The Gen X Search Engine: Life Before Google

Are we getting smarter with all this tech? Or losing that friend that knew it all?

Before Google, We Had the 'Friend Who Knew Things': The Lost Art of Pre-Internet Knowledge

There was a time before Google, before Wikipedia, before every answer was a few keystrokes away. If you wanted to know something, you had to ask someone—or, if you were really motivated, go on a scavenger hunt through encyclopedias, phone books, or the mystical card catalog at the library. But if you were lucky, you had that friend. The one who just knew things.

Every social circle had one. The music guru who could recite every member of every band and tell you which obscure record store carried the import album you just had to hear. The movie buff who could explain why a film was groundbreaking long before social media turned everyone into a film critic. The tech nerd who somehow knew how to fix your computer before Google had an answer for everything.

These people were our lifelines. They were walking, talking knowledge bases, the human version of "just ask Jeeves"—but way more accurate. And, honestly? We didn’t just rely on them, we admired them. Information wasn’t something you could just look up—it had to be gathered, remembered, and shared.

The Joy of Seeking, Not Just Finding

The process of learning something in the pre-internet days wasn’t instant, and that’s what made it valuable. If you heard a song on the radio and didn’t catch the name, you spent days waiting for the DJ to announce it again—or you asked your friend who knew every top 40 hit by heart. If you needed directions, you either consulted an actual map or called someone who had been there before. And if you wanted to settle an argument about who starred in that one movie, you had to either go to the video store and check the box or just live with the uncertainty.

The search itself was part of the fun. It made the answer mean something. And when you finally got the information you were looking for—whether it was the lyrics to a song, the name of a book, or the best way to get somewhere—you remembered it. Because it took effort.

What We Lost When We Gained Everything

Of course, Google is great. The internet is an incredible tool that makes life easier in countless ways. But in gaining instant access to everything, we lost something precious—the ability to be the person who knows things. The one people call because they trust your knowledge, your instincts, and your passion for the subject.

Today, everyone has access to the same endless database of facts. But there was something special about earning knowledge, about building up a reputation as "the person who knows stuff." It wasn’t about memorization—it was about experience, curiosity, and expertise.

Maybe that’s why some of us still resist looking up answers immediately. Maybe we miss the days when knowledge wasn’t just a click away—it was a badge of honor. So here’s to that friend. If you were one, or if you had one, you know exactly what I mean.