There was a time when the internet had a place in the home; a corner, a schedule, a shared practice. That idea didn't vanish overnight. It came apart gradually, and left something behind.
Our internet worked differently. If I was connected and someone picked up the phone, the internet wouldn’t cut off but the phone would screech that internet sound. Then my mum would scream at me to disconnect so she can call Aunt Marja-Terttu. I’d of course protest, I was in the middle of a match or whatever, she’d had to wait 10 minutes! But no, she had to make the call NOW and the computer was paid by my parents anyway so I should do as I was told.
Our internet worked differently. If I was connected and someone picked up the phone, the internet wouldn’t cut off but the phone would screech that internet sound. Then my mum would scream at me to disconnect so she can call Aunt Marja-Terttu. I’d of course protest, I was in the middle of a match or whatever, she’d had to wait 10 minutes! But no, she had to make the call NOW and the computer was paid by my parents anyway so I should do as I was told.
Ah, good times.
With ours, the phone would make that noise, but if you didn’t hang up within like 2 seconds, it would boot you off AOL
If that was how ours worked, I would have driven my sisters mad with that sort of super power.