15 everyday items from the 1990s that have been replaced by digital alternatives

A Quartz article catalogs 15 mainstream objects from the mid-1990s that have since been replaced by digital technologies and services. The list includes printed Yellow Pages directories replaced by search engines like Google; video rental chains like Blockbuster replaced by streaming services such as Netflix; answering machines replaced by cell phone voicemail; film cameras and drugstore photo processing replaced by digital cameras and smartphone cameras; fax machines replaced by email attachments, PDFs, and DocuSign; paper road maps replaced by GPS apps like Google Maps and Waze; multi-volume print encyclopedias replaced by Wikipedia; travel agents for standard vacations replaced by online travel sites like Expedia; personal checks for retail replaced by debit cards and mobile payment apps like Venmo and Zelle; pagers replaced by mobile phones; Rolodex address files replaced by smartphone contact lists and CRM software like Salesforce; newspaper classified ads replaced by online marketplaces like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace; VHS tapes and VCRs replaced first by DVDs then by streaming; mall video arcades replaced by home consoles and mobile gaming; and dial-up internet with AOL trial CDs replaced by broadband and Wi-Fi. The article notes that some items persist in niche contexts, such as fax machines in healthcare and law, or the last Blockbuster in Oregon.