I went through a marathon of listening music from 2015 and I’m surprised on how different it sounds compared to today. I mean, it’s not dated but it does sound very different. It was so upbeat and less Trap-y, but there was still Trap despite sounding different. I don’t think songs like Watch Me would ever be a hit today. I also remember it was the the last hurrah for Millennials dominating pop culture. Donald Trump debuted this year but still the politics in 2015 felt tame compared to the division we have today. What makes 2015 different from today in your view?

What makes 2015 different from today in your view?
It all happened four years earlier!

It all happened four years earlier!

Most of 2015 was 3 years ago...

Most of 2015 was 3 years ago...
Give or take several months?

I went through a marathon of listening music from 2015 and I’m surprised on how different it sounds compared to today. I mean, it’s not dated but it does sound different. It was so upbeat and less Trap-y, but there was still Trap despite sounding different. I don’t think songs like Watch Me would ever be a hit today. I also remember it was the the last hurrah for Millennials dominating pop culture. Donald Trump debuted this year but still the politics in 2015 felt tame compared to the division we have today. What makes 2015 different from today in your view?


2015, in my opinion, was the year that the SJW movement "jumped the shark" so to speak and the reason for that is that was the year it became apparent that things had been pushed too far too quickly and a backlash was coming.

Three things happened during the summer of 2015 that really led to the Trump era.  The first is Bruce Jenner announced his transition to Caitlyn Jenner.  Transgender issues weren't something on most people's minds before this.  This was also a big deal because to most people in the older generation, Bruce Jenner was known primarily for his Olympic decathlon performances and less for his role on the Kardashian show.  Bruce represented American masculinity and his transition to Caitlyn, to many conservatives, represented the total emasculation of America.  The second is the SCOTUS decision that legalized same-sex marriage and the celebrations that followed, including Obama lighting up the White House exterior in a rainbow lighting scheme.  Many politicians called this the darkest 24 hours in US history.  This sent rural America into a frenzy and many still lament that day as the death of Christian America.  And then a hydrogen bomb was dropped when Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses and went to jail.  The Christian Right now had what they needed to start promoting the "Democrats want to arrest and jail Christians for being Christian" narrative.

xehcrmSsLZQ

I really think had 2015 gone a little bit differently, we could have avoided the Trump era and things would be so much better today.

2015, in my opinion, was the year that the SJW movement "jumped the shark" so to speak and the reason for that is that was the year it became apparent that things had been pushed too far too quickly and a backlash was coming.

Three things happened during the summer of 2015 that really led to the Trump era.  The first is Bruce Jenner announced his transition to Caitlyn Jenner.  Transgender issues weren't something on most people's minds before this.  This was also a big deal because to most people in the older generation, Bruce Jenner was known primarily for his Olympic decathlon performances and less for his role on the Kardashian show.  Bruce represented American masculinity and his transition to Caitlyn, to many conservatives, represented the total emasculation of America.  The second is the SCOTUS decision that legalized same-sex marriage and the celebrations that followed, including Obama lighting up the White House exterior in a rainbow lighting scheme.  Many politicians called this the darkest 24 hours in US history.  This sent rural America into a frenzy and many still lament that day as the death of Christian America.  And then a hydrogen bomb was dropped when Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses and went to jail.  The Christian Right now had what they needed to start promoting the "Democrats want to arrest and jail Christians for being Christian" narrative.

xehcrmSsLZQ

I really think had 2015 gone a little bit differently, we could have avoided the Trump era and things would be so much better today.


What is your view on 2015 in terms of pop culture

the biggest artists of that year were taylor swift, ed sheeran, and justin bieber, so it's pretty different from now. the fact that one direction had a hit in 2015 alone makes it a world away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwgf3wmiA04

What is your view on 2015 in terms of pop culture


I really liked hip-hop that year.  Pop was more hit or miss for me.  In terms of movies, we were still very much in that early/mid '10s dystopian future era.  2015 really shows its age when you think about stuff like the Hunger Games still being relevant that year.  That seems so long ago by today's standards.  2015 was also a great year for horror films.

I would also still consider 2015 primarily a Millennial-dominated year, albeit younger Millennials.  2015 was the biggest year for the hipster movement and hipster is primarily a Millennial fad and not a Gen Z one.  I'd say 2016 was the last hurrah of that specific culture.

the biggest artists of that year were taylor swift, ed sheeran, and justin bieber, so it's pretty different from now. the fact that one direction had a hit in 2015 alone makes it a world away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwgf3wmiA04
...and now One Direction are No Direction?

...and now One Direction are No Direction?


The best thing One Direction ever did was go five directions.

The year I've become an adult yeay!

2015 was the last "good" year for popular music. It started getting progressively worse in 2016, but became horrible in mid to late 2017. I think it was the last good year for pop culture and music because as you said it was the last year when millennials dominated. For this reason in the future 2015 will probably come off as very dated and nostalgic. Even today there are some aspects of it that feel distant, especially Taylor Swift being all over the radio. You don't get that kind of pop music today. Basically for pop culture, politics, and music, it was VERY different today. Technologically there were some differences but nothing profound compared to 2019. Also, Donald Trump wasn't even in politics for the first half of the year. In this year, live mobile streaming exploded with apps like Periscope and Meerkat launching and Facebook Live got popular this year too. There was a lot of changes and it was a year that started a bridge to where we are now.

I don't know why people are saying trap wasn't popular. "Trap Queen" was like the number one or two song of 2015 and that song literally has the word trap in it lol. Trap really became popular in summer of 2014, that's when it was popping on the radio. But today it's different, it's more mumble rap now and it's everywhere. I would call the trap on the radio in 2015 "classic trap" and it was better than it is today even though it was still bad. But it didn't take up 90% of the charts, that's the difference. Only a couple trap songs were popular but mostly everything else was pop music.

This was the year of our trip to Japan, the week or so spent there was wonderful.

https://oi293.photobucket.com/albums/mm66/Phil_O-Sopher/1428981582637.jpg?t=1555310221

2015 was the last "good" year for popular music. It started getting progressively worse in 2016, but became horrible in mid to late 2017. I think it was the last good year for pop culture and music because as you said it was the last year when millennials dominated. For this reason in the future 2015 will probably come off as very dated and nostalgic. Even today there are some aspects of it that feel distant, especially Taylor Swift being all over the radio. You don't get that kind of pop music today. Basically for pop culture, politics, and music, it was VERY different today. Technologically there were some differences but nothing profound compared to 2019. Also, Donald Trump wasn't even in politics for the first half of the year. In this year, live mobile streaming exploded with apps like Periscope and Meerkat launching and Facebook Live got popular this year too. There was a lot of changes and it was a year that started a bridge to where we are now.

I don't know why people are saying trap wasn't popular. "Trap Queen" was like the number one or two song of 2015 and that song literally has the word trap in it lol. Trap really became popular in summer of 2014, that's when it was popping on the radio. But today it's different, it's more mumble rap now and it's everywhere. I would call the trap on the radio in 2015 "classic trap" and it was better than it is today even though it was still bad. But it didn't take up 90% of the charts, that's the difference. Only a couple trap songs were popular but mostly everything else was pop music.


Trap Queen is actually the #4 song of 2015. 2015 is also the last year where Skype and Kik were popular.

2015 was also when smartphones looked like this:

https://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/images/gadgets/top_10_2015_ndtv.jpg?output-quality=80

Now they look like this:

https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/970x/assets/images/147774-phones-news-weve-just-folded-the-samsung-galaxy-fold-and-this-is-what-it-looks-like-up-close-image1-fpxnisbhz3.jpg

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/img/67232448/Master.jpg

https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/320x/assets/images/120309-phones-buyer-s-guide-best-smartphones-image1-mtvsxj1zoz.jpg?v1

I can notice the difference between fashion trends from 2015 in contrast to today. Back then, it was more Hipster influence and a lot of floral prints. Today, the fashion has a strong 90s inspiration.

2015:

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/35/00/7d/35007d788eaa534464843f13e79585ac--pinterest-images-travel-fashion.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ow3PDKc_73o/VkzHL6GP7GI/AAAAAAAAOe0/Z7kMd6W15IA/s1600/fallhaulthumbnail.jpg



2019:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2R5_ytY3LSg/maxresdefault.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqSkcrAbay4/maxresdefault.jpg

lol@ those little digital natives stealing my childhood decade

Anyone notice a difference in men's fashion?

lol@ those little digital natives stealing my childhood decade
If you were a kid in the 90s then you're a digital native as well lol

Anyone notice a difference in men's fashion?


Skinny jeans aren’t as popular, although they’re still very common in my experience.

Anyone notice a difference in men's fashion?

oh yeah for sure. timberland shoes, drop crotch pants, bomber jackets, flannel, and beanies were big in 2015 but now they're mostly out of style.
2015 fashion looked like this:
https://s-i.huffpost.com/gen/3714314/thumbs/o-JUSTIN-BIEBER-900.jpg?5
https://pmcfootwearnews.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/drake-timberland-style.jpg?w=683
practically nothing from these outfits is in style anymore.

Anyone notice a difference in men's fashion?
Much as the same for today.

2015 was arguably the biggest transitional year when it came to pop culture. The difference between jan 2015 and dec 2015 is night and day. Politically it changed a lot with trump and growing political divisions but that was mainly just a precursor for 2016.

2015 was arguably the biggest transitional year when it came to pop culture. The difference between jan 2015 and dec 2015 is night and day. Politically it changed a lot with trump and growing political divisions but that was mainly just a precursor for 2016.

Not a single year in the mid 2010s was super transitional. 2016 only for politics. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is no such thing as the mid 2010s. The decade is split into two.

Not a single year in the mid 2010s was super transitional. 2016 only for politics. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is no such thing as the mid 2010s. The decade is split into two.


How is it split into two? Where would you split the decade into two?

How is it split into two? Where would you split the decade into two?

In 2015. In the summer when Trump announced he is running for president. You could say that day is the split.

In 2015. In the summer when Trump announced he is running for president. You could say that day is the split.


That's where I disagree. Whilst that is the start of the transition towards the late 10s, going by this would mean that the first half of 2015 belongs in the same era as 2010 which is just ludicrous. Smartphones weren't even the norm until like summer 2011. On top of that, 2013 changed too much for that to be the case. The fragmentation of social media, next gen gaming consoles, death of electropop and growing dominance of indie pop, etc.

That's where I disagree. Whilst that is the start of the transition towards the late 10s, going by this would mean that the first half of 2015 belongs in the same era as 2010 which is just ludicrous. Smartphones weren't even the norm until like summer 2011. On top of that, 2013 changed too much for that to be the case. The fragmentation of social media, next gen gaming consoles, death of electropop and growing dominance of indie pop, etc.

It's not black and white obviously and there is some overlap and transition in the middle I know. But just in general you can split it up in two. Overall though the 2010s were very consistent.

2015 was also when smartphones looked like this:

https://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/images/gadgets/top_10_2015_ndtv.jpg?output-quality=80

Now they look like this:

https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/970x/assets/images/147774-phones-news-weve-just-folded-the-samsung-galaxy-fold-and-this-is-what-it-looks-like-up-close-image1-fpxnisbhz3.jpg

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/img/67232448/Master.jpg

https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/320x/assets/images/120309-phones-buyer-s-guide-best-smartphones-image1-mtvsxj1zoz.jpg?v1




We’re still in the Notch/Punch-hole era of smartphones 8-P

In my life, I was primarily making an effort to find work to utilize the accounting skills that I had acquired the previous year. I started the year in an unpaid internship in which I helped a small company get its Quickbooks file up to date. When that was over, in March, I made several applications to various places, not getting a whole lot of interviews...until September, when a law office quickly interviewed me for a bookkeeping position, which I only held on to for a month-and-a-half, because I wasn't really understanding much of the duties...and to make a long story short, it wasn't the right fit for me. But in November, not long after that door closed, a new one opened up for me: I interviewed for the position that I'm now in!

And of course I had some vacation time, in May: I got to take an Alaska cruise for the first time. Seeing all that natural beauty with the ocean and the trees, really helped relax my mind, plus it was good for me to have a change of scenery.

2015 is my favorite year of the 2010s.

In my personal life, I did a lot of healing and growing. That year I started my very first relationship. I was 34/35, and it was just a really good year for me. I remember getting my first mobile/smartphone ever! It was a Samsung. I enjoyed listening to music on it on the long bus rides to and from places. Lol. It was a great year! Christmas 2015 was one of the best holidays that I have had.  :)

That's where I disagree. Whilst that is the start of the transition towards the late 10s, going by this would mean that the first half of 2015 belongs in the same era as 2010 which is just ludicrous. Smartphones weren't even the norm until like summer 2011. On top of that, 2013 changed too much for that to be the case. The fragmentation of social media, next gen gaming consoles, death of electropop and growing dominance of indie pop, etc.


I graduated high school in 2013 and I thought 2014 and early 2015 were just an extension of that year culturally. There were still electropop hits in early 2015 like "Want to want me" and "Time of our lives"

I graduated high school in 2013 and I thought 2014 and early 2015 were just an extension of that year culturally. There were still electropop hits in early 2015 like "Want to want me" and "Time of our lives"


It definitely was. Summer 2015 on the other hand was where trump ran for president, gay marriage was legalised, people started talking about "dank memes" and you started hearing the first wave of late 10s type music like "where are you now" and "lean on" although things were still predominantly mid 10s.

The last light-hearted year ever before everything got serious and dramatic. Musically nothing from this year sounds "old" yet but definitely outdated stylistically, with the exception of a few trap hits that were way ahead of their time.

The last light-hearted year ever before everything got serious and dramatic. Musically nothing from this year sounds "old" yet but definitely outdated stylistically, with the exception of a few trap hits that were way ahead of their time.

Trap got mainstream in 2014.. It wasn't "ahead of its time". In fact the number 1 song of 2015 literally had the word trap in it.. Trap Queen. That song was as trap as you can get.

I remember getting my first mobile/smartphone ever! It was a Samsung.

My mom also had a Samsung smartphone at the time! I think that was her first smartphone.

the biggest artists of that year were taylor swift, ed sheeran, and justin bieber, so it's pretty different from now. the fact that one direction had a hit in 2015 alone makes it a world away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwgf3wmiA04


Actually all 3 of those are still releasing hits today/recently even though we weren't hearing from any of them in 2019 when this was posted. However instead of One Direction, we now have Harry Styles, much like the Justin Timberlake of today's time as One Direction was the NSYNC of the Early to Mid-2010's.

2015, in my opinion, was the year that the SJW movement "jumped the shark" so to speak and the reason for that is that was the year it became apparent that things had been pushed too far too quickly and a backlash was coming.

Three things happened during the summer of 2015 that really led to the Trump era.  The first is Bruce Jenner announced his transition to Caitlyn Jenner.  Transgender issues weren't something on most people's minds before this.  This was also a big deal because to most people in the older generation, Bruce Jenner was known primarily for his Olympic decathlon performances and less for his role on the Kardashian show.  Bruce represented American masculinity and his transition to Caitlyn, to many conservatives, represented the total emasculation of America.  The second is the SCOTUS decision that legalized same-sex marriage and the celebrations that followed, including Obama lighting up the White House exterior in a rainbow lighting scheme.  Many politicians called this the darkest 24 hours in US history.  This sent rural America into a frenzy and many still lament that day as the death of Christian America.  And then a hydrogen bomb was dropped when Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses and went to jail.  The Christian Right now had what they needed to start promoting the "Democrats want to arrest and jail Christians for being Christian" narrative.

xehcrmSsLZQ

I really think had 2015 gone a little bit differently, we could have avoided the Trump era and things would be so much better today.


And many of the "Christian" right-wingers believe Trump is the savior of our country, and compare him to Jesus, while comparing the Democrats to the Pharisees that wanted to crucify Him. Marjorie Taylor-Greene used that analogy. As long as someone is pro-life/anti-abortion and anti-LGBT they are considered to have "good Christian morals".

At the same time it was getting ridiculous with the SJW PC culture. It was the precursor to the more recent woke/cancel culture. I remember people were getting fed up with Obama's policies, being too soft on global terrorism as well as criminals within the US. That is why I don't identify as either Democrat or Republican. In 2016 when it became clear that either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton was going to be our next president, I was feeling a loss of hope.