I've noticed here when we talk about how times are changing or the decades or whatever, it tends to revolve around music. And then technology secondly.

I've noticed here when we talk about how times are changing or the decades or whatever, it tends to revolve around music. And then technology secondly.


Yeah, music, technology and probably fashion. It's stuff that you can easily compare - even internationally.

Yeah, music, technology and probably fashion. It's stuff that you can easily compare - even internationally.


I feel like movies tend to be less 'of their time' even though they're a huge part of pop culture as well. Some movies really are period pieces but generally speaking a movie in my opinion is just a movie and they tend not to be as indicative of their era, especially when you consider many of them are set in a different time from their present or even a different reality.

I feel like movies tend to be less 'of their time' even though they're a huge part of pop culture as well. Some movies really are period pieces but generally speaking a movie in my opinion is just a movie and they tend not to be as indicative of their era, especially when you consider many of them are set in a different time from their present or even a different reality.


It depends though. There are still movies that you can go "that's the 90s" to. 10 Things I Hate About You screams late 90s to me.

music should be part of the pop culture.

I've noticed here when we talk about how times are changing or the decades or whatever, it tends to revolve around music. And then technology secondly.


In the early 80s, only the nerdiest 5-10% of the class played with technology more obscure than a VCR, but we all listened to music.  Technology wasn't a common ground for discussion across social cliques, but music was.

If you want a real generational shift between Xer/Yer/Millennial, it may end up being along the lines of "generations who defined their culture in terms of broadcast media" (music/TV/video via broadcast radio/TV/theater) vs "generations who defined their culture by the media they shared with each other" (memes on websites, music/movies via P2P or via '6 of your friends watched XYZ' recommendations.)

In the early 80s, only the nerdiest 5-10% of the class played with technology more obscure than a VCR, but we all listened to music.  Technology wasn't a common ground for discussion across social cliques, but music was.

If you want a real generational shift between Xer/Yer/Millennial, it may end up being along the lines of "generations who defined their culture in terms of broadcast media" (music/TV/video via broadcast radio/TV/theater) vs "generations who defined their culture by the media they shared with each other" (memes on websites, music/movies via P2P or via '6 of your friends watched XYZ' recommendations.)


That's true, it seems like pop culture since 2000 has mostly been defined by the technology while the years before 2000 more by the music.

Everyone listens to different music nowadays, mainstream really isn't mainstream at all, there's still people who haven't heard Call Me Maybe. But in the 80s from what I understand pretty much everyone under 40 listened to basically the same music or at most just two or three different basic styles, like metal vs new wave vs AOR or whatever.

Even in the 90s, technology was more mainstream than the 80s but it wasn't really the center of pop culture. Even an average machine (as they called computers in those days) cost $1000 and upwards, I remember the Gateway PC around 1999/20 was $999 and that was considered a really good deal!

Today music isn't a shared experience but the release of techno gadgets and Internet memes are. The music I listen to gives me a kinship with certain subcultures but not with my generation.

Even in the 90s, technology was more mainstream than the 80s but it wasn't really the center of pop culture. Even an average machine (as they called computers in those days) cost $1000 and upwards, I remember the Gateway PC around 1999/20 was $999 and that was considered a really good deal!

Today music isn't a shared experience but the release of techno gadgets and Internet memes are. The music I listen to gives me a kinship with certain subcultures but not with my generation.


Yeah, I see the "Y2K era" as being the last period in which most teens had the same general "musical experience". When I was in high school, you listened to boy bands if you were a girl, Hip Hop/Nu Metal if you were a guy, and if you listened to anything else (even classic rock like The Beatles or Rolling Stones) you were simply a giant dork. Now I've been out of school for almost 8 years, so I'm obviously on the outside looking in here, but my general perception is that YouTube has really been a game changer in broadening the types of music that it's "cool" to listen to among the current high school crowd.

From the stuff I have seen, it's more TV series that represent pop culture of a certain era. Movies are a bit harder. A lot of movies that were released in a certain era and were considered 'big' then, don't necessarily represent the pop culture of that time. An extreme example would be 'Titanic' which is of course a 'big 90s movie'.

From the stuff I have seen, it's more TV series that represent pop culture of a certain era. Movies are a bit harder. A lot of movies that were released in a certain era and were considered 'big' then, don't necessarily represent the pop culture of that time. An extreme example would be 'Titanic' which is of course a 'big 90s movie'.



Depends though. A lot of people say John Hughes movies defined the 80s. In addition a lot of the teen movies of the late 90s defined that era. Movies can really capture the feel of an era and tells a lot about the time.

Even in the 90s, technology was more mainstream than the 80s but it wasn't really the center of pop culture. Even an average machine (as they called computers in those days) cost $1000 and upwards, I remember the Gateway PC around 1999/20 was $999 and that was considered a really good deal!

Today music isn't a shared experience but the release of techno gadgets and Internet memes are. The music I listen to gives me a kinship with certain subcultures but not with my generation.


I agree, kids are more into their gadgets than the music industry.