Chronically Offline: Growing Up Under a Rock (2003 Edition)
This is so embarrassing to admit as a 2003 baby…
I grew up mostly on recorded TV, CDs, and VHS. I wasn’t allowed on the internet much as a child, and we didn’t have cable except when I visited my grandparents. I was chronically offline for a huge chunk of my life—including my preteen and teen years. I had a tablet (like an iPad or Kindle), but it had very limited internet access.
On top of that, my brain developed more slowly than my peers because of my learning disability. I knew about Club Penguin, Justice, Claire’s, Radio Shack, and Blockbuster—but I am NOT joking when I say I had no idea what Vine or Musical.ly were. I genuinely didn’t know what was going on in pop culture in the 2000s and 2010s.
You wouldn’t believe how long I believed in Santa Claus. I seriously didn’t get it. And looking back at middle school and high school, it’s so frustrating—I was one of the only 12–14-year-olds who didn’t get all these pop culture references. Most of the stuff I know now, I learned later from the internet, YouTube, or by watching shows from my generation.
😭😭😭😭😭
Anyway, I just needed to rant. So here it is:
I didn’t know who Frankie Jonas was until 2020. I was chronically offline through middle school and high school, even after getting a smartphone. I didn’t know Kevin was the oldest, Joe was the middle, or Nick was the youngest. I didn’t know they were all married with daughters. I had no idea Joe had been married to the Queen of the North herself until recently… and that they divorced just two years ago.
I love Camp Rock and grew up with it, but it’s honestly so embarrassing to realize how much I missed.
So yeah… I’m chronically offline, and it’s not really my fault. My parents limited my access, and my brain just takes a little longer to catch up because of ADHD. 😭😭😭
(PS: Yes, this is a bit TMI, but I needed somewhere to rant anonymously where no one knows my face—so please deal with it 😅)
(Another PS: Yes, I know this blog is technically for fanfiction… but oh well 😅)