I know many people here consider 1999 to be the beginning of the 00's culture and it is in many ways.  However, while thinking today, I noticed that 1999's main influence was on the early 00's and that the influence of 1999 on 2006 (and, indeed, the mid 00's in general) is much less than many make it out to be.  Here are just some of the things that were around in 1999 that aren't around anymore or aren't popular anymore.

Music

Boy Bands (NSync, Backstreet Boys, etc.)
Britney Spears (her last album was in 2003 and sold below expectations.  Only the papparazzi keeps her alive and she knows, which explains why she pulls various stunts to say in the public eye)
Christina Aguilera (in a situation similiar to Britney in that she hasn't released an album since 2002)
Limp Bizkit (along with the whole Nu-Metal/Rap-Metal trend as well)
Marilyn Manson
Creed (once one of the biggest rock bands in the world, now many think it's embarrassing to even like them)
Rap-Rock (see Barenaked Ladies - One Week, Smash Mouth - All Star for an example of what I'm talking about)
Eminem (he peaked in 2002/2003 with his album The Eminem Show and his movie 8 Mile.  He is currently ending his career and has a greatest hits album out)

TV
Friends (ended in 2004)
Jerry Springer(not nearly as popular as it was in the late 90's)
Frasier (ended in 2004)
Everybody Loves Raymond (ended in 2005)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (ended in 2003)
South Park (it's still around, but is nowhere near as popular as it was in the late 90's, what with the movie and all.  They even stopped killing Kenny altogether!)
That 70's Show (it's ending in a couple weeks)
X Files (ended in 2002)
Pokemon

Technology
DVD players were still new technology, not the norm
Mp3 players were unheard of
The whole concept of Tivo
Nintendo 64, Sony Playstation were still around
Sega Dreamcast (released in 1999, discontinued in 2001.  A perfect symbol of the transitionary period from 90's to 00's that was 1999-2001)

Anyway, that's it.  As one can plainly see, while 1999 exerted a heavy influence on the early 00's, it's influence on the mid 00's is far less than many people here believe it to be.  Was it the beginning of the 00's?  In many ways, it was.  However, with all this outdated stuff, it clearly is part of a different era (epoch as I like to call it).  In a way, this is good.  The fact that there are so many outdated things from 1999 shows that the 00's have taken on their own unique identity, not being the 90's copycat that many accuse it of being.

MP3 players were definitely around in 1999, I remember seeing them, but they were pretty new, low capacity, and expensive (64 MB would cost you around $300 or so).

I agree. 1999 isn't old school like 1996, but it's not really like yesterday.

MP3s first came out in 1998, I think, and yes, I remember them costing a fortune. I remembering buying a 64MB player about 2002 and it cost over $100: a similar player today would be $25 in the bargain bin. Music technology has also taken a quantum leap from 1999-2006: largely due to far more powerful computers giving us almost endless possibilities.

About everything post 1996, feels like yesterday to me, lol.

1999 got old really quick, I've never given it much thought but damn, it's starting to seem old.

I don't think HDTV was around either

People would stil be walking around with CD players and walkmen (now it's all IPODS) I remember my dad and brother would get up every morning to go jogging with one of those super durable CD players you could clip to your belt that wouldn't skip when you ran...now that's unheard of.

Playstation ONE was being played (now we're moving on to Playstation 3 where everything looks super real) heck, you even Sega Genesis didn't seem THAT dated. Now it's an antique, back then it was just "kinda old"

no myspace....there was AOL IM though.

don't forget in the wrestling world in 1999 there were 3 wrestling feds WWF,WCW,ECW now soon to be 3 again WWE,TNA,and returning ECW.

don't forget in the wrestling world in 1999 there were 3 wrestling feds WWF,WCW,ECW now soon to be 3 again WWE,TNA,and returning ECW.


TNA is not the same as WCW as they don't have a chance to even be competitive. WCW actually led in the ratings war from 1996 to 1998. ECW 2 wil not be the same either, it's not as fresh, revolutionary, and underground. I still see it as a 1 fed world.

Yeah, 1999 is quite dated compared to 2006. I remember the year very well and it seems that way. It's not really all that much an "'00s" year in that even by 2004 it was starting to seem dated, and that was the peak of the '00s.

TNA is not the same as WCW as they don't have a chance to even be competitive. WCW actually led in the ratings war from 1996 to 1998. ECW 2 wil not be the same either, it's not as fresh, revolutionary, and underground. I still see it as a 1 fed world.


Yeah, wrestling today is completely dominated by the WWE (I still hate that name change to this day).  I used to love wrestling back in the 90's and the competition between WCW and WWF made for some great shows.  I saw WWE Raw for the first time in years back in February and it just felt cheap and terrible.  I don't know if I just grew out of it (I stopped watching wrestling around the time they did that WCW Invasion storyline) or it went downhill or what.  I just know that it isn't nearly as good as it was when I was in elementary school.

Yeah, wrestling today is completely dominated by the WWE (I still hate that name change to this day).  I used to love wrestling back in the 90's and the competition between WCW and WWF made for some great shows.  I saw WWE Raw for the first time in years back in February and it just felt cheap and terrible.  I don't know if I just grew out of it (I stopped watching wrestling around the time they did that WCW Invasion storyline) or it went downhill or what.  I just know that it isn't nearly as good as it was when I was in elementary school.


Also, WWE was very popular in the late '90s. It's not all that popular anymore.

MP3 players were definitely around in 1999, I remember seeing them, but they were pretty new, low capacity, and expensive (64 MB would cost you around $300 or so).


MP3 was in the conceivence stage in 1996-97, as well as DVD. 

I know that House, Trance, and Breakbeat music started going commercial in 1999, which in most dance halls, Hip Hop and R&B was being remixed into dance tracks.  There's alot of that now.

MP3 was in the conceivence stage in 1996-97, as well as DVD. 


The MP3 format actually dates back to 1989, although MP3 players probably would have been in to prototype stage in the mid-90s.

According to something I read some time ago, the first MP3 Player wasn't on the shelves to buy until 1998

This might be interesting...unfortunately Diamond, the company who first made the Rio, who also made graphics cards and other PC parts/peripherals were sort of bought down around 2000.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5622055-1.html

1999 got old really quick, I've never given it much thought but damn, it's starting to seem old.

I don't think HDTV was around either

People would stil be walking around with CD players and walkmen (now it's all IPODS) I remember my dad and brother would get up every morning to go jogging with one of those super durable CD players you could clip to your belt that wouldn't skip when you ran...now that's unheard of.

Playstation ONE was being played (now we're moving on to Playstation 3 where everything looks super real) heck, you even Sega Genesis didn't seem THAT dated. Now it's an antique, back then it was just "kinda old"

no myspace....there was AOL IM though.



HDTV was around in 1999, actually I think the first show broadcast in HD in the US was in 1999. HDTVs were also defintiely in stores around 1998 or 1999. They were only the big projection ones and cost about $5,000 at least I think.