The Mid 2010s doesn't exist?

Does anyone else agree this was overall a split decade with only two eras, early 2010s and late 2010s? If you think about it, there was nothing distinctly mid 2010s... Trap started getting mainstream in 2014 but ultimately became the main sounding genre of the late 2010s. EDM was the primary genre of the late 2010s, and it was an offshoot of electropop from the early 2010s. Obama was an early 2010s icon, Trump a late 2010s icon. Childish fads like Pokemon Go and Fidget Spinners was late 2010s, childish lingo like "swag" and "YOLO" was early 2010s. There just is not any mid 2010s culture, it either belongs to the early 2010s or late 2010s.... I see the early 2010s as 2010 - mid 2015ish. And late 2010s as Mid 2015ish - 2019.  Does anyone else see it this way? Overall the decade was consistent anyway, but there were really only two fairly distinct eras. Does anyone else agree with my theory?

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I mean pop-culture wise obviously lol

Actually I agree, and it’s primarily because pop culture became so deeply intertwined with politics, probably more than it has been since the ‘60s. In my mind, there’s the Obama era and the Trump era, and that fully sums up the divide: electropop, Bruno Mars, MOBA games, and YA-based movies ruled the Obama half; while bedroom pop, trap, and the culmination of the MCU Infinity Saga and Disney’s Star Wars define the Trump half.

SharksFan99, Drake's Hotline Bling if I had to label it I would just lump it in with the late 2010s. The sound of that song does not sound dated as of 2019.

I think the issue is because of the shift of 2013, people would have a problem with this because 2012 and 2014 felt different. But what I think in that case is simply that newer trends that would become the identity of the late 2010s started popping up in 2013/2014 and there were still some early 2010s holdovers. But nothing distinctly mid 2010s, I can't think of a certain trend that was only popular and stayed in the numerical mid 2010s. And people who extend the mid 2010s to 2018 and 2019 are just plain wrong, 2019 is not that different compared to the last couple of years at all... The only thing people have is Billie Eilish? Who the heck is that? lol. Just very, very few changes. The things that were already established like trap peaking and being on the radio non-stop is what the late 2010s, the second half of this decade, were all about.

It definitely does exist though. 2014 had trends that were very distinct from 2010-12. And 2016 is definitely not late 2010s, at least the first half. Even though Trump was gaining headlines, Obama was still president throughout the entire 2016. EDM is popular throughout the entire decade and it is NOT the primary genre of the late 2010s, that would be Trap. 2019 feels very different from 2016, you never hear the name Chainsmokers mainstream-wise, Tropical House is not a thing anymore, TikTok became the new Vine. It's true that the mid part of a decade doesn't have a solid and consistent identity, but the mid 2010s had so many trends that were distinguishable from the early and late 2010s.

My proprietary definition of the mid-2010s (i.e. you have to pay me to use it) is mid-2010s part 1 is late 2012 to late 2014/early 2015 when the hipster fashion came in, and mid-2010s part 2 is spring 2015 to late 2017 when those ISIS attacks wouldn't stop.

My proprietary definition of the mid-2010s (i.e. you have to pay me to use it) is mid-2010s part 1 is late 2012 to late 2014/early 2015 when the hipster fashion came in, and mid-2010s part 2 is spring 2015 to late 2017 when those ISIS attacks wouldn't stop.

Late 2011 was when hipster fashion became mainstream.

Late 2011 was when hipster fashion became mainstream.


It was coming in 2011-2012 school year, but that year was still very American Eagle. 2012-2013 is when H&M, Zara and the rest took over.

It was coming in 2011-2012 school year, but that year was still very American Eagle. 2012-2013 is when H&M, Zara and the rest took over.

I would say the 2015-2016 school year was when Hipster fashion declined and Athleisure started to take over.

It definitely does exist though. 2014 had trends that were very distinct from 2010-12. And 2016 is definitely not late 2010s, at least the first half. Even though Trump was gaining headlines, Obama was still president throughout the entire 2016. EDM is popular throughout the entire decade and it is NOT the primary genre of the late 2010s, that would be Trap. 2019 feels very different from 2016, you never hear the name Chainsmokers mainstream-wise, Tropical House is not a thing anymore, TikTok became the new Vine. It's true that the mid part of a decade doesn't have a solid and consistent identity, but the mid 2010s had so many trends that were distinguishable from the early and late 2010s.

I disagree. Not only is 2016 late 2010s, a big chunk of 2015 could be considered late 2010s culturally too. Especially politically speaking.

Well, we had September 2013 to August 2016.

I agree tbh. For the US after Trump announced Presidency in summer of 2015, things have kind of seemed the same, at least from a young adults stand point. I graduated in May of 2015 before any presidential debate, Trump, MAGA or anything of that sort was primarily thought of. 2010-early 2015 felt like it had some left over 2000’s culture lagging behind while new social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and Facebook were becoming more forefront. Late 2015 to  2016 was super depressing for me as far as politics. The news would not shut up about Trump and his racist remarks and it was starting to become really depressing. I remember seeing a middle school black girl being  pushed out of a Trump rally on the news, CNN kept portraying a division that was never seen before, Racist videos were becoming big, Paris shootings, Orlando shootings, etc. I don’t know 2016 seems super recent to me. There was no definite mid 2010’s culture in my opinion.

I disagree. Not only is 2016 late 2010s, a big chunk of 2015 could be considered late 2010s culturally too. Especially politically speaking.

Sorry to disagree here, this is just my point of view but once again, Late 2013 to Mid 2016 were similar all throughout culturally, but different politically.

September 2013 was when we got the new iOS 7 look on iPhones, and it was a sign that flat design is officially mainstream, and lots of the posters and websites look flat, taking over the skeuomorphic aesthetic/graphic design. Also, Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat took over Facebook during that time, and Vine was still popular up until May 2016. For music, there were still some Electropop holdovers, but EDM took over, and sounds even different from the 2009-Early 2013 style, thanks to Martin Garrix, Zedd, and Calvin Harris changing their styles to a more simple sound. Chainsmokers also blew up in Early 2014 thanks to #Selfie, and although that song was a flop, they came back in Late 2015 with Roses. Trap music also progressively becomes more and more popular throughout the Mid 2010s, from Harlem Shake, all the way to Panda by Desiigner. The most mid 2010s dance would be the whip & nae-nae. Listen to Iggy Azalea's Work song from 2013/14, and listen to how similar it sounds to Don't let me down, a mid 2016 Chainsmokers song. Lorde also helped alternative indie music rise to the public, with a more minimalist sound that inspired Melanie Martinez, Halsey, Tove Lo, Alessia Cara, and even Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, up until maybe Mid 2017. For pop in general, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Drake, and Shawn Mendes ruled this era. Yes, some of them might've became popular in like Late 2014 or late 2015, but they also took inspiration from other artists. TV wise, Disney Channel is now gone from the air, with Netflix taking over along with other non-Netflix shows. Game of thrones, House of cards, Orange is the new black, Rick & Morty, and Steven Universe ruled this era. Movies are very Marvel/DC related, and Disney/Pixar related, still to this day.

The biggest change would be politics though, Donald Trump memes became popular in late 2015, and the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump also started then. Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister in late 2015, and Brexit happened around 2016.

Still not convinced? You dont have to always agree with my opinion, everybody has different opinions, this is just my point of view, and I'm pretty sure you also have a different view of 2013-16. Sorry if I keep disagreeing btw.

Sorry to disagree here, this is just my point of view but once again, Late 2013 to Mid 2016 were similar all throughout culturally, but different politically.

September 2013 was when we got the new iOS 7 look on iPhones, and it was a sign that flat design is officially mainstream, and lots of the posters and websites look flat, taking over the skeuomorphic aesthetic/graphic design. Also, Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat took over Facebook during that time, and Vine was still popular up until May 2016. For music, there were still some Electropop holdovers, but EDM took over, and sounds even different from the 2009-Early 2013 style, thanks to Martin Garrix, Zedd, and Calvin Harris changing their styles to a more simple sound. Chainsmokers also blew up in Early 2014 thanks to #Selfie, and although that song was a flop, they came back in Late 2015 with Roses. Trap music also progressively becomes more and more popular throughout the Mid 2010s, from Harlem Shake, all the way to Panda by Desiigner. The most mid 2010s dance would be the whip & nae-nae. Listen to Iggy Azalea's Work song from 2013/14, and listen to how similar it sounds to Don't let me down, a mid 2016 Chainsmokers song. Lorde also helped alternative indie music rise to the public, with a more minimalist sound that inspired Melanie Martinez, Halsey, Tove Lo, Alessia Cara, and even Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, up until maybe Mid 2017. For pop in general, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Drake, and Shawn Mendes ruled this era. Yes, some of them might've became popular in like Late 2014 or late 2015, but they also took inspiration from other artists. TV wise, Disney Channel is now gone from the air, with Netflix taking over along with other non-Netflix shows. Game of thrones, House of cards, Orange is the new black, Rick & Morty, and Steven Universe ruled this era. Movies are very Marvel/DC related, and Disney/Pixar related, still to this day.

The biggest change would be politics though, Donald Trump memes became popular in late 2015, and the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump also started then. Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister in late 2015, and Brexit happened around 2016.

Still not convinced? You dont have to always agree with my opinion, everybody has different opinions, this is just my point of view, and I'm pretty sure you also have a different view of 2013-16. Sorry if I keep disagreeing btw.

I wouldn't call #Selfie a flop though, it was talked about and it was a meme just like Friday by Rebecca Black. Production wise, that song sounds very similar and closer to LMFAO than their 2015-2016 singles.

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It existed on my calendar!

There is but it doesn't have a clearly defined identity in comparison to the early 10s(2009-2013) and late 10s(2017-2019).  The mid 10s is just one massive empty transitional/experimental period. Also EDM has nothing to do with the late 10s. That's the trademark of the early 10s.