Your teen years are unavoidably littered with missteps. You probably should have dedicated more time to calculus and less to The O.C. You're lucky you made it through all the high school "road trips" unscathed. And some of the purchases you made were definitely questionable.
But the tech blunders you made in your youth hold a particular place in your memory, right between nostalgia and painful embarrassment. Remember that dial-up noise? Those were the days. (The days when you had an away message loaded with Evanescence or Dashboard Confessional lyrics.)
In 2016, there have never been so many ways to look like a fool with the assistance of the internet. But back in 1999 or 2006, our tech blunders were somehow even more face-palm worthy. In case you've forgotten, we've dredged up nine situations you weren't alone in sharing. Mom, can I have my flip phone back now?
Going Over Your Text Limit
The 2000s were a time when you had to consider whether telling your BFF that you'd BRB was worth the $0.20 text charge. But before that kind of pricing really sunk in, many teens had to deal with an irate parents wondering how one person could have possibly sent double the amount of messages allotted to the entire family. Oops.
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Forgetting To Clear Your History On The Family Computer
And that was the day your mom learned what hentai is.
Photo: Courtesy of SimpsonsWorld.
Making A Not-Safe-For-Parents Voicemail Message
The only thing cooler than a pink Razr was a pink Razr with a witty voicemail message to amuse all the friends who called you while you were still at soccer practice. The problem was, some of the most hilarious jokes are not necessarily things you wanted your mom to hear. Or your grandma. Or the guy trying to schedule your admissions interview.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit.
Staying Logged In To The Dial-Up Internet All Night
Auntie Gail was trying to get through for hours. Hours!
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Reorganizing Your Myspace Top 8 After A Fight
You know what has never been a good way to solve a disagreement between friends? Publicly demoting them. That was so much worse than any subtweet could be.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit.
Having An Explicit Song As Your Ringtone
The only question once you instated a clip from your favorite not-entirely-clean track as your ringtone is: Where will your phone eventually go off full blast, school or church?
[Ed. note: The Refinery29 office would seem to indicated that some of us may not have learned this lesson as teens.]
Photo: Courtesy of AbsolutePunk.
Making Huge Tech Purchases On Aesthetics Alone
Yes, the purple Apple laptop was a good investment. But "cool color" alone should not dictate an purchase that emptied your savings account.
Photo: Courtesy of Tumblr.
Sharing Your Soul On LiveJournal
Until you realized you could make your Xanga or LiveJournal private, your deepest, darkest thoughts on the future (and Leonardo DiCaprio's eyes) were completely exposed to the masses. But you didn't want it private anyway — what if someone discovered you and your inimitable writing prowess?
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TyPiNg LiKe ThIS_*_*!
No. Stop. Not only was it impossible to read, it also took forever to type out.
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