaoke like I was a pro.”
Unsurprisingly, my auntie’s favorite piece of ‘90s tech is the Sony Discman. “I was at that age where people are into music and memorizing the lyrics to songs. The Walkman and Discman allowed me to listen to songs that I loved.”
Besides the Discman, my auntie also recalls other iconic pieces of ‘90s tech that she experienced—or experienced vicariously.
Nintendo Gameboy
The ‘90s was an amazing decade to be a kid. Gaming system companies were in a heated race to create the next best thing. And thus, things like the Sony Playstation (1994) and Nintendo 64 (1996) came out. But perhaps the thing that ‘90s kids remember the most was the Nintendo Gameboy.
When it first came out, the Gameboy sold for around $30-40. It had a back cartridge to insert the game chip and an on/off switch at the top. When you slid the switch, it made a sound that ‘90s kids remember vividly (Gen Z, search it up and you may recognize it too). The controls were easy to learn and resemble many gaming controllers today.
According to my auntie, many teenagers were carrying around Gameboys at school. Some of the hottest games were Tetris, Zelda, and Super Mario. This was the age where teenagers started zoning out and becoming glued to the screen.
“I was very good [at Tetris]. It was addictive to go to the next level,” my auntie says. “People would bring the gameboy to school and compete with one another during lunch. People crowded around desks and see who got to the next level.”
Floppy Disks
Early computers did not have CD or USB capabilities. What it did have was a floppy disc port. These magnetic discs were inserted into computers that could read its binary data. The first 8-inch floppy disc stored 80 Kilobytes of storage, extremely miniscule in comparison to USBs today! Small computer programs and songs could be stored using a single floppy disk.
“I think that’s when we first start writing essays in English class, so I would store that in a floppy and go back to it to edit.”
Before floppy discs, my auntie would use a typewriter to type things out. “With a typewriter, it was hard to edit because once you type, it’s in print.”
Motorola Pager
Beep Beep Beep! Someone has paged you with a message! But look, it’s all numbers! Before texting, there was the Motorola Pager (AKA beeper or pageboy). To send a message to a pager, you must call from a telephone and dial the 10-digit pager number. After you hear 3 beeps or a “leave a numeric message at the sound of the tone,” you can type in numbers—whether it be your phone number or a coded message. When you are done, you need to press the pound sign (#). Within 30 seconds to 5 minutes, the pager will be alerted.
My auntie remembers pagers very well: “I remember people would page ‘555’, which meant ‘hurry up’ because it ‘555’ sounds like ‘hurry up’ in Cantonese.” Later models of the pager had the option to put the notification on vibrate. This was convenient if you didn’t want anyone knowing you were receiving messages…
“I never had a pager because it was expensive back then. But I had friends who had them, so I knew the codes. I wasn’t that important to have a pager with me. The pager was basically a status thing because not everyone could afford it. The cool boys would tuck their shirt into their belt to make sure their pager would show.”
She makes a flamboyant gesture and says in Toisan, “People would pull out the pager as they walked down the hallway.” We both laughed.
“There’s a saying in Toisan that translates to ‘chicken feather garlic peel,’ which is used to describe unimportant people, like me back then. I was small potato, so I didn’t carry around a pager.”
