Sorry if this year has been talked about, but it just amazes me how crazy 2008 was.
You started off the year  with the same kind of music that dominated 2006 2007, pretty much the same
tech (just about the same economy /yet dwindling), and then you flash forward to The Autumn and the Economy is gone,
stores are gone, Music has changed, Tv shows are gone,  its just crazy how The start of 2008 and the end was.

Literally you can see the divide happen right around November when Obama got elected. I have never seen a year
that was this Bi-polar.

Frankly, I don't care if 2008 was divided or transitional within the 2000s. I still love the year no matter what and I find it better than 2009 in most cases. Sure, the economy sucked, but I was only a kid back then. All I cared about was watching cartoons and YouTube videos, while playing various computer games on my parents' iMac G5.

Were you in a coma from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016?

2008 is nothing compared to last year.

Were you in a coma from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016?

2008 is nothing compared to last year.


2008 and 2016 are very similar as in they were years with 2 feels,

2008 was WAYYYY more changeful than 2016 tho

Frankly, I don't care if 2008 was divided or transitional within the 2000s. I still love the year no matter what and I find it better than 2009 in most cases. Sure, the economy sucked, but I was only a kid back then. All I cared about was watching cartoons and YouTube videos, while playing various computer games on my parents' iMac G5.


2008 was WAY better than 2009

Sorry if this year has been talked about, but it just amazes me how crazy 2008 was.
You started off the year  with the same kind of music that dominated 2006 2007, pretty much the same
tech (just about the same economy /yet dwindling), and then you flash forward to The Autumn and the Economy is gone,
stores are gone, Music has changed, Tv shows are gone,  its just crazy how The start of 2008 and the end was.

Literally you can see the divide happen right around November when Obama got elected. I have never seen a year
that was this Bi-polar.


The historical election in the US, and the 2008 crash made it a very volatile year! Oh yeah, and Lady Gaga's debut. I called her Lady Crazy though, even though I like her.

2008 and 2016 are very similar as in they were years with 2 feels,

2008 was WAYYYY more changeful than 2016 tho

How was 2008 "WAYYYY more changeful than 2016 tho"? ???

How was 2008 "WAYYYY more changeful than 2016 tho"? ???


Economy died
TV shows were gone  (very important ones)
youtube went HD
Alot of stores from 2000s were dead by December
Obama became president
Lady gaga

Economy died
TV shows were gone  (very important ones)
youtube went HD
Alot of stores from 2000s were dead by December
Obama became president
Lady gaga

Most of those are good points but Trump being elected President and other events of 2016, at least to me, make it a more changeful year than 2008.

Economy died

Well, the Great Recession technically started in late 2007, it's just that its effects weren't fully felt until the start of 2009.

TV shows were gone  (very important ones)

Which ones? Aside from The Wire and Veronica Mars, I can't think of too many off the top of my head. You still had Lost, The Office, American Idol, Scrubs, and Prison Break, among other things, coming into 2009.

youtube went HD

I don't think HD really became common on YouTube until like late 2009, and even then, there were still a lot of popular shows that remained in 4:3 SD through 2011.

Obama became president

Elected, though not inaugurated.

Lady gaga

She had one big hit in 2008, which really only peaked at the start of 2009. Aside from "Just Dance," music from early 2009 was still overwhelmingly late 2000s. It wasn't until late 2009 that there was a considerable difference, by which point electropop was a more heavily established craze and 2000s style r&b was hardly existent anymore.

Well, the Great Recession technically started in late 2007, it's just that its effects weren't fully felt until the start of 2009.

Which ones? Aside from The Wire and Veronica Mars, I can't think of too many off the top of my head. You still had Lost, The Office, American Idol, Scrubs, and Prison Break, among other things, coming into 2009.

I don't think HD really became common on YouTube until like late 2009, and even then, there were still a lot of popular shows that remained in 4:3 SD through 2011.

Elected, though not inaugurated.

She had one big hit in 2008, which really only peaked at the start of 2009. Aside from "Just Dance," music from early 2009 was still overwhelmingly late 2000s. It wasn't until late 2009 that there was a considerable difference, by which point electropop was a more heavily established craze and 2000s style r&b was hardly existent anymore.

Nice summation. You put into words what I wanted to say (but couldn't).

How was 2008 "WAYYYY more changeful than 2016 tho"? ???

2008 was the most changeful year in my lifetime... Probably one of the most changeful years ever in the past couple of decades.

YES 2008 was indeed bipolar and very changeful! It is very hard to disagree on that. Let's go through some of the huge changes. 2008 was the most transitional year in a very long time.

New artists such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry come on the radio. This changes the sound of music significantly. Fast, electronic and autotuned music replaces the more classic 2000s sounding music once and for all. There are still some rock songs on the radio but it is declining heavily this year.

Wearing tighter and brighter clothing becomes more fashionable

TRL gets cancelled

August 2008 - Stock markets crash which brings the global recession that affects everyone for years to come

November 2008 - First black president gets elected

And many more little events make 2008 a very transitional year. 2008 - 2009 was a super changeful period. 2008 is also the first year I consider to be pretty modern.

2009 was when everything changed. 2008 felt exactly like 2006. Same music, same TV, same films, economy, same fashion. 2009 was when the economy started rearing itself and that was also when electronic music took over and internet activity skyrocketed.

2009 was when everything changed. 2008 felt exactly like 2006. Same music, same TV, same films, economy, same fashion. 2009 was when the economy started rearing itself and that was also when electronic music took over and internet activity skyrocketed.

I would say 2008 - 2009. You can't deny fall 2008 there was a big shift. The recession started in fall and the stock market crashed in August of 2008. Plus in November Obama got elected and during this same time you first started hearing Lady Gaga on the radio. I see 2008 as a huge transitional year, at least that's how it felt where I live.

Well, the Great Recession technically started in late 2007, it's just that its effects weren't fully felt until the start of 2009.

Which ones? Aside from The Wire and Veronica Mars, I can't think of too many off the top of my head. You still had Lost, The Office, American Idol, Scrubs, and Prison Break, among other things, coming into 2009.

I don't think HD really became common on YouTube until like late 2009, and even then, there were still a lot of popular shows that remained in 4:3 SD through 2011.

Elected, though not inaugurated.

She had one big hit in 2008, which really only peaked at the start of 2009. Aside from "Just Dance," music from early 2009 was still overwhelmingly late 2000s. It wasn't until late 2009 that there was a considerable difference, by which point electropop was a more heavily established craze and 2000s style r&b was hardly existent anymore.


I agree with this completely.

2008 was still an '00s year.  2009 on the other hand had a lot more in common with the early '10s.

Lady Gaga is commonly given as a reason that the '10s started in 2008, but she only had one hit in the fall of that year.  Poker Face came out at the very end of 2008, but it's peak of popularity was in early 2009.  2009 was Lady Gaga's year and no other year, not even 2010, comes close.

I think people underestimate how different 2008 was from today's culture.  In many ways, 2008 had more ties to 2005 culturally than it did to 2015.

2009 was when everything changed. 2008 felt exactly like 2006. Same music, same TV, same films, economy, same fashion. 2009 was when the economy started rearing itself and that was also when electronic music took over and internet activity skyrocketed.

Yeah no. The Recession began in 2008 according to most sources, whereas in 2006 the economy was quite good. In 2006, we still had "old school" shows like Malcolm in the Middle, That 70s Show, Charmed, Will & Grace, etc. In 2008, those shows were gone. In 2006, MySpace was king; April 2008 was when Facebook dethroned it.

Yeah no. The Recession began in 2008 according to most sources, whereas in 2006 the economy was quite good. In 2006, we still had "old school" shows like Malcolm in the Middle, That 70s Show, Charmed, Will & Grace, etc. In 2008, those shows were gone. In 2006, MySpace was king; April 2008 was when Facebook dethroned it.

I agree. Maybe early 2008 had similarities with 2006, but by late 2008 2010s culture has arrived.

I would say 2008 - 2009. You can't deny fall 2008 there was a big shift. The recession started in fall and the stock market crashed in August of 2008. Plus in November Obama got elected and during this same time you first started hearing Lady Gaga on the radio. I see 2008 as a huge transitional year, at least that's how it felt where I live.

I graduated to middle school in fall of 2008 and I can say even with that shift, that late 2008 still felt like 2006. I was in grade 6 from late 2008 to early 2009 and everyone in my class started noticing changes in society and technology over the course of the semester. We were quizzed on this. 2008 was indistinguishable from the mid 00s.

I graduated to middle school in fall of 2008 and I can say even with that shift, that late 2008 still felt like 2006. I was in grade 6 from late 2008 to early 2009 and everyone in my class started noticing changes in society and technology over the course of the semester. We were quizzed on this. 2008 was indistinguishable from the mid 00s.


Frankly, 2008 felt more like 2007 to me. '07 was the first year I regularly visited YouTube, while watching videos from Smosh, Fred, and other YouTubers at the time.

Frankly, 2008 felt more like 2007 to me. '07 was the first year I regularly visited YouTube, while watching videos from Smosh, Fred, and other YouTubers at the time.


2008 YouTube was very centered on those types of channels.  Early Smosh, Fred, Shane Dawson, etc.

I really don't get people who say there isn't much difference between 2017 and late 2008.  While we had social media, even it was quite a bit different back then than it is today.  Needless to day, MySpace was still very popular in 2008.  It really started to drop off in 2009 and 2010 and pretty much disappeared from relevancy within a very short period of time.

Here is Facebook from 2008.  It was still pre-timeline.

https://cdn01.vulcanpost.com/wp-uploads/2015/02/old_current_facebook.jpg

Youtube:

http://i.imgur.com/YNyqYdu.gif

Yeah no. The Recession began in 2008 according to most sources, whereas in 2006 the economy was quite good. In 2006, we still had "old school" shows like Malcolm in the Middle, That 70s Show, Charmed, Will & Grace, etc. In 2008, those shows were gone. In 2006, MySpace was king; April 2008 was when Facebook dethroned it.


That was April 2009*, not 2008. :P

That was April 2009*, not 2008. :P

Wikipedia says 2008

2008 YouTube was very centered on those types of channels.  Early Smosh, Fred, Shane Dawson, etc.

I really don't get people who say there isn't much difference between 2017 and late 2008.  While we had social media, even it was quite a bit different back then than it is today.  Needless to day, MySpace was still very popular in 2008.  It really started to drop off in 2009 and 2010 and pretty much disappeared from relevancy within a very short period of time.

Here is Facebook from 2008.  It was still pre-timeline.

https://cdn01.vulcanpost.com/wp-uploads/2015/02/old_current_facebook.jpg

Youtube:

http://i.imgur.com/YNyqYdu.gif

Because it just wasn't as changeful in the span of 9 years as it was if you compared 2010 to 2001 for example. There were some differences., but it was not extremely different and not a different world if you visited late 2008.

Wikipedia says 2008


That's worldwide numbers, which includes many countries where Myspace never took off in the first place (In Canada, Facebook overtook MySpace in 2007). In the US, it wasn't until 2009 that Facebook overtook Myspace.

That was April 2009*, not 2008. :P

It's not up for debate. The day the stock market crashed was September 29, 2008 and immediately you felt the effects of the recession shortly after that.

It's not up for debate. The day the stock market crashed was September 29, 2008 and innediately you felt the effects of the recession shortly after that.


I was talking about MySpace/Facebook.  :-X

I was talking about MySpace/Facebook.  :-X

Oh sorry I thought you were talking about the recession. I need to read slower.  ;D

To me, the recession was late 2007 to mid-2009.

To me, the recession was late 2007 to mid-2009.

Not here it wasn't. We didn't feel a hit until late 2008 here in Canada.

Not here it wasn't. We didn't feel a hit until late 2008 here in Canada.


Oh yeah, other places, it probably differs! I can see that.

2008 YouTube was very centered on those types of channels.  Early Smosh, Fred, Shane Dawson, etc.

I really don't get people who say there isn't much difference between 2017 and late 2008.  While we had social media, even it was quite a bit different back then than it is today.  Needless to day, MySpace was still very popular in 2008.  It really started to drop off in 2009 and 2010 and pretty much disappeared from relevancy within a very short period of time.

Here is Facebook from 2008.  It was still pre-timeline.

https://cdn01.vulcanpost.com/wp-uploads/2015/02/old_current_facebook.jpg

Youtube:

http://i.imgur.com/YNyqYdu.gif

People who say 2008 Internet differs little from 2017 Internet must be either too young to know that we didn't have all the luxuries back then that we do today, or have gotten so used to modern internet that they fill in late 00s internet with things that generally weren't around back then, like Firefox or Chrome.

Most videos on YouTube in 2008 were no longer than 10 minutes, so long discussions/streams weren't a thing at the time.

There were very few "real" YouTubers in 2008. People like the Angry Video Game Nerd and IGN ran their own websites which they posted their own content to. It wasn't uncommon for these content creators to wait months and sometimes even years before posting a video from their website to youtube. AVGN has plenty of videos from pre-2010 on his website going back to before youtube even existed, but most of them weren't officially uploaded to YouTube until 2010 or after. Vevo did this on occasion even in 2009, there were songs that didn't get uploaded until a year after Vevo came out. Content wasn't as instant as it is today and fewer internet creators actually prioritized their youtube audience.

According to the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (the official arbiter of U.S. recessions), The Great Recession began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.

Because it just wasn't as changeful in the span of 9 years as it was if you compared 2010 to 2001 for example. There were some differences., but it was not extremely different and not a different world if you visited late 2008.


I disagree. 2017 seems a long ways from 2008, at least as much as 2008 did from 2000. Did you know not many people had smartphones until the actual early '10s? There was a lot of resistance to the early iPhone because it was pretty locked down by Apple. In 2008 some people had iPhones but most were still on flip phones or maybe hybrid dumb/smart phones.

I really wish we did have the exact same culture as 2008 because I liked it better then. Some people have this perception that 2008 was all electropop, smartphones, social media, SJWism, etc but that's not the case at all. Some of that was starting to emerge but we were still firmly in a 2000s world at that point. I think you would be surprised if you were transported back. You would see a lot of things that you maybe forgot about that era.

People who say 2008 Internet differs little from 2017 Internet must be either too young to know that we didn't have all the luxuries back then that we do today, or have gotten so used to modern internet that they fill in late 00s internet with things that generally weren't around back then, like Firefox or Chrome.

What are you talking about? I installed Firefox on my PC  is 2006 (maybe even before that) and Google Chrome in 2009....

What are you talking about? I installed Firefox on my PC  is 2006 (maybe even before that) and Google Chrome in 2009....


Yeah Firefox started to become a big deal in the mid '00s, whenever people wanted to move away from Internet Explorer due to security issues.  There were a few other browsers around that time like Maxthon and Opera.  Chrome didn't become a thing until around 2009.

People who say 2008 Internet differs little from 2017 Internet must be either too young to know that we didn't have all the luxuries back then that we do today, or have gotten so used to modern internet that they fill in late 00s internet with things that generally weren't around back then, like Firefox or Chrome. Most videos on YouTube in 2008 were no longer than 10 minutes, so long discussions/streams weren't a thing at the time.


This is how I feel about people who say that 2008 and even 2009 Internet was really different, compared to this year's Internet. Around that time, people usually posted stuff just for fun or wanted to be a local trend. Much like how America's Funniest Home Videos was centered, except it was aired on national television. Nowadays, anything on the Internet would go anywhere on people's phones. No matter if it had to deal with politics, today's YouTube culture, or what parents spoil their kids with, it would still be with anybody's attention. Not to mention that anybody could make a stream for as long as 24 hours or more, which is really unhealthy for anybody on the Internet.

Having 10 minutes on YouTube was a great privilege because people wouldn't have to waste so much of their time making boring videos. Now anybody could easily make videos that are longer than the limit, which would lead to more videos that are boring as hell. It even leads to TV shows being ripped from the air, which could lead to less people watching TV.


There were very few "real" YouTubers in 2008. People like the Angry Video Game Nerd and IGN ran their own websites which they posted their own content to. It wasn't uncommon for these content creators to wait months and sometimes even years before posting a video from their website to youtube. AVGN has plenty of videos from pre-2010 on his website going back to before youtube even existed, but most of them weren't officially uploaded to YouTube until 2010 or after. Vevo did this on occasion even in 2009, there were songs that didn't get uploaded until a year after Vevo came out. Content wasn't as instant as it is today and fewer internet creators actually prioritized their youtube audience.


I remember that being a thing to the point where I was excited to see it officially on YouTube. Nowadays, it's basically just bland. It's like a monopoly that no one wanted to see, but they made it anyway. It's even sad that people make tons of money off creating YouTube videos, in where it leads to several arguments that are horrifying to read. This is exactly why I don't like seeing YouTube nowadays.

Well no one's denying YouTube wasn't different. It felt like a completely different website in the late 2000s and it looked totally different. But YouTube was just a speck of the entire internet and it doesn't represent the internet overall, especially during the late 2000s. The late 2000s still had high speed internet and it was all part of web 2.0, even if popular websites look dated and different compared to now. You still had Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube around and these were all still popular in 2009, even if these sites are more popular today. And of course the mobile revolution changed a lot of things but all in all, we were still part of the web 2.0 era in the late 2000s.

Well no one's denying YouTube wasn't different. It felt like a completely different website in the late 2000s and it looked totally different. But YouTube was just a speck of the entire internet and it doesn't represent the internet overall, especially during the late 2000s. The late 2000s still had high speed internet and it was all part of web 2.0, even if popular websites look dated and different compared to now. You still had Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube around and these were all still popular in 2009, even if these sites are more popular today. And of course the mobile revolution changed a lot of things but all in all, we were still part of the web 2.0 era in the late 2000s.


Twitter wasn't popular in 2008.  I didn't really start hearing about it a lot until late 2009.

Let's revisit this in 2020.  I am sure once we get through the late '10s, years like 2008 and even the first half of 2009 will feel much more at home with the '00s to you.  To me, 2008 seems like another world compared to 2017.  I mean, I would say it feels like 1998 did from 2008.  There are slight echoes of that time still in my current life but it's an entirely different world and I'm an entirely different person.

God, I miss that era (2008-12)

2008 was starting the transition into what we now think of as early 2010s, but realistically it's still like 85-90% '00s probably. It is an important early transitional year but still it's pretty clearly '00s overall.

Twitter wasn't popular in 2008.  I didn't really start hearing about it a lot until late 2009.

I know, I said 2009. Although some people here have first heard of it in 2008, like ReignMan for example. I myself have heard of it first around early 2009.

I don't even think 2006 was 90% '00s.  ;D The real '00s were no doubt 2000 - 2005 for me.


You know I sorta get you in the sense that I prefer the earlier '00s myself and 2008 is not old school in the same way as say 2002 is, but I still think 2008 was still solidly '00s compared to a solidly 2010s time like the year 2015. I mean the transition was starting but yeah I still bundle it in with the '00s...overall.

I know, I said 2009. Although some people here have first heard of it in 2008, like ReignMan for example. I myself have heard of it first around early 2009.

Me? When did I say that? ???. I didn't hear about Twitter until 2009/2010 and I made my Twitter account in July 2010.

Me? When did I say that? ???. I didn't hear about Twitter until 2009/2010 and I made my Twitter account in July 2010.

Oh sorry someone else said it. I thought it was you. Maybe it was Zelek? I forgot but I saw someone else say they discovered both Facebook and Twitter in 2008 in another thread.  :P I forgot what thread it was from but it was pretty recent.

Oh sorry someone else said it. I thought it was you. Maybe it was Zelek? I forgot but I saw someone else say they discovered both Facebook and Twitter in 2008 in another thread.  :P I forgot what thread it was from but it was pretty recent.


I remember both since probably around the time they came out. I mean I was already around 18-19 then so I certainly remember. I know Facebook came out in 2004 and Twitter in 2006. Facebook was originally seen as a thing mainly for college students, but over time became THE social network, Twitter is the whole microblog kind of thing and sort of like a modern telegraph or something. I remember both existing in 2008 (and increasing in popularity compared to a few years earlier) definitely but they were no where near defining the culture yet like they did in 2010s.

2008 was starting the transition into what we now think of as early 2010s, but realistically it's still like 85-90% '00s probably. It is an important early transitional year but still it's pretty clearly '00s overall.


I agree.  I fully think of 2009 being an early '10s year.  When thinking about my past, both in my personal life and the pop culture, I group 2009-2012 together as a similar culture prevailed during those years.  2008 though was far more '00s and to me, if 2009 seems like a world away, 2008 seems like two worlds away.

Yeah, I agree that 2008 was a tremendous year; however, it seems some people are overestimating the impact it had. It was still quite 00s than most folks think.

Yeah, I agree that 2008 was a tremendous year; however, it seems some people are overestimating the impact it had. It was still quite 00s than most folks think.


Agreed I think 2008 is still solidly '00s even if the transition was starting.

You could smell the 10's from 10 miles away. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/korn0818/ATRL_Smilies_All/atrlers/jonny_zpsc73391c5.png

I agree.  I fully think of 2009 being an early '10s year.  When thinking about my past, both in my personal life and the pop culture, I group 2009-2012 together as a similar culture prevailed during those years.  2008 though was far more '00s and to me, if 2009 seems like a world away, 2008 seems like two worlds away.


2009-2011 to me feels like a slightly dated era, but not as far as 2002-2008 to me. The reason why I put those years up is because that's when most of my important childhood moments happened.