Prisoner Of 30 Years Reveals The Crazy Difference In The World After Release

1. Social media takes over the world

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Even in recent years, social media has changed so much with new platforms and trends to contend with. So imagine someone going into prison when social media wasn't even a thing, and to come out to find it's literally taken over the world. How much social media is a part of everyone's every day lives is a huge shock to the system.

2. Everyone is glued to their phones

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In turn, it's also shocking to see how glued to their phones everyone is - and not just for social media, though of course that's the biggest incentive. To go from not many people having a phone - or maybe nobody at all - to seeing every single person on the street with one in their hand? Crazy!

3. People seem ruder because they're staring at a screen

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It's safe to say these days people are far less open to chatting or noticing other people on the street because they're more interested in their phone screen, or wearing headphones. For someone just getting out of prison, every person seems a whole lot ruder because they're not paying attention outside of their screen!

4. Every single person has a phone

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Literally, every single person. Can you think of anyone you know who doesn't have a phone? For a person that went to prison before technology really kicked off, it's definitely shocking to find that having a phone is just a done thing these days, with no exceptions.

5. Are they talking to me? No, it's just a Bluetooth headset!

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We've all been in a situation where we thought someone was talking to us only to see their Bluetooth headset when they turn their head - and that's us who are used to technology! For a person getting out of prison, they have to deal with confusion of so many people talking on wireless headsets.

6. Silence in the library? Not anymore

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The library was once the only place you could go for solid internet access or to get answers to the questions you need. That isn't to say libraries aren't still used, but for someone just getting out of prison, what was once a 'silence' policy now sees people talking in the library or even taking phone calls.

7. How Facebook became so different

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Going to prison at the very start of any social media boom would see you only exposed to Facebook as one of the early versions. Facebook 'back in the day' was very much just for connecting with people you actually knew and were friends with - nowadays, as we know, it's got out of control, and half the time you don't know the people on your "friends" list!

8. The harsh reality of internet trolling and online mobs

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One of the biggest things about only ever having a Facebook page with actual friends was that there was no trolling, fallouts or toxicity - because it was good vibes with good friends. But prisoners being released these days have the shock of how much online bullying, anonymous trolling and online mob mentality happens.

9. Family members all grown up

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One of the biggest changes a prisoner has to adapt to is the reality that all their family members will have grown up. Going into prison for 30 years might see your baby brother now a full grown man married with his own kids. That can be a very crazy thing to have to deal with!

10. Confusion over where you fit in

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Most people these days will feel unsure about their path in life, but for someone only just getting out of prison, knowing exactly where you fit in society these days is one of the biggest hurdles. Especially when you have to contend with things you don't understand yet, like technology.

11. Being treated completely differently - even by family members

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If you have a criminal record and prison time in your past, people are going to treat you differently, and that can be one of the biggest realities to face in the new, outside world - especially when trying to get a job and earn a living. Even family members you were once close to can now treat you differently.

12. Everyone is in a hurry

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Most people know these days how relentless being an adult is - there never seems to be enough hours in the day, least of all for never ending chores. For someone who went to prison 30 years ago, the pace of life definitely will be a shock now - especially because everything can happen at the click of a button.

13. Faces on a computer screen

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Video calling and Skyping on your laptop is just the norm these days, even with jobs that depend on video calling for remote team meetings - but imagine how crazy that's going to look to someone who went to prison before video calls even existed. It must be a shock to see someone's face pop up on your computer screen...

14. Not having to retake a driving test

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It's very rare you'd ever have to retake a driving test, no matter your age, but some prisoners who have been locked away for 30 years expect to have to retake a test based on the fact they haven't driven for so long, or a complete change in road rules over the years. But nope - generally, retaking a test isn't necessary for ex-prisoners!

15. The overwhelming anxiety of grocery shopping

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Just imagine how crazy it must be for someone living off prison rations for 30 years to then be faced by anything they could wish for on the grocery shelves in front of them - with no limit to what they could choose, or even what they could order on their phone for home delivery. No wonder it's overwhelming!

16. Don't people write checks anymore?

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The way we pay for things has changed drastically over the years. Once upon a time, you had to write a physical check to cash, or physical money was just the norm. Now we have Apple pay, contactless cards and even ATMs can be shocking to a prisoner who's never seen one before.

17. The reality of using a gas station

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The anxiety over using a gas station after being in prison can also be a combination of things - how to actually fill up your car, and how to pay for it. You now have self-serving pumps, and then you have contactless payment or card payments for those... all of which can be overwhelming to someone who never saw that 30 years ago.

18. Being scared to turn a computer on

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With so much new technology over 30 years, it's no surprise an ex-prisoner might be terrified even at the prospect of turning a computer on - because they don't know what it does, how it works, or maybe that laptop or PC tower just looks far too intimidating (and noisy).

19. Changes with the law

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Another crazy thing can be new laws to understand - especially when you were sent to prison in the first place for breaking a law. Things like the smoking ban in certain countries, or even the recent laws for COVID-19 are all going to take some getting used to for someone who's been locked up for so many years.

20. Your status in the family

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Depending on what your family setup was before you went into prison, life and the world can be completely different when you come out. If you go into prison with a partner who is pregnant, you might then be a grandparent when you're released without ever having the experience of being a parent in the first place.

21. How many cars are on the roads nowadays

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Depending on the year you went into prison, cars are going to have changed a lot

over the years. Over the course of 30 years, there are definitely more cars on the road, and even individual households having more than one car. All that traffic and carbon footprint will be overwhelming to someone just getting out of prison.

22. Issues of race and gender

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Depending on where you're from in the world, there will be laws regarding race and gender, as well as changes in gender understanding, that have changed a lot over the years. If you went in prison 30 year ago, you'll now have to understand about developing pronouns, identities as well as races mixing more than you might have been used to in certain places.

23. How addictive the internet can be

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One of the biggest realities in this day and age is how addictive the internet can be - and how technology addiction is actually a certified problem, with doom scrolling. To a person only just getting out of prison, the idea of internet addiction must be a crazy thing to try and comprehend.

24. The reality of watching TV shows

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Once upon a time - and definitely over 30 years ago - you had to tune in to your bulky TV set at a certain time to watch a program as it went out live at the scheduled time. Now? Well, we have streaming, on-demand and the pretty much obsolete condition of live TV. Imagine how strange that is to someone just getting out of prison!

25. Or even the movie-watching experience

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The same goes for how movies are consumed these days. Sure, people still enjoy physically going to the movie theater, but even that experience has changed with at least one person still sitting on their phone. Nowadays, movies are mostly streamed at home.

26. The world didn't stop

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It may sound silly, but for a lot of people going into prison where time seems to stand still doing the same thing in a prison cell everyday, they get the idea that a lot of people on the outside put their lives on hold, too - like loved ones. But a harsh reality of getting out can be that the world carried on turning, and people carried on living their lives.

27. Google: the answer to everything

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It's just embedded into our finger muscles these days to type a question into Google and get an instant response. Nobody would think about actually struggling to understand or use Google, because it's just the norm - except if you're a prisoner that's been locked up for 30 years when Google wasn't even a thing.

28. Technology that doesn't even exist anymore

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People who went into prison over 30 years ago would have had their own effects put into custody, too - and on release, they got them back. So imagine how crazy it must be to learn that the technology you have handed back to you won't even work in this world anymore - and there's no chance of plugging in an old phone to charge, because it's obsolete!

29. Screens - so many screens!

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And we don't just mean the devices we hold in our hands. It's all about the development of screens in society, like on bus stop boards, in Times Square, or pretty much every shop window having some visual screen display. It must seem like a future sci fi movie to walk down the street!

30. Being able to smoke (or not)

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For some people who have been newly released, the first thing they might want to do is light up a cigarette. A crazy thing they need to get used to, though, is that they can't just light up wherever they please - and especially in public places. Which is definitely a shock to the system when you can light up easily in prison.