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Danny Guzman (Father)

Born: 08/03/1977

Danny has witnessed decades of technological change and has learned to adapt with each new step. Reflecting on his childhood in the 1980s, he described it as “a different time.” He emphasized the sense of freedom that came from growing up without constant digital connection. While his family had a television, his first major purchase was a portable CD player, something that felt cutting-edge at the time. Danny reminisced about how simple life felt back then and expressed awe at just how much the world has changed throughout his lifetime.

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Blake Miller (Friend)

Born: 12/01/1997

Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Blake was among the first generation to experience technology as it evolved rapidly. He recalled a time before cell phones were common, expressing disbelief at how today’s 5- and 6-year-olds already have iPhones. For Blake, the rise of social media was a defining part of his youth. He reminisced about the early days of AIM messaging, which eventually led to platforms like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Being in school during this digital revolution, he witnessed firsthand how transformative these platforms were. Blake fondly referred to that era as the "golden age of social media," when everything felt simpler, more personal, and less filtered than today.

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Nya Guzman (sister)

Born: 05/12/07

Interview: Nya was part of the first generation to grow up surrounded by advanced technology from the very beginning. She often finds it strange that high schools didn’t start using laptops in the classroom until around 2017 or 2018, considering how much tech was already a part of her life. She got her first iPhone at just 6 years old and joined Instagram at 7, where she loved posting slime videos, lip-syncing clips, and content on Musical.ly, long before it became TikTok. Laughing, she admitted that she used to tell others to join TikTok before it was cool, saying, “I was a hater.” Her experience reflects a childhood shaped by constant digital connection and creative self-expression online.

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After interviewing my dad, I couldn't help but wonder how different life would be if we were still in the early stages of technological advancement. Everyone seems to rave about the 1980s, calling it “the last good generation,” while criticizing newer generations for being glued to their screens and becoming antisocial.

But why is that? Is it because people back then had a sense of freedom that we can’t experience today, a time before the constant feeling that someone might always be watching? With technology tracking our every move and social media encouraging us to curate our lives, it’s easy to feel like we’ve lost the ability to just exist freely.

It also made me question whether we’re experiencing a lack of quality connection. Today, communication often happens through screens, and while we’re more connected than ever, it doesn’t always feel meaningful. Back then, interactions were face-to-face, spontaneous, and deeply personal. Now, a like or comment sometimes replaces a real conversation.

Talking with my dad made me realize that maybe it’s not just nostalgia, maybe there really was something special about that time. It’s not that people today don’t want connection; it’s that the way we connect has changed. And in some ways, that shift might be making us feel more isolated, even in a world that never stops communicating.

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Another thing I took away from my interview with my dad was his appreciation for the simplicity of technology back then. He raved about his Polaroid camera and don’t even get me started on his camcorder. To him, those weren’t just gadgets, they were groundbreaking tools. I think that era marked the beginning of innovation in a meaningful way: finding ways to make memories more portable, more tangible, and more personal. It’s wild to think how snapping a photo or recording a moment back then felt like a big deal whereas now, we do it every day without even thinking.

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The final takeaway from my interview with my father was the importance of portable technology, not just as a convenience, but as a symbol of independence. My dad grew up in a strict Catholic Hispanic household where my grandparents provided only the bare minimum. If he ever expressed wanting something tangible, he’d get an earful. He shared how he constantly felt like he was living to please his parents, always afraid to mess up. Growing up in that kind of environment turned him into what he called “a sneaky son.” He told me how he secretly saved up money to buy his first portable CD player, and with it, the most explicit CD he could find. While to others it might have just been a music player, for him, it was a turning point. It marked the beginning of him making choices for himself, not for anyone else. It wasn’t just portable technology, it was personal freedom.

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As a younger sister with older brothers, I spent countless hours watching them play video games. So as I listened to Blake tell his story, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia. I vividly remember when my dad got my brothers their first-ever Xbox, the original one. Somehow, he made it happen, and it felt like such a big deal at the time. I think about the simple games they used to play, like Pac-Man and Mario Bros. The graphics and content back then were nowhere near as advanced as what we have today. It honestly shocks me when I look at how realistic today’s story-based games are, the detail, the emotion, the lifelike visuals. Gaming has evolved so much, but those early memories will always feel special to me.

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I’ll always admit when I’m wrong—but this one’s tough to talk about. I remember bullying my younger sister for posting lip-syncing videos on Musical.ly and later TikTok. I thought it was so cringe. I was a die-hard Vine girl and refused to budge. In my mind, nothing could top Vine. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I finally gave TikTok a real chance—and I’ve been hooked ever since. Looking back, I owe it to my sister for keeping me young and in the loop. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably still be stuck on Instagram… and honestly, that’s a little scary.

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As someone born in 2000, I’ve always felt like I was on the cusp of technology, close enough to witness it evolve, but always just a step behind. At 6 years old, I wasn’t allowed to post on YouTube because of my age. At 10, I couldn’t have an iPod because I “wasn’t responsible enough.” And by the time I was 19, I felt way too old to be on Musical.ly and joined TikTok way too late to feel like part of its early wave. I see people around me who got to experience these platforms and moments firsthand, and I can’t help but feel a little jealous. It’s like I watched the digital world take off from the sidelines, always just missing my moment to jump in early.