A Look Back at the Highlights of the Decade.

The beginning of a new decade is almost upon us. With 2020 bringing many new changes, it gives us a chance to look back at some highlights the past decade has brought. From new trends to new technology and innovations in society, the 2010s have brought many advancements.

Movements

Environment

In the past 10 years, many new movements have emerged amongst newer generations, especially in relation to climate change. Climate change has been a growing topic in recent years, as a result of scientists doing more research about how this will affect future generations. People such as Greta Thunberg are at the forefront of this movement. Thunberg has been a leading example of environmental activism since the age of 15. She has been working toward advancing awareness of climate change, as well as encouraging people to make lifestyle changes to help the environment.

Gun Control

Other notable emerging movements are protests regarding gun control in light of school shootings, with high school students taking the front of this action. These protests have been growing for years, beginning with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of 2012. However, this movement grew exponentially after the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida. This increase of mass shootings in the United States has brought up issues regarding who has access to these guns, as well as sparked a debate about mental health treatment.

Memes

The 2010s brought many online changes. This included new memes trending on social media. Before 2010, the concept of a meme was almost nonexistent, and now there are new ones everyday with people adding funny text and edits to each one.  These memes have definitely evolved over the decade as well. For example, if you had gone online in 2012, you most likely would have seen a singular picture of a person or animal making a face at the camera. This picture would have big blocky text under it, saying something that could relate to the viewer. However, memes have become more complex over the years, with the sense of humor changing. Now, you might find multiple photos edited together with different text on each one, in order to show the relation between the people in the photo going through relatable scenarios.

Technology

Hybrid and Electric Cars

Along with the call to environmental change, hybrid and electric cars have been increasing in use in the past 10 years more than ever before. The fact that hybrid cars do not release as many greenhouse gas emissions as a typical car makes people steer toward the option of these kinds of vehicles. The use of these non-polluting vehicles especially rings true in Tesla, which specializes in manufacturing electric cars. With Tesla selling cars that purely run on electrical sources, rather than gas, it is easy for people to be drawn towards this option, rather than paying for gas weekly.

Online Shopping

While online shopping has grown exponentially in the past decade, Amazon is the front of many people’s online needs. With Amazon Prime offering free shipping, and student discounts, it is the first place many people turn to when they need something quickly. In fact, according to Forbes, “Amazon shipped more than 5 billion items in 2017 with Prime worldwide.” Many companies are closing their brick and mortar stores and focusing on expanding their online presence as a result of the physical store not bringing in as much income as online.

Fashion

Bring back the 1980s! Those who grew up in the 80s may recognize some of the styles in the past few years. Throughout the 2010s, fashion from the 1980s has been making a comeback. This includes the “vintage look” of baggy jeans, or “mom” jeans, bulky white sneakers, such as Filas, Nikes Cortez, or Adidas Superstars. Also, many wear colorful windbreakers, denim jackets, and Doc Martens.

While 2010-2019 have brought many new changes and introduced many new forms ideas, 2020 brings a mass of opportunities to look forward to. For example, the presidential election, and summer olympics, taking place in Tokyo, are just two new things that this new year will bring.