re: Why have the last 20 years been less culturally distinct than previous decades?

quote:

---

Dude. Did you have wireless internet everywhere in 2003? Smartphones? Self-driving cars?

---

We had internet. The fact that internet is better now doesn’t mean we didn’t have it then. Wi-Fi isn’t new tech, it’s an improvement on an established tech.

Also we still don’t really have self driving cars. Every car I see on the road has a driver.

Multifactoral.

- ubiquitous internet merging culture

- our “creative betters” aren’t creative anymore and just rehash old shite

- a little “get off my lawn” effect. you’re getting old.

Mixed race couple wearing masks is so 2020’s

quote:

---

Look at popular music, most regional styles are dead. Country, rock, hip hop... it's all blended together in an amalgamation.

---

We come with the funky style that gets us known for the show.
And we'll mix the hip-hop rock country if we say it is so.
And f*ck the naysayers cause they don't mean a thing
'Cause this is what style we bring

Because technology has made it so all you losers just want to do the same thing all the time.

I propose it has to with the sheer abundance of content, ease of access, and a shrinking globe. Distinct culture is typically defined by art, music, writing, cinema, architecture, sports, cuisine… We live in a time of such abundance and growth that culture is watered down to such a point that it has no central focus. An example may be music, in the 20’s, 50’s or 60’s, there the were just a handful of talented artist, and a very small apparatus to create and disseminate a cultural product. It was expensive, to record, expensive to print a record, expensive to distribute, expensive to run a radio station. As a result, the musical product had to be focused on fewer genres and fewer artist and fewer modes of access, creating a focused and distinct musical culture until the next big thing came along. The same can be applied for other forms of culture.
Now days 1000 of musicians of all variety of genre can reach millions on social media, a film can stream on 100s of different platforms… it’s watered down and overly-accessible.
A shrinking globe, instant global access annd communication, multinational companies and increased global trade has made it easy to share ideas, and culture.
It will continue to get more watered down. No stopping it, unless you want to move to North Korea.

There is some some delineation amongst the last couple of decades just more subtle. Being an old fogey might also be part of the blur. The proliferation of cell phones/texting in movies/tv is one example.

Bro, the current decade is defined by trans and these bitches with blue and pink hair.

Agree with another of these posts. Great topic OP.

90,91 feel quote a bit like 88,89

Something about 92 and Nirvana really mushroom stamped the 90s as different. Grunge was in