20 once-useful skills that people are no longer interested in learning

Computers are everywhere, but with tablets and cell phones becoming the preferred devices, traditional typing is slowly becoming a skill that fewer and fewer people possess.

The first digital clock appeared in 1956. So they are nothing new, but as more and more appliances adopted them like coffee machines and ovens, regular clocks became less frequent in homes. Fast forward to the age of the cell phone, and it was almost as if analog clocks never existed.

There used to be a time when one had to physically walk into a place they were interested in working, ask for a resume, and fill it out on paper. Sites like LinkedIn and Indeed have made that a thing of the past.

Millennials might be the last generation to pay their rent via check, because as soon as they reached adulthood, almost everything started to shift online. For fun, though, as someone younger than 25, what a routing number is.

Being able to remember the phone numbers of every kid in one’s class back in the day seems alien now since there’s no need for that, given phones can store all that information, and then some.

The world of dating has always been looking to innovate. Ads in local papers turned to those odd VHS dating videos from the ‘80s and early ‘90s, and soon after that, it walked online and into chat rooms, until the eventual first dating site was created. Today, there is an endless stream of dating apps. Meeting in real life has become the most antiquated way to meet someone.

Actual birthday cards were replaced with social media posts, and online shopping made it easier than ever to send things to loved ones, thus making trips to the post office more and more rare.

Sites like MapQuest felt revolutionary in the ‘00s, but they still left people with a million and one pieces of paper with printed directions. As soon as smartphones gave way to things like Google Maps, all forms of paper maps were left in the past. If technology ever ceases to exist, people are going to be lost, literally.

Instagram and TikTok may lead some to believe that there are plenty of people out there making things with wood, but it’s actually a more niche interest than one might think. It’s one of those skills that has turned into a hobby one can do if they have the time, and/or can afford it.

There was a time when people could sit and watch TV, enthralled for at least an hour at a time, perhaps taking a break here and there for a commercial. Now? One would be hard-pressed to find someone who watches TV or a movie without their phone in hand, half-watching, half-scrolling through their phone.

Around the 2010s, many schools decided that cursive would no longer be part of their curricula, viewing it as something irrelevant, and replaced it with a greater focus on typing skills. However, has anyone argued that if kids don’t learn to write it, they won’t be able to read it when viewing old documents and text?

A.I. has taken the work out of even the simplest tasks, like writing emails. It’s a little Black Mirror.

The way people act like making a phone call is harder than doing quantum physics is a little wild.

Language is always evolving, but shifting most communication online and via text has somehow done the opposite, making proper grammar a thing of the past. 

Not everyone had a room in their home dedicated to developing film, but even the idea of taking film to a location to get physical photos is a skill and idea of the past.

There used to be a time when research was done by heading to one’s local library. Then it migrated online. Now? While it’s still online, people are forgetting how to properly source information and tend to take the first response after looking something up. When one lacks legitimate research skills, they can tend to fall prey to misinformation.

Buying music wasn’t necessarily a skill, but it was something people did that was very much the norm. Holding the music you love? It just doesn’t exist anymore. Streaming has become the standard.

People used to use pens and pencils daily, but as computers became an extension of the human experience, writing slowly started to fall out of use. That’s not to say people aren’t writing at all. It’s just that it’s not something most people are going out of their way to do anymore, especially young people.

Do people think dryer sheets are all one needs to combat wrinkles?

Things like TikTok and constant ads are altering the way people think, as attention spans are shortening, meaning that people’s patience is getting smaller as well.