Confession time: Older sci-fi is getting increasingly harder to read because of the technology

By frozenCrown6

I know this topic has probably come up before, but I just have to say it. I’m finally going through the Foundation series for the first time (I read the first book ages ago and didn’t keep going), and some parts are honestly hard to get through. A big reason is the “older” kind of tech Asimov uses. When I see characters still relying on stuff that isn’t really digital—like anything film-based—I catch myself feeling kinda let down, like the author didn’t guess what tech would look like today. I know that’s unfair, but I can’t seem to turn the feeling off. For me it didn’t used to be like this with Dune. I’m a huge Herbert fan, and I started reading those before a lot of modern digital tech existed, so it didn’t bother me as much. But when I reread Dune recently, it hit me way harder. Oddly, I’m less bothered by the big stuff—like how space travel actually works—because we still don’t really have answers to that in real life. That disappointment is there too, but it doesn’t get under my skin the same way. Also, I’ve noticed I don’t have the same problem with Jules Verne or the Barsoom books. Maybe because they’re more obviously in the fantasy lane, so it doesn’t feel like I’m comparing them to reality as much? Does anyone else run into this? And how do you deal with it—do you just push through, or is there a way you adjusted your mindset? Edit: wow, this got a lot of attention. Thanks to everyone for the replies. I get why some people might be annoyed, but I wasn’t trying to bash sci-fi writers in general. It was more of a personal confession than a critique. I’ll still read and enjoy sci-fi.