What I mean is it felt like there was a bigger jump from early 2010s culture to mid 2010s culture, and an even bigger jump from late 2010s culture to early 2020s culture. Not saying the mid and late 2010s were the same, I know they were different. But they were not as different from each other as other eras side-by-side. I guess it kind of resembles the late 2010s and early 2010s comparison, noticeably different but not entirely different compared to other eras side-by-side. For example, trap was a musical genre that was popular throughout both the mid and late 2010s. And in both eras mobile social networking apps like Snap Chat and Instagram were popular. Anyone agree?

I think they key difference is that authoritarian politicians gained legitimacy as a backlash against the perceived prevailing liberal hegemony. Otherwise I would agree the 2010s didn't differ much through its stages except its earliest years.

I guess there are some similarities like the prevalence of social media and smartphones, trap being a popular genre, pop becoming more EDM-influenced and downtempo, memes becoming significant Internet trends, and so forth. But the cultural atmosphere of the late 2010s was undoubtedly more somber and bleak after events like Brexit, the 2016 election and Trump's win, the proliferation of SJW/PC culture, and heavy polarization.