Though the cultural progression from 1999 to 2009 probably isn't as vastly different as some previous decades, there is no doubt that there has been a significant "look" to the first decade of the 21st century. This kind of intro has been used about a million times in other threads this month alone, so I'll leave it to you to figure the rest out.

Basically, I'm asking what did you think was the defining year of the 00s, or the "most 00s-ish" year. You get what I'm saying. Fashion, music, culture, trends, politics, mentality, etc.

I would say 2001 when 9/11 happened was what made this decade go to the 21st Century.  The 00's wasn't full blown until the summer of 2003 when new music, fashion, and movies started coming out.

I would say that 2000 defines the '00s.

2003.

I agree that the 2000s really didn't have a real identity until 2003, but I think the year that defines this decade is 2005, when youtube came about, most people started buying ipods, Bush started to experience backlash after Katrina and a failed war, but 05 was also the year that the economy really was at its peak for the decade

Yeah, I think it'd be either 2003 or 2005. The early 2000s still had a bit of a '90s feel to it.

I wonder which year LEAST defines the 00's ? ???

2006.  The year I pooped

2007 or 2008. Pop culture really took off the last couple of years.

I would have to agree with everyone who has said 2003.
It was when the Troops entered Iraq and thus brought forth this current depression. The depression/recession is what defines the 00's. imho.

2005 I think was one of the key years, certainly one of the most interesting, it was the turning point year between the old school more subdued early 2000s and the social networked connected flashy cheesier late 00s. Emo became a pop music sensation, Rihanna and T-Pain debuted and set the stage for late 2000s music. Snap music/ringtone/gimmicky rap became popular. In some ways it was the greatest year for 2000s music, in other ways it was the worst.

The defning year of the 00s was 2001.  9/11 didn't have to change anything, but it changed everything. 

I'm old enough to remember pre-9/11 America.  It was a country in which phrases like "Papers, Please?", "It's for your security" and "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" were lines only heard in movies, and they were uttered by bad guys, typically with German or Russian accents.

"Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization."
  - Agent Smith, The Matrix, 1999.

Pre 9/11 America, at the peak of the dot-com bubble, rocked.

I'm thinking of my second choice - the econoclysm of 2008.  Ultimately, it didn't matter what (or whether) I bought or sold.  With the benefit of hindsight, it turned out that the bailout packages worked, as the world didn't burn, and we've all survived to get another crack at banking coin off the next crisis (provided it's not so great as to make it impossible to collect on a winning bet!).  But if the world had burned last year, I'd have died with a smile on my face, knowing that I'd had a good life, and that my standard of living, meager as it was, had been better than anyone born after the great burning would ever hope to see.

But back to my first choice - 2001.  It didn't matter whether the 2008 bailouts were able to prevent systemic collapse of the food distribution chain, because whether it was going to end in 50 years, 50 months, or 50 years.  That die had already been cast in the form of our response to the events of 9/11/2001.  I don't know what the future will look like, but I do know that I've seen the peak of my civilization.  And it was very good while it lasted.  (Thank you, Agent Smith, for reminding me of this essential truth, a full two years before the simulation started its decline. )

2005 definitely. With emo and myspace becoming mainstream that year blah blah you know. Those 2 things I think define this decade, along with the music from that year. I think Mr. Brightside - The Killers is probably one of the definitive 2000's songs. In terms of rock music anyways, along with other songs like Hollaback Girl, Lose Control (Missy Elliot), 1 2 Step, you get what I'm saying. Though the whole 2003 - 2005 era is probably the defining 2000's era.

Makes sense because I also think 1995 defines the 90's.

2006.  The year I pooped


It was about time!

I basically agree with both consensuses on this thread - alot of things changed in 2002/03 in the state of the world with the Iraq war and economically. That's also when I guess I'd call it the "overmodernization" look of this era really took off. I'm talking about modernizing and renovating lots of shopping centers/malls or just building things up everywhere (there used to be alot more open space in the 90s, especially if you live in a big city or metro area).

2005 was also big for Myspace, Youtube and the social networking sites getting popular. We take that for granted even now, so if we had to spend a few days before then, it would already feel dated for that reason.

Musically I'd also say a cross of 2002 (disappearance of ballads, pop/punk at its biggest), 2005 (emo peaking, beginning of gimmicky rap, beginning of '80s retro artists) or 08 (even more electronic music getting big again).

In some ways, the excesses of 2003-07 really beat the "excesses of the '80s", which now look really primitive in comparison. Advertising on cars and also small road signs have also been excessive. Too bad the problem of this decade (and almost as much the following) doesn't have a good "nostalgic ring" like the 20s-90s decades have.

But 2005 was definately the peak of this decade. In addition to the cross of musical trends that year and the debut of Youtube, Wikipedia really became big around that time (Although it's heyday is now over), and also '90s leftovers Friends and Fraiser left in 2004 making it unique. Deal Or No Deal also debuted that December starting a mini-game show revival. Around that time, HDTV pretty much became the primary method of filming new TV shows as well. But their are definately three main "types" of the '00s (and even a couple subtypes).

2000-9/10/2001- Late '90s hangover era (though with definate '00s elements such as Reality TV, Big-money game shows, and the Internet basically ubiquitous unlike the growing '90s. CRT Televisions still dominant, and the CD is still the latest musical format.) Economy starting to tank on dot-com bubble.

9/11/2001-4/30/2003- 9-11/Patriotic/First recession era- Characterized by hip-hop fusions of most music genres. Definately the first era of despair since the early '80s. Broadband Internet really starts to replace dial-up, and HDTV starts to take off. (Though non-HDTV is still dominant). The peak of the 128-bit era of video games (GameCube, Xbox, Playstation 2). Cellphones are ubiquitous by this point, and SUVs are more popular than ever before.

5/1/2003-Summer 2007- Peak '00s, with many trends here still around as of today. Emo, Glam Rap, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Web 2.0 all become huge and set the standard for '00s culture. Economically the most promising period of the decade. Toward the end of this period, late '00s elements such as "going green" , Autotune, and Ringtone downloads start to emerges. Newspaper/ mail advertising becomes excessive where online news really starts to dominate. "Made in China", border immigration, Iraq reporting big US issues, and what is considered "breaking news" is much more dumbed down compared to earlier times. Gas prices really spike making fuel economy a new concern. A HUGE generation gap in culture develops as oldies on radio stations are older than ever relative to current music, and many Baby Boomers enjoy classics movies and TV shows released to DVD.

Fall 2007-2009- Late '00s recession era/Autotune era. Since this is current, we all know for ourselves, although some mid-00s things such as Myspace and Emo aren't as big as they were.

^Good analysis. :) I agree with you, 2005 was definitely the overall peak. When we started having social networking, Wikipedia and Youtube, that made the 90s feel more distant.

In some ways, the excesses of 2003-07 really beat the "excesses of the '80s", which now look really primitive in comparison. Advertising on cars and also small road signs have also been excessive. Too bad the problem of this decade (and almost as much the following) doesn't have a good "nostalgic ring" like the 20s-90s decades have.

But 2005 was definately the peak of this decade. In addition to the cross of musical trends that year and the debut of Youtube, Wikipedia really became big around that time (Although it's heyday is now over), and also '90s leftovers Friends and Fraiser left in 2004 making it unique. Deal Or No Deal also debuted that December starting a mini-game show revival. Around that time, HDTV pretty much became the primary method of filming new TV shows as well. But their are definately three main "types" of the '00s (and even a couple subtypes).

2000-9/10/2001- Late '90s hangover era (though with definate '00s elements such as Reality TV, Big-money game shows, and the Internet basically ubiquitous unlike the growing '90s. CRT Televisions still dominant, and the CD is still the latest musical format.) Economy starting to tank on dot-com bubble.

9/11/2001-4/30/2003- 9-11/Patriotic/First recession era- Characterized by hip-hop fusions of most music genres. Definately the first era of despair since the early '80s. Broadband Internet really starts to replace dial-up, and HDTV starts to take off. (Though non-HDTV is still dominant). The peak of the 128-bit era of video games (GameCube, Xbox, Playstation 2). Cellphones are ubiquitous by this point, and SUVs are more popular than ever before.

5/1/2003-Summer 2007- Peak '00s, with many trends here still around as of today. Emo, Glam Rap, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Web 2.0 all become huge and set the standard for '00s culture. Economically the most promising period of the decade. Toward the end of this period, late '00s elements such as "going green" , Autotune, and Ringtone downloads start to emerges. Newspaper/ mail advertising becomes excessive where online news really starts to dominate. "Made in China", border immigration, Iraq reporting big US issues, and what is considered "breaking news" is much more dumbed down compared to earlier times. Gas prices really spike making fuel economy a new concern. A HUGE generation gap in culture develops as oldies on radio stations are older than ever relative to current music, and many Baby Boomers enjoy classics movies and TV shows released to DVD.

Fall 2007-2009- Late '00s recession era/Autotune era. Since this is current, we all know for ourselves.


I think of Jay-Z as more of a hot artist from 1998-2002 rather than Jay-Z being a hot artist during the core 00's period of 2003-mid 2007.

What do you mean by adverting on cars has been excessive or small road signs? You need signs on the road to get where your going if you haven;t been there before.

I think of years that define the 00's as 2003-mid 2005 because 00's music was really defined by that era like 50 Cent, Beyonce, Frankie J., Maroon 5, Evanesence, Sean Paul, Maroon 5, Kanye West, Lil Jon, and "The Killers". The defining 00's also had music like Green Day and Mariah Carey comebacks and Gwen Stefani's hit CD "Love.Angel.Music.Baby".

I thought musiic started to change in May of 2005 with Chris Brown's debut on the music scene. Than a slew of acts came out after Brown to define the second half of the 00's(Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Pussycatt Dolls, Akon, and T-Pain.)

That autotone stuff blew up in popularity a few months after T-Pain's #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit ("Buy U A Drank.) in March of 2007 I believe.

So there was a change in music that took place in mid 2005 than a little rumble of change in mid 2007.

In some ways, the excesses of 2003-07 really beat the "excesses of the '80s", which now look really primitive in comparison. Advertising on cars and also small road signs have also been excessive. Too bad the problem of this decade (and almost as much the following) doesn't have a good "nostalgic ring" like the 20s-90s decades have.

But 2005 was definately the peak of this decade. In addition to the cross of musical trends that year and the debut of Youtube, Wikipedia really became big around that time (Although it's heyday is now over), and also '90s leftovers Friends and Fraiser left in 2004 making it unique. Deal Or No Deal also debuted that December starting a mini-game show revival. Around that time, HDTV pretty much became the primary method of filming new TV shows as well. But their are definately three main "types" of the '00s (and even a couple subtypes).

2000-9/10/2001- Late '90s hangover era (though with definate '00s elements such as Reality TV, Big-money game shows, and the Internet basically ubiquitous unlike the growing '90s. CRT Televisions still dominant, and the CD is still the latest musical format.) Economy starting to tank on dot-com bubble.

9/11/2001-4/30/2003- 9-11/Patriotic/First recession era- Characterized by hip-hop fusions of most music genres. Definately the first era of despair since the early '80s. Broadband Internet really starts to replace dial-up, and HDTV starts to take off. (Though non-HDTV is still dominant). The peak of the 128-bit era of video games (GameCube, Xbox, Playstation 2). Cellphones are ubiquitous by this point, and SUVs are more popular than ever before.

5/1/2003-Summer 2007- Peak '00s, with many trends here still around as of today. Emo, Glam Rap, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Web 2.0 all become huge and set the standard for '00s culture. Economically the most promising period of the decade. Toward the end of this period, late '00s elements such as "going green" , Autotune, and Ringtone downloads start to emerges. Newspaper/ mail advertising becomes excessive where online news really starts to dominate. "Made in China", border immigration, Iraq reporting big US issues, and what is considered "breaking news" is much more dumbed down compared to earlier times. Gas prices really spike making fuel economy a new concern. A HUGE generation gap in culture develops as oldies on radio stations are older than ever relative to current music, and many Baby Boomers enjoy classics movies and TV shows released to DVD.



I think the peak of any decade is always the ?3 - ?7 stretch. like 1983 - 1987, 1993 - 1997, 2003 - 2007, etc...

When it comes to changes of a decade, it seems like summers always grasp the change better than December-January.

For this decade, it feels like the summer of 2003 went through the old school to new school 2000's change.
And for the 90's, summer 1993 in my area was kind of when a lot of early 90's things became yesterdays news, and summer of '97 was when 90's went digital and bubblegummy.

2006 is pretty much it...Web 2.0 started to take off, MySpace is huge, YouTube (that was bigger in 2007-2008) the Disney Channel started High School Musical and Hannah Montana, emo is huge year, iPod, PSP, Harry Potter, terrorism (sort of!), reality TV, The OC (even though canceled in 07), Laguna Beach...yup the 00s

I'd have to say 9/11/2001 since not only did we live in fear after that, but everything in entertainment sold out to everyone!

I think the peak of any decade is always the ?3 - ?7 stretch. like 1983 - 1987, 1993 - 1997, 2003 - 2007, etc...

When it comes to changes of a decade, it seems like summers always grasp the change better than December-January.

For this decade, it feels like the summer of 2003 went through the old school to new school 2000's change.
And for the 90's, summer 1993 in my area was kind of when a lot of early 90's things became yesterdays news, and summer of '97 was when 90's went digital and bubblegummy.



I agree with you...with the 2000s, the real core of the 2000s really started about summer of 2003, especially with the movies and the  TV.  By the middle of '03, rap was starting to get blown out of proportion and it was not the left-over gangsta ICP-Ja Rule type rap of the early 2000s, it was more corporate rap like 50 Cent, Chingy, Outkast, etc.  With the rock scene, the more emo and indie type stuff started creeping in about mid 2003.  The pop era was pretty much over by that time (except for the Disney Channel Hilary Duff and she is more rocker) and kids are more interested into more classic rock, metal, etc.  Then you had stuff like the OC on TV and the launch of MySpace started the real core.  About summer of 2007 (more like July-October 2007) we started to see more later 2000s stuff such as the iPhone, apps all over the place, get a Mac, ringtones, Disney Channel stuff, Soulja Boy type stuff, Transformers movie and The Simpsons movie, that tells you something.  Then the prime time game show thing and Wife Swap like reality started to kick in on the TV, along with these Duggar type shows.  The Wii and the PSP3 is pretty much the start.  Musically, ringtone rap and more electronica influenced music...a lot heaver focus on synth and the emo and ghettotronic type stuff started to come in.

I think the peak of any decade is always the ?3 - ?7 stretch. like 1983 - 1987, 1993 - 1997, 2003 - 2007, etc...

When it comes to changes of a decade, it seems like summers always grasp the change better than December-January.

For this decade, it feels like the summer of 2003 went through the old school to new school 2000's change.
And for the 90's, summer 1993 in my area was kind of when a lot of early 90's things became yesterdays news, and summer of '97 was when 90's went digital and bubblegummy.


this makes sense      The Summers grasp change better then the  Winter months                            !!!

this makes sense      The Summers grasp change better then the  Winter months                            !!!


What      is the deal        with              this                            spacing          and  grammar            ?                  !!!!!

Seriously, I don't understand it.

What      is the deal        with              this                            spacing          and  grammar            ?                  !!!!!

Seriously, I don't understand it.


Maybe typed on a smartphone?

Maybe typed on a smartphone?


I have no idea. I just found it strange. XD

2004.

I have no idea. I just found it strange. XD


smartphone

What      is the deal        with              this                            spacing          and  grammar            ?                  !!!!!

Seriously, I don't understand it.



I don't understand it either. ::)

2001

Years that 'stick out'.

2001- 9/11, Beginning of Afghanistan, Bush starts presidency.
2008- Economic panic of late 2008, started in September. Obama and Hillary Clinton is in the news, A LOT, for the election.

There is no defining year. Everything from the 00's was cluttered and scattered all over the place. We don't need a defining year.  ::)

2004.


Yes, 2004. Agreed.

Yes, 2004. Agreed.


Thanks.  :D

I think just about every decade is defined by the middle years (4, 5 and 6)

I think just about every decade is defined by the middle years (4, 5 and 6)


To a given degree, I would say so.

The 00s would be either 2003 or 2004. I think the later years (2008 and 2009) will end up being seen as pre-10s moreso than defining 00s.

Of course seeing that the 00s is the first decade of a millenium, it would make sense for the earliest years to have a historical significance.

I would also agree that 2005 was the defining year in terms of pop culture, as was everything up until about 2008. By '05, 2000s pop culture was cemented and virtually all 90s influence of the early 2000s was gone.
In terms of sociopolitics, 2001 and 2003 were the most defining years, especially with the latter beginning the Iraq war.

I would also agree that 2005 was the defining year in terms of pop culture, as was everything up until about 2008. By '05, 2000s pop culture was cemented and virtually all 90s influence of the early 2000s was gone.
In terms of sociopolitics, 2001 and 2003 were the most defining years, especially with the latter beginning the Iraq war.


2005? No way. Just no. My girls never even talk about 2005's fashion shows anymore. 2003 is where the catwalks were so in. Who cares about the 2005 beauty pagents? Not many people.

I think every year is defined by the year 1238 B.C.
Every month is defined by when Brad Pitt grows a goatee

I think every time a second cousin of a semi zombie-ghost self inflates in Cuba on a rainy sunday afternoon following Cuban female midget wrestling on sand is my defining moment of the millennium.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6e62zCwn91qzedrdo1_500.gif

To me, it's a toss-up between 1999 and 2010.

2005? No way. Just no. My girls never even talk about 2005's fashion shows anymore. 2003 is where the catwalks were so in. Who cares about the 2005 beauty pagents? Not many people.
Because you know, everyone is ALWAYS up to date on current fashion trends no matter what... ::)

To me, it's a toss-up between 1999 and 2010.


Maybe, but I think you are at least 412 years off either way.

Hey Henk, what's the defining moment of an escalator ride ?

I think every year is defined by the year 1238 B.C.
Every month is defined by when Brad Pitt grows a goatee

I think every time a second cousin of a semi zombie-ghost self inflates in Cuba on a rainy sunday afternoon following Cuban female midget wrestling on sand is my defining moment of the millennium.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6e62zCwn91qzedrdo1_500.gif


;D

Maybe, but I think you are at least 412 years off either way.

Hey Henk, what's the defining moment of an escalator ride ?



going up is the defining moment.

.... what's the defining moment of an escalator ride ?
1895, Jesse Reno created a new novelty ride at Coney Island from his patented design, a moving stairway that elevated passengers on a conveyor belt at a 25 degree angle.

I think every year is defined by the year 1238 B.C.
Every month is defined by when Brad Pitt grows a goatee

I think every time a second cousin of a semi zombie-ghost self inflates in Cuba on a rainy sunday afternoon following Cuban female midget wrestling on sand is my defining moment of the millennium.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6e62zCwn91qzedrdo1_500.gif


Three points of information:

1) In the first decade of AM 2000, Hammurabi was still kicking ass.
2) Half a world away, the Shang Dynasty was about to kick the Xia Dynasty off its perch.
3) People who do it that way sometimes only blow off their own foreheads and end up like James Brady.

http://media.tumblr.com/353c62e9dac84e764e6401151d3b77df/tumblr_inline_mhcdcnReBr1qz4rgp.gif

And we needed to know that like I needed another hole in my head, so yeah, I'm out too. Elevator down!

I will say 2008 by a long shot followed closely by 2009.

I will say 2008 by a long shot followed closely by 2009.


Have you even read my comments in the other thread? I get the feeling that you haven't.

Anyway, I'd say any year from 2001-2005 but defnitley NOT 2008 or 2009

Have you even read my comments in the other thread? I get the feeling that you haven't.

Anyway, I'd say any year from 2001-2005 but defnitley NOT 2008 or 2009


For me the late '00s define the decade. 

We will have to get farther away from the decade though before we can look back in retrospect and know for sure what its defining year was.

For me the late '00s define the decade. 

We will have to get farther away from the decade though before we can look back in retrospect and know for sure what its defining year was.


Looking back in retrospect now should suggests a year in the range I suggest, per my comments in one of the other threads that I'm sure I requested that you read. There's another reason, but let's not decadeology this discussion.

I think the late 00s are just more recent and are therefore fresher in your mind.

For me the late '00s define the decade. 


I still feel that 2008+ belongs to the current era, so no - I don't think that you're right. 2001-07 sounds good in this case -> The pre-iPhone-era defined the 00s.

Have you even read my comments in the other thread? I get the feeling that you haven't.

Anyway, I'd say any year from 2001-2005 but defnitley NOT 2008 or 2009
Sociopoltically maybe, but not pop culturally. Besides the 00s still felt vaguely 90s until about 2004 (or at least where I live they did)z

Three points of information:

1) In the first decade of AM 2000, Hammurabi was still kicking ass.
2) Half a world away, the Shang Dynasty was about to kick the Xia Dynasty off its perch.
3) People who do it that way sometimes only blow off their own foreheads and end up like James Brady.

http://media.tumblr.com/353c62e9dac84e764e6401151d3b77df/tumblr_inline_mhcdcnReBr1qz4rgp.gif

And we needed to know that like I needed another hole in my head, so yeah, I'm out too. Elevator down!


;D

Sociopoltically maybe, but not pop culturally. Besides the 00s still felt vaguely 90s until about 2004 (or at least where I live they did)z


Yes, pop culturally. The reality television explosion occurred in the early 2000s and was such a large landscape change in television to not even acknowledge. Ipods were introduced in the first half of the decade as well.

Three points of information:

1) In the first decade of AM 2000, Hammurabi was still kicking ass.
2) Half a world away, the Shang Dynasty was about to kick the Xia Dynasty off its perch.
3) People who do it that way sometimes only blow off their own foreheads and end up like James Brady.

http://media.tumblr.com/353c62e9dac84e764e6401151d3b77df/tumblr_inline_mhcdcnReBr1qz4rgp.gif

And we needed to know that like I needed another hole in my head, so yeah, I'm out too. Elevator down!


;D

Yes, pop culturally. The reality television explosion occurred in the early 2000s and was such a large landscape change in television to not even acknowledge. Ipods were introduced in the first half of the decade as well.
Reality TV did exist in the 90s too. Keep in mind that certain things don't reach certain parts of the country until later.
And just because iPods were around didn't mean everyone had one. No one in my family even had one until 2005.

Reality TV did exist in the 90s too. Keep in mind that certain things don't reach certain parts of the country until later.
And just because iPods were around didn't mean everyone had one. No one in my family even had one until 2005.


But did reality TV have ubiquity in the 90s like it did in the 2000s? Nope.

So the point still stands.

Reality TV did exist in the 90s too. Keep in mind that certain things don't reach certain parts of the country until later.
And just because iPods were around didn't mean everyone had one. No one in my family even had one until 2005.


So why did we want to watch shows like Survivor or Fear Factor? What was so interesting about them?

So why did we want to watch shows like Survivor or Fear Factor? What was so interesting about them?


Survivor was initally seen as a good "social experiment" and was a good insight to seeing how Americans from different walks of life would interact if put on an island in a societal competition for $1 million.

Survivor was initally seen as a good "social experiment" and was a good insight to seeing how Americans from different walks of life would interact if put on an island in a societal competition for $1 million.


Survivor was a good show but it got uninteresting quickly.

2003 - 2007 That Time Period Defines 2000's In My Eyes

Survivor was a good show but it got uninteresting quickly.


It can be hit or miss. In fact, the cast alone can make or break a season.

Some people talk about 1984 and 1994 defining those decades, but I think that's too a little too early. I think you could use those years to define the the most "classic" part of the decades, but not as a whole.

It can be hit or miss. In fact, the cast alone can make or break a season.


Register for an account at inthe00s.com

Register for an account at inthe00s.com


ditto.