Computer Family Room<\/span><\/p> This was when the computer stopped being just some weird giant calculator you saw on Dad\u2019s desk at the office and started actually living in your house. Very likely, it sat on an indestructible but wobbly particle-board desk in the corner, or, for a very lucky few, it earned its official \u201ccomputer room\u201d status.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Can You Recognize These ’80s Celebrities Today?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n AOL<\/span><\/p> The obnoxious modem screamed and screeched, AOL’s door opened and closed, and suddenly the whole phone line was off-limits while someone \u201clogged on.\u201d Hip ’90s kids were also busy feeding their Tamagotchis between classes while parents printed out directions from MapQuest, and everyone was sharing A\/S\/L in chat rooms they probably had no business being in.<\/p>\n Transparent Electronics<\/span><\/p> But the \u201990s will forever be remembered as the last decade that truly had a shared consciousness before everything became perfectly personalized and algorithm-driven. We all watched the same shows, heard the same songs, and showed off the same fashion trends at the mall. When swing dancing made a huge comeback thanks to a Gap commercial, it felt like the whole country moved together.<\/p>\n Before smartphones and algorithms, there were AOL logins, floppy disks, mall hangouts, and one family computer everyone had to share.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nScenes From the Last Pre-Algorithm America<\/h3>\n
LOOK: These Everyday Photos Show Life in the 1990s as It Really Was<\/h2>\n