30 years before parents and lawmakers sought to save youth from smartphones via age limits and bans in schools, a similar conversation took place about a pre-cursor to the cellphone: pagers Through the 1980s pagers became increasingly popular with teens, and also:
"it certainly serves as stronger evidence against the idea of mobile messaging increasing drug access." - who needs access to substance anyway when the device in your hand makes you just as high?
Pager was only way to move product... eventually they were sophisticated enough that a message could tell you where the "heat" was coming from and one could vacate a corner on time. Not all pagers were used for dealing, but all dealers used them. Trust me!
Used one with husband while pregnant …. It was the only way to notify him I was in labor…he coached High School sports…it saved my life….Funny article but true. And now look at society. A phone in each hand…
Pepsi did the same here in Europe! They gave beepers away with a few purchases. I think they were also motorola models. I still have my pepsi beeper somewhere. They were nice, even supported short text messages.
The big drawback was that it cost one guilder to get your messages transcribed, as there was no digital way to get them in there in the 90s.
Here in Europe they weren't really too much associated with drugs. they were looked upon as pompous signs of self-importance though. The same way cell phones were in the early days.
I really miss my pager these days. The ability to receive important messages (because they were expensive to the sender), coupled with the total inability to track me would be priceless these days. Messages were broadcast throughout the whole country, because they were one-way the network had no idea where I was or even if I was online. The low frequencies made building penetration really good anyway so if the pager was on it would receive the message just fine.
The kid with the beeper is how we knew weed was ready for pickup right after school. I was in a small town and don't remember them being a big issue at my school; graduated in 1994, the apparent height of beepergeddon.
I have fond memories of mine although others did seem to lean towards thinking I was a drug dealer, as a result!
"it certainly serves as stronger evidence against the idea of mobile messaging increasing drug access." - who needs access to substance anyway when the device in your hand makes you just as high?
Pager was only way to move product... eventually they were sophisticated enough that a message could tell you where the "heat" was coming from and one could vacate a corner on time. Not all pagers were used for dealing, but all dealers used them. Trust me!
Used one with husband while pregnant …. It was the only way to notify him I was in labor…he coached High School sports…it saved my life….Funny article but true. And now look at society. A phone in each hand…
Pepsi did the same here in Europe! They gave beepers away with a few purchases. I think they were also motorola models. I still have my pepsi beeper somewhere. They were nice, even supported short text messages.
The big drawback was that it cost one guilder to get your messages transcribed, as there was no digital way to get them in there in the 90s.
Here in Europe they weren't really too much associated with drugs. they were looked upon as pompous signs of self-importance though. The same way cell phones were in the early days.
I really miss my pager these days. The ability to receive important messages (because they were expensive to the sender), coupled with the total inability to track me would be priceless these days. Messages were broadcast throughout the whole country, because they were one-way the network had no idea where I was or even if I was online. The low frequencies made building penetration really good anyway so if the pager was on it would receive the message just fine.
The kid with the beeper is how we knew weed was ready for pickup right after school. I was in a small town and don't remember them being a big issue at my school; graduated in 1994, the apparent height of beepergeddon.
Thank you leaving comments open.
From that age… thx