Retro Riddles: Can You Guess These Outdated Gizmos?

8. The Big Decision

Usually, eateries and restaurants just play random music on the speakers nowadays; yet, that was not always the case. Thanks to the little jukeboxes placed at every table, customers could once select a song to cover the whole restaurant! This was obviously really difficult and a major choice to make. Though you might have appreciated the song, would the rest of the diner? Most of them have now been taken out, even if you could come across the rare diner still has these. Rather, we have to listen to loud TikHubs emanating from the table of young people next to us.

These tabletop jukeboxes were social catalysts capable of either enhancing or ruining the ambiance of a diner, not only music players. The eating experience included constantly flipping over the song choices, arguing with friends, and at last choosing. As customers learned about one another's musical preferences, it promoted a feeling of community. Reflecting the popular tunes and altering musical scene of the times, the jukebox also functioned as a cultural barometer. For many, it was a first taste of fresh music and styles. The absence of these little jukeboxes signals a change in public space interaction and consumption of music. Modern technology lacks the common feeling and expectation that accompanied waiting for your music to play on the diner's jukebox, even if it provides more variation and personalizing.