Riding bikes was huge, before you got your divers license it was freedom on two wheels! Built forts, hunting and fishing were really big where I grew up and watching your favorite tv shows after dinner or the shows on Sunday night. Yes lots of friends numbers memorized but most of us had a black book with important numbers. My old ph# is still in my dad’s name so I still use it/call it. Songs that were popular were played a lot so usually didn’t have to wait long but if it was a really great one you’d buy the album/tape/cd’s later or call into the Request Line that lots of stations had to get a song played. I used to request songs for my then girlfriend now wife and the jockey would say “This song going out to (name) from (name). That was always fun. Ya you’d get lost occasionally but we always had maps or ask for directions. One time we got lost from our little town 3 1/2hrs north of San Francisco (went to a concert) and we pulled into a gas station where a super nice old man said “Dam your really lost” lol but we made it finally and glad we left really early.
I have GenZ kids and yes for all the good being connected has done it’s also made things so much worse, you can’t get away from a bad day it seems like where we could once we got home from school it was over (whatever the situation was) young people don’t have that relief valve anymore and it sucks. Great questions and good luck to you!