Even prior to extended quarantines, lockdowns, and self-isolation, it was hard to imagine life without the electronic escapes of noise-cancelling earbuds, smartphones, and tablets. Today, it seems impossible. Of course, there was most certainly a before and after, a point around which the cultural gravity of our plugged-in-yet-tuned-out modern lives shifted. Its name is Walkman, and it was invented, in Japan, in 1979.
My commute to college was 2hrs on a nasty coach and I was dutty poor, so mini-discs weren't happening. A cheap ass walkman, with cheap ass cassettes was my jam. I had one of these - even the manual was dope.
https://chanc.ee/20200706-the-walkman-forty-years-on.html