What has defined the 10's so far?

[retrolinkx]

So, we're 5 and a 1/4 years through the 10's and before we know it it'll be 2020 pretty damn soon so I've been wondering.

Even though we're not through this decade yet, what has defined it so far in your opinion?

For me, I can't even think of things that have defined it as much as things like movies, music, fashion etc. did for the 80's and 90's.

Possibly the start of Virtual Gaming with the Occlus rift but apart from that I can't really think of anything else.

What about you guys? What do you think?

[Mamkute]

Weirder is what defined the 00's:
Politically, 9/11. Musically, Boy Bands in the early half, and Scene-Music in the later half. Other Culture has mostly been casual internet, with Youtube, and such, along with social media.

For the 10's, I would say politically it hasn't been the best, and culturally it has been pretty diverse. Other culture wise, it has been a lot of expansion off of social media, from the previous decade, and perhaps, as you said, virtual gaming will get there as a new defining force.

[Ivogoji]

Giant monster movies have been ultra schway this decade; Clash of the Titans, Pacific Rim, Godzilla 2014, Attack on Titan film, Pacific Rim 2, Godzilla 2, Godzilla 2016, Kong Reboot, Gamera Reboot, etc. Plus The Asylum's mess of low budget kaiju-knock offs they did throughout 2010 and 2011.

Also having miniscule gaps between original movie franchises ending and reboots getting made.

Giant monsters and giant monster related things are the only aspect of this decade I really care about though. 90s forever.

[Pumpkinium]

i think minecraft is part of it, the early release was in 2009, but the first minecon was in 2010, and minecon 2011 (the one i got to go to in vegas) celebrated the release of version 1.0, which got it out of beta, so that would be a big part of it. although home to a lot of noobs and small angry children, minecraft still had a big effect on a lot of people so i think that might be one thing.

the avengers came out in 2012 and created a burst of interest in the marvel cinematic universe so thats probably a part of it too, and i agree with ivo on the monster movies part

as for music, i dont really know anything i can share personally, but i think nicki minaj, taylor swift, etc, although i dont really care for their music, seem to be really inspirational people

theres also slowly expanding but important attempts for gay marriage and etc, and also the ferguson stuff going on, which, i feel, may spark another martin luther king jr esq event, because lets face it, there are still a lot of racist ass ppl and i hope it stops soon

also each year has a classification of memes that are too large in mass that i cant remember all of them and which year they started

[Enzo03]

Crappy music, crappy movies, crappy games, crappy TV shows, crappy ideologies running rampant, and fashion and artistic senses that change yet somehow always seem to work out "just right" for this generation while making every previous generation look strange and tacky.

In other words, like every previous generation ever.

[wic.]

I think that, politically, the 2010s have been defined by protest and people speaking out. I think that during the 2000s a lot of people were driven complacent due to post-9/11 scare (and the people who manipulated that fear for power) but in the 2010s people became more aware and wanted to stir change.

The Occupy Movement and Arab Spring are two examples that pop into my mind in terms of early 2010s. People are speaking out more, wanting to make change, something we didn't see as much the previous decade.

I also think that racial injustice in the US will be remembered when we look back. Events like Trayvon Martin's shooting, Ferguson, and Eric Garner's homicide have sparked rage and promoted people to cause outcry.

I think in the protests what will mostly remembered is the role that social media played in all of them, especially Arab Spring and Ferguson. Social media was very important for spreading information (both accurate and inaccurate) among protestors and changed the way that we absorb information forever. We can now view primary, firsthand sources incredibly quickly and easily.

In general, I think the expansion of social media has shaped us extremely heavily. We can now share any aspect of our life if we choose to do so. We now have an endless network of information and ways to spread said information. This effects us both culturally and politically.

Culturally, I think music has really shaped the 2010s. I disagree with Enzo, if you really think all the music sucks nowadays you're either stupid or lazy and refuse to search for it. Being more than a decade into Web 2.0 the sharing of music and the consumption of music has changed incredibly. It's incredibly easy for indie/underground musicians to put their stuff out and share their music, as well as easier for us to consume it. Streaming services have made music more accessible than ever.

I can't see gaming as really shaping us, at least how far we are now. I don't think the Oculus Rift will be hailed as some revolution to interactive media. That said we still have the other half of the decade, so we'll see. I think technology as a whole will be remembered, but I can't think of something specific outta gaming.

[Modest]

The increasing radio-play of indie music.

[MistressEnvy]

The legalization of gay marriage in all of the US, UK and Ireland is a biggie. I mean we're still far away from an LGBT-friendly world, but it's a step in the right direction.

As stated by wic., racial injustice will define us. It won't be in a good way, but it will define us. People are still too close-minded.

Many big names died, CEOs and stars and founders. To name a few, Paul Walker (Fast and the Furious), Satoru Iwata (Pokemon founder), Steve Jobs (Apple). The list goes on. Some people would consider that big, others wouldn't. But they redefined certain aspects of technology and media.

[chaoadventures]

^Iwata didn't make Pokemon.

But, he was a serious help in programming various games, and the president of Nintendo during 2002 to 2015.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

Satoshi Tajiri(sp?) is the mastermind behind Pokemon, though I hear Iwata played a big part in optimizing Pokemon Gold/Silver enough to include Kanto.

[Midnite]

^ Iwata did compress G/S to include Kanto, indeed. He also imported the Red/Green battle code to Pokémon Stadium, without any references.

[chaoadventures]

As I said, serious help in programming various games.

I remember something about him doing last minute bug fixes, to Melee.

[Rajikaru]

Trump becoming basically Hitler (like almost literally talks about the same things Hitler talked about before he actually got to start his reign).

Police committing racial crimes reaching an all-time high. At this point if something doesn't happen to actually punish all of these officers, a race war is most likely gonna break out.

The widespread use of before-release DLC and pre-order culture for Triple-A games so they can be released as buggy as desired ramping up tenfold, and Steam Greenlight being used to release ****** Indie Games with flipped assets.

But hey, we did finally get an Akira Toriyama approved third Dragonball series anime. It's pretty great so far.

Also the introduction of deeper kid's shows that focus on exploring their world and interesting story arcs, which accumulate wide fanbases because they aren't just "haha poop joke hahahahah". These include primarily Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Regular Show.

[MistressEnvy]

^Iwata didn't make Pokemon.

But, he was a serious help in programming various games, and the president of Nintendo during 2002 to 2015.

Ahhh, thank you for the corrections everyone. I'll remember that.

But still yeah, he was a huge part of Nintendo.

[Damaris]

warped social justice and gender theory lol

but seriously though. For some reason this stuff has really got more prominent in the last 5 years.

[cloudchaoclan]

In terms of fashion:

In nearly stark contrast to the popularity of shorts that were baggy and went past your knees in the 2000s shorts that end just below the middle of your thigh are the new fad.
Any hairstyle that uses an undercut/man buns/knobs
Collared, button up shirts worn with literally anything
Plugs (god I hate these)
I've also noticed tattoos are less of a "tough guy" thing and more and more people are getting them
Dying your hair crazy colors has died out, and anyone who has non natural hair colors has them as highlights

[EvilPinkamina]

warped social justice and gender theory lol

but seriously though. For some reason this stuff has really got more prominent in the last 5 years.

Echo chambers allow people to think that their warped vision is right because other warped minds can agree and anyone that doesn't is immediately blocked.

[Mooncow]

i think minecraft is part of it, the early release was in 2009, but the first minecon was in 2010, and minecon 2011 (the one i got to go to in vegas) celebrated the release of version 1.0, which got it out of beta, so that would be a big part of it. although home to a lot of noobs and small angry children, minecraft still had a big effect on a lot of people so i think that might be one thing.

Ha, Minecon 2015 was held outside of where I live. I didn't go though, maybe I could have sneaked in if I tried.

[Crash32]

Payday 2 Microtransactions
Gosh darn OVK

[Nano]

Microtransactions and DLC in general for gaming.

[Ivogoji]

Overuse of the word jaeger.

The protagonist of Attack on Titan, the robots from Pacific Rim, the rivals from Akame ga kill, that guy from Transformers Extinction, a bunch of other things....

Too much inexplicable German in general really.

[Goat]

People who feel the need to fulfill their place in the world by advocating for meaningless causes, fake causes.

The demise of the media in all aspects as people have disregarded them.

Something I don't see brought up much, but the fact that people started believing at one point that you don't have to pay for free things. I'm only saying this based on a recent experience with a friend who payed for a subscription and was getting "Free games" as a result from EA, and the entirety of how many people genuinely believe socialism can work as a result despite seeing it fail in Venezuela and especially Western Europe.

I would also say the migrant crisis, I'll stop there lest I bother myself with an upward climb of a debate.

On another note, the fandom migration of the usual types. So far they've evolved from Bronies>FNAF>Undertale and each time have made things a lot less fun for everyone.

Edit: Add self censorship and calls of censorship as well from people that were supposed to protect us from it.

[chaobreedersmh]

Kids cartoons don't have to be only for kids. We're moving from very simple straight-forward TV shows to things with more serious subjects or complicated subjects, and even overarching plots. Of course, we still have simple shows, but more shows are taking risks now. It's just my opinion, but I think cartoons have greatly improved in the past few years from what they were before. Not to say old ones are bad, just that the new ones are at least a little bit better.

Btw I'm American so yeah, the USA's culture is what I'm talking about for the most part.

Pop music, electronic music, bizarre and wonderful remixes. Pop music has existed for a long time, but you can see the trends in them have changed in the last decade.

Movies, we've had an obsession with apocalypse and dystopia movies in the 10's.

Video games are gaining popularity and it's becoming more and more common for people to play them. Video games are helping people, in ways you might not know. Electronics in general are helping people. 3D printers are out there printing pieces to build people prosthetic limbs. People with special needs can use electronics to communicate their needs and desires when they are unable to themselves. Also now you can make a living playing video games if you're popular enough.

We are basically never away from social media now, both a good and bad thing. Though I might sound a bit too optimistic for saying this, but I truly do believe that this can lead us to becoming a bit more united as a planet. Obviously not totally, but I think it's a step in the right direction.

There are lots of negative things as well, but eh, I'll just highlight more of the positive things.

[CFood]

also each year has a classification of memes that are too large in mass that i cant remember all of them and which year they started

Basically this. Memes are defining this decade.

[Ivogoji]

Kids cartoons don't have to be only for kids. We're moving from very simple straight-forward TV shows to things with more serious subjects or complicated subjects, and even overarching plots. Of course, we still have simple shows, but more shows are taking risks now. It's just my opinion, but I think cartoons have greatly improved in the past few years from what they were before. Not to say old ones are bad, just that the new ones are at least a little bit better.

I'm sorry, but I strongly contest this. If anything cartoons have been moving away from mature and complex story telling more than ever. The 90s were the peak of serious, narrative driven animation, and cartoons have been steadily declining since. The 10s are definitely a low point in this regard.

Good cartoons of the past decade (Teen Titans, Scooby Doo: Mystery Inc., The Loony Toons Show) have been succeeded by pale imitations (TTG, Be Cool Scooby Doo, Wabbit) that ditch the the substance of the older shows for cheaper animation and generic stories. Comedy series have been unambitious and without imagination, most of them playing follow the leader to better shows like Adventure Time. The action cartoon is practically extinct- Legend of Korra struggled where it's predecessor flourished in the prior decade, Ultimate Spider-Man is a joke compared to the quality of The Spectacular Spider-Man that came before it, and don't even get me started on how bad the modern TMNT cartoon is compared to the 2003 incarnation.

There are exceptions, sure, like Gravity Falls (the Disney cartoon that forgot it's a Disney cartoon) and Steven Universe (the best show that's never on), but networks should have more than one or two quality productions. Cartoon Network churns out bad versions of good cartoons it used to have, Nickolodeon can't even keep anything animated that's not Spongebob on the air for long, and Disney XD is the only place to find action series at all, and then it's but a shadow of Disney's 90s glory.

I wouldn't normally rant like this, but wow, that observation could not have sounded more untrue to me. Cartoons are just way too disappointing these days.