2013 is one of the most distinctive years of the 2010s like 2016. The year is considered by most people a transitional one. This one is a tough one because 2011 is the peak early 2010s year while 2015 is the peak mid 2010s year.

Politics: Pretty much like 2011. This would be the last full year to have some sort of peace and calm. 2014 was the first year to have major division in the political world. Plus, there was no ISIS in 2013.

Technology/Social Media: This would be the last year where Facebook is relevant with young people. 2013 was the year when Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat became established. In terms of social media, 2013 is closer to 2015. It was also the year where smartphone usage became dominant. 2011 was the year where smartphones were rising exponentially  and 2015 was when smartphones have become part of society and our lives so 2013 is closer to the latter.

Fashion: The hipster/indie aesthetic was already established in 2013 while 2011 was when the aesthetic first started to appear. 2015 was the peak of the hipster fashion.

Music: This category is the toughest one because there was still a decent amount of electropop songs in the first half of 2013. The EDM of 2013 is closer to 2011 due to their heavy electronic productions. There was already a bunch of indie stuff in 2013 that first started to be on the charts in 2011 and continued it's popularity up to 2015. The impact of Royals did have it's effect on plenty of songs in 2015. The disco-flavored songs also continued its sound in 2015.

It's really complicated on what era 2013 belongs to. It seems that the year has elements of both early and mid 2010s .

2013 didn't feel like either year. 2015 was fully immersed in EDM while 2011 was still on the electropop/club wave.

But as you said, there was a bit more calm in 2013 than in 2015 when ISIS was a major threat for the world (San Bernardino attacks, journalist beheadings, Paris, etc). But the year did have some calamities like the Syrian chemical attack and the Boston Marathon bombings. 

Most people by 2013 would have a smartphone whereas in 2011, most people still used feature phones.

Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat, like you mentioned, hit their strides that year, and they defined the mid-2010s digital zeitgeist.

So, honestly, I would have to go towards 2015 a bit, because I find a lot of things that are associated with the mid-2010s got their cultural start in 2013.

Politically: This is honestly the hardest one. 2011 was still during Obama's first term while both 2013 and 2015 were Obama's second term. 2013 was also the year the BlackLivesMatter movement was created, but it wasn't really well known until 2014/2015. 2011 was also pre-Trayvon Martin and before shootings in the U.S started to drastically increase. Racial tensions weren't as bad in 2011 as they were in 2015. If I really had to pick, I'd slightly (and very slightly) lean 2015.

Technology/Social media: 2015 IMO. 2011 was still pre-Vine and before Instagram was popular and well known. It was also still pre-Snapchat. 2013 was arguably the first core 2010's year since it was when Instagram and Vine gained more popularity.

Fashion: This is probably the only aspect where I'd say it leans slightly 2011.

Music: 2015. 2013 was when the electropop era of the early 2010's was dying, while 2011 was still arguably peak electropop.

Most people by 2013 would have a smartphone whereas in 2011, most people still used feature phones.

Did I grow up in a rich neighborhood or something? Cause I swear a lot of people on this forum say that smartphones weren't common in 2011 and even 2012 but where I live literally every person had a smartphone by then.

2013 was like neither, it was a unique year. Though if I had to choose I would go with 2011 on the whole.

2011 although 2013 was a transition year.

Some stuff felt closer to 2011 like Harlem Shake, Bioshock Infinite, Macklemore, Roar by Katy Perry, Rap God by Eminem, Get Lucky by Daft Punk, Doge (pre-irony), Show Me by Ink & Chris Brown, Breaking Bad's finale, etc.

Other stuff felt closer to 2015 like Vine, Grand Theft Auto V (I've seen a lot of people initially think this game came out in like 2016, and were gobsmacked to hear it came out in 2013), Versace by Migos, Type of Way by Rich Homie Quan, Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus, Started from the Bottom by Drake, Edward Snowden's NSA leaks, etc.

Did I grow up in a rich neighborhood or something? Cause I swear a lot of people on this forum say that smartphones weren't common in 2011 and even 2012 but where I live literally every person had a smartphone by then.


Personally, I saw a mixture of sliders and bezel smartphones (mostly sliders) from people throughout 2011, while in 2015, I saw mostly smartphones.

As others said it's like neither since it was unique with Macklemore, Blurred Lines, and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", but If I had choose I'd go with 2015 because of rap artists like Kendrick Lamar and Future, and teen pop like Demi Lovato and Arianna Grande; also with TV shows like Orange is the New Black, Hunger Games movies, and the PS4/Xbox One.

2013 saw a HUGE shift in media consumption. It was the year Netflix and Hulu released their very first catalog of original series which kickstarted binge-watching culture, charts started to fully embrace streaming sites and their weight as a result became even more apparent (digital sales went from the most popular way of music consumption in 2012 to a harshly declining format in 2014) and trends like the Harlem Shake demonstrated the now ubiquitous presence of memes and challenges in pop culture instead of simply a niche thing exclusive to internet communities. Other major shifts of the year include smartphones' sales finally overtaking those of feature phones, IOS7 which catapulted the flat design as the now standard UI and of course mainstream music moving away from electropop.

With so many changes I can impossibly not say that 2013 is easily closer to 2015.

Did I grow up in a rich neighborhood or something? Cause I swear a lot of people on this forum say that smartphones weren't common in 2011 and even 2012 but where I live literally every person had a smartphone by then.

In 2011 it was about half and half.

In 2011 it was about half and half.

Not even that - it was more like 35 to 40% in 2011. A lot of people on here just overestimate how prevalent smartphones were in the early 2010s. They weren’t exactly uncommon by 2011, but they weren’t the norm yet either. 39% to 92% in the span of 8/9 years is a substantial shift and highlights how different the start of the decade was from the end (not as different as 2000 vs 2009 but then most decades aren’t as transformative as the 2000s).

2013 is slightly closer to 2015 here but not by much (19% higher than 2011 vs 15% lower than 2015.

It’s also worth mentioning that by the end of 2011, most people age 18-44 had a smartphone. All other age groups were under 40%, including 13-17 year olds. 13-17 year olds were less likely than average to own a smartphone until 2013. Age is important.

https://internetinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Smartphone-penetration-as-share-of-mobile-users.png

2013 is slightly closer to 2015 here but not by much (19% higher than 2011 vs 15% lower than 2015.

https://internetinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Smartphone-penetration-as-share-of-mobile-users.png


^ Yep, this chart is accurate with what I've seen throughout the years.  :)

The demand for smartphones was huge and sales were skyrocketing in 2011, especially during the release of the iPhone 4s. Also, almost 40 percent is still kinda big, you would at least know someone who has an iPhone or Android back in 2011.

.

https://internetinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Smartphone-penetration-as-share-of-mobile-users.png

What does the asterisk attached to 2015+ mean?

2013 was still more like 2011 than 2015 in my opinion.

What does the asterisk attached to 2015+ mean?

Not sure, the article I found it on didn’t say.


The demand for smartphones was huge and sales were skyrocketing in 2011, especially during the release of the iPhone 4s. Also, almost 40 percent is still kinda big, you would at least know someone who has an iPhone or Android back in 2011.


Nobody is actually saying smartphones were very uncommon in 2011 or anything, or that sales weren’t increasing quickly, just that they were absolutely not the norm by that point. 2013 was like the inverse of 2011 - most people had a smartphone but it wasn’t uncommon for people not to have one either (42% didn’t have a smartphone in 2013).

Also, the popularisation of 4G in 2013 (at least here in the UK) really made using the internet on smartphones much easier and faster than crappy 3G. This is another reason why smartphones dominate daily life far more now than they did in the early 2010s, even excluding the fact that most people didn’t own one at the time. It’s like comparing the internet in 2000 vs 2009 - most people had the internet in 2000 but it certainly wasn’t central to everyday life like it was in 2009.

I don't think I knew anyone besides an uncle having an iPhone back in 2011. They seemed (at the time) crazily expensive for phones. Smartphones were indeed getting pretty popular, but most of the time people would opt for cheaper alternatives on Android that were barely a step-up from feature phones (basically add a touchscreen, miscellaneous apps & widgets, and highly crappy internet and you had the bare minimum to be considered a smartphone).

This definitely reflected in the market share of back then if you search it up.

Even though smartphones weren't the norm in 2011, they sold way more than in 2009 when it was still a novelty. 2013 would be the true start of the smartphone age, 2011 and 2012 were just getting ready.

Even though smartphones weren't the norm in 2011, they sold way more than in 2009 when it was still a novelty. 2013 would be the true start of the smartphone age, 2011 and 2012 were just getting ready.

I agree with that.

I would say the only year of the 2010s not part of the "smartphone age" was 2010. 2011 was the start of the smartphone age and when everyone had them. You saw them in music videos that year too. I'm shocked people are saying in started in 2013 when it really started in 2011.

I would say the only year of the 2010s not part of the "smartphone age" was 2010. 2011 was the start of the smartphone age and when everyone had them. You saw them in music videos that year too. I'm shocked people are saying in started in 2013 when it really started in 2011.

The ‘smartphone age’ started when most people had one. At a push that was late 2012 but 2013 would be the first full calendar year. I’m not sure how you can claim ‘everyone’ had a smartphone in 2011 when I just posted evidence to show otherwise..

2011 and 2012 were transitional years, when smartphones were rapidly increasing in popularity but were still outsold by feature phones.

I would say the only year of the 2010s not part of the "smartphone age" was 2010. 2011 was the start of the smartphone age and when everyone had them. You saw them in music videos that year too. I'm shocked people are saying in started in 2013 when it really started in 2011.

I would say 2011 was the prologue to the smartphone age.

The ‘smartphone age’ started when most people had one. At a push that was late 2012 but 2013 would be the first full calendar year. I’m not sure how you can claim ‘everyone’ had a smartphone in 2011 when I just posted evidence to show otherwise..

2011 and 2012 were transitional years, when smartphones were rapidly increasing in popularity but were still outsold by feature phones.

Well everyone except for me. I remember feeling very left out in 2011 and 2012 because I didn't have a smartphone yet. I remember I got one pretty late compared to my peers.

Well everyone except for me. I remember feeling very left out in 2011 and 2012 because I didn't have a smartphone yet. I remember I got one pretty late compared to my peers.

Maybe that was the case at your school or in your area, but in general most people didn’t own a smartphone in 2011 as the graph I posted shows. Teenagers were even less likely than adults to own a smartphone in 2011 - most parents didn’t want to spend lots of money on a smartphone for their kid. The main drivers of smartphone growth in 2011/2012 were 20-40 year olds - they were the earliest adopters.

Of course we all have different experiences and yours are perfectly valid, we’re obviously just speaking in general terms here. 2011 was like a preview to the smartphone age but it wasn’t there quite yet (possible regional variations not withstanding).

Not even that - it was more like 35 to 40% in 2011. A lot of people on here just overestimate how prevalent smartphones were in the early 2010s. They weren’t exactly uncommon by 2011, but they weren’t the norm yet either. 39% to 92% in the span of 8/9 years is a substantial shift and highlights how different the start of the decade was from the end (not as different as 2000 vs 2009 but then most decades aren’t as transformative as the 2000s).

2013 is slightly closer to 2015 here but not by much (19% higher than 2011 vs 15% lower than 2015.

It’s also worth mentioning that by the end of 2011, most people age 18-44 had a smartphone. All other age groups were under 40%, including 13-17 year olds. 13-17 year olds were less likely than average to own a smartphone until 2013. Age is important.

https://internetinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Smartphone-penetration-as-share-of-mobile-users.png

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.

The early 2010s started in the 2008 -2009 school year..

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.

https://i.insider.com/5893b1d96e09a8c1078b4b99?width=1136&format=jpeg

There is also this graph of iPhone sales. Pay attention to the asterik where the fiscal year ends at September. If you take a look at Q1 2012, it means it's September-December 2011, the iPhone sales grew immensely in that period.

I would say the only year of the 2010s not part of the "smartphone age" was 2010. 2011 was the start of the smartphone age and when everyone had them. You saw them in music videos that year too. I'm shocked people are saying in started in 2013 when it really started in 2011.


They became more accessible around 2010-2012 and started rising in sales but penetration rates didn’t exceed 50% (which means mainstream) till 2013. In hs 2011 it wasn’t really the norm for teens to have a smartphone. People still had feature phones or slide keypad phones with touch screens and an ipod touch. But I started noticing an increase in smartphones a year or two after. I got my first smart phone in 2012. 

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.


Ehh I see what you’re saying but I don’t think social media is the only contributor to pop culture and ways of living back then tho.  I was in hs in 2011-2012 and Instagram was non existent. There was only 10 million users on Instagram world wide. Facebook was the most popular social media platform and rose to 2 billion users by 2012. Insta was a dormant app amd was like an infant. It existed but it wasn’t mass produced nor was it commercialized at all. In 2012-2013 it started gaining some popularity. https://i.insider.com/5853f85cca7f0c5c008b61c4?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp

https://i.insider.com/5893b1d96e09a8c1078b4b99?width=1136&format=jpeg

There is also this graph of iPhone sales. Pay attention to the asterik where the fiscal year ends at September. If you take a look at Q1 2012, it means it's September-December 2011, the iPhone sales grew immensely in that period.
Their fiscal year ends on the last Saturday of September actually, so it's more October-December 2011 (since a quarter is 3 months). That's when Steve Jobs died, so I'm wondering if the media attention had an influence on that. 2012 in general was actually their biggest spurt of growth since that's when they doubled their annual revenues compared to 2011.

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.

2011 and 2012 gave some previews as to what the rest of the decade would look like, but it was still the era of Facebook and Twitter as opposed to Instagram and Snapchat. Music was still very much early 2010s, as was fashion.

Whether that makes it the quintessential early 2010s year, I don’t know. I can see the arguments from both sides. I guess a lot of this depends on when you consider the cultural 2010s to start. I definitely don’t agree with 2008/09.

2015

https://i.imgflip.com/42plk4.jpg

^Actually that's spot on. I know it's a joke but I agree with that. The first half felt closer to 2011 and the second half felt closer to 2015. It was a transitional year and it felt unique.

https://i.imgflip.com/42plk4.jpg

I actually agree  ;D

https://i.imgflip.com/42plk4.jpg

I feel like this is actually a reasonable answer, especially since 2013 was a transitional year. The early part of that year still belongs to the early 2010's, but it was the very tail-end. By late 2013, it was pretty much mid-2010's. 2013 is a split year.

https://i.imgflip.com/42plk4.jpg
Yoo thats me  ;D

I feel like this is actually a reasonable answer, especially since 2013 was a transitional year. The early part of that year still belongs to the early 2010's, but it was the very tail-end. By late 2013, it was pretty much mid-2010's. 2013 is a split year.
True true. What was your favourite month of 2013 btw?

True true. What was your favourite month of 2013 btw?


I liked March and April, and May was pretty good too. In June was when things went downhill and continued through mid 2014. The later part of '14 was when things started improving but 2015 was better. Also literally in the beginning of 2013 the engagement with my fiancé that I started a relationship with in 2011 was broken off. Therefore it felt nothing like 2011 in my life, lol.

See, this is why I have a problem with people who say "2011-2012 was the quintessential early 2010's" because that was when smartphone usage reached 50%, and Instagram was starting to become more known. If anything, it was the very first school year that had influences of what was going to come for the rest of the decade.

I agree with you. The 2010-2011 school year was peak early 2010s. It doesn’t have a lot of apparent late 2000s leftovers like 2009-10 and it doesn’t have incoming core trends like 2011-12. It is the perfect early 2010s year.

Well actually because the mid '10s didn't start until the very end of 2013 I will still say it was more like 2011 than 2015.

I agree with you. The 2010-2011 school year was peak early 2010s. It doesn’t have a lot of apparent late 2000s leftovers like 2009-10 and it doesn’t have incoming core trends like 2011-12. It is the perfect early 2010s year.


2010-2011 was peak early 2010’s ? Numerically they had just begun lol  ;D

2010-2011 was peak early 2010’s ? Numerically they had just begun lol  ;D

Numerically, yeah I guess. Culturally the early 2010s began in 2009-10.

Numerically, yeah I guess. Culturally the early 2010s began in 2009-10.

No, culturally they began in the 2008 - 2009 school year. Almost everyone agrees with that.

No, culturally they began in the 2008 - 2009 school year. Almost everyone agrees with that.


Really? I thought most people picked "late 2000s" as their answer for the 2008-2009 school year thread.

Really? I thought most people picked "late 2000s" as their answer for the 2008-2009 school year thread.

They did. Not sure why Slim keeps saying everyone agrees with him even when they don’t.

They did. Not sure why Slim keeps saying everyone agrees with him even when they don’t.


Ah, thanks for telling me. I was confused for a bit.  ;D

I don't disagree that the 2008-09 school year was heading to a new direction but it just had this "not quite there" feeling. 2009-2010 on the other hand, the early 2010s begun. 2008-09 would probably the last period where 2000s culture was dominant.

I don't disagree that the 2008-09 school year was heading to a new direction but it just had this "not quite there" feeling. 2009-2010 on the other hand, the early 2010s begun. 2008-09 would probably the last period where 2000s culture was dominant.


I put "transitional" on that thread since a lot of cultural trends that happened in 2009 also defined the early 2010s as well (Obama, electropop, Facebook, etc).

Numerically, yeah I guess. Culturally the early 2010s began in 2009-10.


Still that’s only a year into early 10’s culture. For me the bulk of early 10’s culture was like 2011-2012 when Call me maybe, stronger and somebody that I used to know  came out. It’s different for everyone tho.

They did. Not sure why Slim keeps saying everyone agrees with him even when they don’t.

Because most people on this forum are younger now... They don't remember as well. If you were around this forum a couple years ago, when most of the users were born before 1998, it was almost unanimous that 2010s culture began in late 2008 when Obama was elected, Lady Gaga was appearing on the radio, among other things.

Because most people on this forum are younger now... They don't remember as well. If you were around this forum a couple years ago, when most of the users were born before 1998, it was almost unanimous that 2010s culture began in late 2008 when Obama was elected, Lady Gaga was appearing on the radio, among other things.

Dude, I was born in 98 and I remember 2008-09 very well. Yeah, Obama was president and Lady Gaga sprung up but the overall culture was still leaning 2000s. It was extremely rare to find someone an iPhone when almost all people had feature phones. Scene fashion was at it's peak and MySpace was still being used by many people. Yeah, things were heading to a new direction but there was just a lot of 2000s trends to consider 2008-09 as early 2010s.

Because most people on this forum are younger now... They don't remember as well. If you were around this forum a couple years ago, when most of the users were born before 1998, it was almost unanimous that 2010s culture began in late 2008 when Obama was elected, Lady Gaga was appearing on the radio, among other things.

I’m 25, same age as you. Just because new trends started appearing doesn’t mean they replaced existing trends overnight.

Alright then we'll just have to agree to disagree then.

Still that’s only a year into early 10’s culture. For me the bulk of early 10’s culture was like 2011-2012 when Call me maybe, stronger and somebody that I used to know  came out. It’s different for everyone tho.

Idk, 2010-2011 to me seems like the peak of early 2010s with songs like Only Girl, Black & Yellow, Firework, and On The Floor.

Idk, 2010-2011 to me seems like the peak of early 2010s with songs like Only Girl, Black & Yellow, Firework, and On The Floor.


I feel like those songs could have been released in 2009 and were actually recorded in 2009. I feel like  2011-2012 or even 2012-2013 was like peek early 10’s. Like the whole 2012 scare, memes, Youtube culture becoming big, gangnam style, rise in smartphone popularity (specifically the iphone 4) Hunger Games, Project X, etc. were all staples of the early 10’s which were all big around 2011-2012 or early 2013.

I feel like those songs could have been released in 2009 and were actually recorded in 2009. I feel like  2011-2012 or even 2012-2013 was like peek early 10’s. Like the whole 2012 scare, memes, Youtube culture becoming big, gangnam style, rise in smartphone popularity (specifically the iphone 4) Hunger Games, Project X, etc. were all staples of the early 10’s which were all big around 2011-2012 or early 2013.


Come to think of it, I'm changing my mind on the whole "peak early 2010s" debate. You and others convinced me that 2011-2012 or 2012-2013 does seem to be the peak of everything that happened in the early 2010s: EDM, electro-rap/pop, trollface memes and rage comics, Silver Age YouTube, indie pop, hipster fashion, and many more facets.

Thanks for that.  :)

I feel like those songs could have been released in 2009 and were actually recorded in 2009. I feel like  2011-2012 or even 2012-2013 was like peek early 10’s. Like the whole 2012 scare, memes, Youtube culture becoming big, gangnam style, rise in smartphone popularity (specifically the iphone 4) Hunger Games, Project X, etc. were all staples of the early 10’s which were all big around 2011-2012 or early 2013.

I guess I could see those songs listed being released in 2009-2010, although the stylistic productions feel closer to 2011-2012.

Come to think of it, I'm changing my mind on the whole "peak early 2010s" debate. You and others convinced me that 2011-2012 or 2012-2013 does seem to be the peak of everything that happened in the early 2010s: EDM, electro-rap/pop, trollface memes and rage comics, Silver Age YouTube, indie pop, hipster fashion, and many more facets.

Thanks for that.  :)


No problem !! I honestly feel like when Hunger Games came out we were in peak early 10’s culture. The hype for that movie was huge and Gangnam style/The Harlem Shake in 2012-2013 also reminds me of that time too.