Same here. I watched “Survivor” exactly three times. The first time, I suddenly got motivated to do my taxes. The second time, I got motivated to do a take-home exam I had been putting off. The third time, I ended up putting together a laundry hamper. Arguably, I should watch “Survivor”, since I’d probably get a lot done…
I missed almost all of the 90s TV phenomena. I was either living at home (where I would rather have played Nintendo than watched TV, a pattern that continues to this day) or in college with no cable TV (and I can’t stand the snowy picture you get with rabbit ears in dorms, plus I have zero patience for adjusting antennae). The only TV I watched in college was coverage of the 1996 presidential election. Nowadays, of course, I would go online for election coverage, but I didn’t know about that then (and for all I know, it may not have existed then- the Web was still relatively new).
The only reality shows I’ve ever been even slightly interested in are the nanny shows.
Now I almost never watch anything on TV except for food shows, the occasional “House Hunters”, and shows on Discovery, History, Animal Planet, or other science-, history-, or animal-oriented shows.
I saw the “Buffy” movie and liked it, but only watched the TV show a couple of times. They took out the comedy that was what I liked about the “Buffy” movie, so the show didn’t appeal much. (Joss Whedon and I are 180 degrees opposed on what made “Buffy” a good movie…)
I missed most of the 90s in movies, too. I was too busy with classes most of the time I was in college to go and see movies. I did see Star Wars when it was re-issued, and I saw Contact, Deep Impact, and Armageddon, but that’s about it. I didn’t have a car and the nearest non-campus movie theater wasn’t within walking distance (it was a fairly long bus ride away, IIRC).
I never downloaded music from Napster, Kazaa, or any of those. One of these days I may get an Ipod or similar, and download music for that. But I suspect it will be like my project of burning CDs for my car and keeping the originals at home, at least until I buy a new car that doesn’t have a CD player. I’ve been planning that CD project any day now since 2002.
Never had a Myspace or Facebook page, nor have I ever looked up anyone else’s. I probably never will have one, as I’m very non-photogenic and it’s hard to get a picture of me that I like.
I’ve never played first-person shooters. I learned when I was a teenager that no amount of practice was ever going to make me anything better than below average at games that require fast twitch reflexes and hand-eye coordination. I don’t play that type of games now.
I never got into Everquest, WoW, or any other online gaming. I was warned in my first semester of college not to get involved in MUDs, or I might find my GPA going down the drain. Besides, one of the things I like about video games is the ability to save and reload if things don’t go my way.
I didn’t get a cell phone until I was having trouble getting landline service when I moved to a new apartment in 2002. I don’t text (I don’t know how). I don’t download ringtones, play games, or browse the internet on my phone, because those things cost money. I probably wouldn’t play games or browse the internet even if it didn’t cost money, because I’d rather do those things on a bigger screen. I didn’t get a camera phone until last year (my previous employer banned the use of camera phones on-site because we worked with classified information), and I don’t use the camera.