Gen Zs saw a landline socket and thought it was...WHAT?!
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It’s always amusing—and sometimes a little confronting—when younger generations come face to face with something once considered a household staple.
A recent encounter in a European hotel left one Gen Z traveller thoroughly baffled by a now-obsolete fixture, sparking a wave of nostalgia (and a few age-related jokes) online.
The harmless mix-up has become a surprising reminder of just how quickly technology—and everyday knowledge—can change.
It was the kind of moment that quietly reminded older generations just how much the world had changed.
A British traveller sparked a wave of online amusement and existential dread after sharing a photo of a mysterious wall feature they found in a French hotel room.
The small, rectangular socket appeared so unfamiliar to the Gen Z guest that they turned to social media for answers, writing: ‘What is this thing?’
They even included a coin for scale, musing that the slot ‘almost looks like the sort of thing that you slide a security chain into–but it’s nowhere near the door or windows’.
Despite claiming to travel ‘fairly extensively’, the confused holidaymaker admitted they’d ‘never seen one of these before’.
While the younger crowd scratched their heads, older generations recognised it in an instant. The unassuming wall plate was a ‘prise en T’ phone socket—once a standard feature in French homes and hotels, much like Australia’s RJ11 ports.
‘That’s a phone socket for landline phones,’ one commenter explained.
Another chimed in: ‘Damn, that’s hitting the getting old target really hard.’
Someone else joked, ‘I’m feeling older every day…that was the socket used to plug landline telephones into.’
‘Welcome to the 20th century,’ another quipped.
The wave of nostalgic recognition was immediate—along with a creeping sense of just how fast tech has evolved.
Once a fixture in nearly every household, hotel room and office, the humble landline has largely vanished from daily life. Mobile phones gradually took over, and by the mid-2000s, Australians began ditching their home phones in favour of handheld convenience.
By 2010, the shift was almost complete. According to a 2022 report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 63 per cent of Australians relied solely on mobile phones at home. For those aged 24 to 35, that figure climbed to 82 per cent.
But in an unexpected twist, some members of Gen Z have begun embracing the retro charm of landlines—not for calls, but for aesthetics.
Home phone handsets, particularly the chunky, colourful models of decades past, were spotted in stylish young homes thanks to retailers like Urban Outfitters. In a report, one 24-year-old New Yorker said she had always ‘fantasised’ about having one in her room.
‘It really bridges that gap between reality and my childhood fantasy. I feel like the main character in my favourite TV shows—One Tree Hill, The OC, Gilmore Girls— when I use it,’ she said.
So while some were bewildered by the hotel room discovery, others were reminded of an entire era—one with tangled cords, dial tones, and the thrill of picking up the phone without knowing who was on the other end.
Seeing something once so ordinary now viewed as a mystery might make you wonder—what everyday item from your youth would leave young people scratching their heads today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a previous story, we looked at why Gen Z has been ditching smartphones and reviving corded landlines for their retro charm—perfectly blending nostalgia with modern style.
That trend gives a neat twist to today’s tale of a baffled traveller rediscovering an old phone socket in a French hotel.
For seniors who remember winding cords and dial tones, revisiting that story might spark some fond memories too—worth a read.
Read more: Ditching Smartphones? Why Gen Z is Going ‘Retro’ with Landline Calls
A recent encounter in a European hotel left one Gen Z traveller thoroughly baffled by a now-obsolete fixture, sparking a wave of nostalgia (and a few age-related jokes) online.
The harmless mix-up has become a surprising reminder of just how quickly technology—and everyday knowledge—can change.
It was the kind of moment that quietly reminded older generations just how much the world had changed.
A British traveller sparked a wave of online amusement and existential dread after sharing a photo of a mysterious wall feature they found in a French hotel room.
The small, rectangular socket appeared so unfamiliar to the Gen Z guest that they turned to social media for answers, writing: ‘What is this thing?’
Gen Z puzzled by old phone socket. Image source: Reddit
They even included a coin for scale, musing that the slot ‘almost looks like the sort of thing that you slide a security chain into–but it’s nowhere near the door or windows’.
Despite claiming to travel ‘fairly extensively’, the confused holidaymaker admitted they’d ‘never seen one of these before’.
While the younger crowd scratched their heads, older generations recognised it in an instant. The unassuming wall plate was a ‘prise en T’ phone socket—once a standard feature in French homes and hotels, much like Australia’s RJ11 ports.
‘That’s a phone socket for landline phones,’ one commenter explained.
Another chimed in: ‘Damn, that’s hitting the getting old target really hard.’
Someone else joked, ‘I’m feeling older every day…that was the socket used to plug landline telephones into.’
‘Welcome to the 20th century,’ another quipped.
The wave of nostalgic recognition was immediate—along with a creeping sense of just how fast tech has evolved.
Once a fixture in nearly every household, hotel room and office, the humble landline has largely vanished from daily life. Mobile phones gradually took over, and by the mid-2000s, Australians began ditching their home phones in favour of handheld convenience.
By 2010, the shift was almost complete. According to a 2022 report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 63 per cent of Australians relied solely on mobile phones at home. For those aged 24 to 35, that figure climbed to 82 per cent.
But in an unexpected twist, some members of Gen Z have begun embracing the retro charm of landlines—not for calls, but for aesthetics.
Home phone handsets, particularly the chunky, colourful models of decades past, were spotted in stylish young homes thanks to retailers like Urban Outfitters. In a report, one 24-year-old New Yorker said she had always ‘fantasised’ about having one in her room.
‘It really bridges that gap between reality and my childhood fantasy. I feel like the main character in my favourite TV shows—One Tree Hill, The OC, Gilmore Girls— when I use it,’ she said.
So while some were bewildered by the hotel room discovery, others were reminded of an entire era—one with tangled cords, dial tones, and the thrill of picking up the phone without knowing who was on the other end.
Seeing something once so ordinary now viewed as a mystery might make you wonder—what everyday item from your youth would leave young people scratching their heads today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a previous story, we looked at why Gen Z has been ditching smartphones and reviving corded landlines for their retro charm—perfectly blending nostalgia with modern style.
That trend gives a neat twist to today’s tale of a baffled traveller rediscovering an old phone socket in a French hotel.
For seniors who remember winding cords and dial tones, revisiting that story might spark some fond memories too—worth a read.
Read more: Ditching Smartphones? Why Gen Z is Going ‘Retro’ with Landline Calls
