I'll probably go with the 1970s. It was getting there in the late 60s, but I feel like the 70s was first full decade to feel (relatively) modern.

I'm going with the 1970s. I wasn't there, but judging from photos of everyday things from the 70s and films...feels relatively modern to me.

I don’t think the 1970s look hugely different to the 1960s tbh in terms of how ‘modern’ they look. The 1960s were arguably the first decade where owning a TV became commonplace, plus it seems like music as we know it today largely took off in the 1960s. Also the sexual revolution and things like mini skirts becoming a staple piece of female fashion.

I would say the 90s.

1993 onwards is where the modern world begins to me. Footage and media pre-1993 seems a lot older.

I don’t think the 1970s look hugely different to the 1960s tbh in terms of how ‘modern’ they look. The 1960s were arguably the first decade where owning a TV became commonplace, plus it seems like music as we know it today largely took off in the 1960s. Also the sexual revolution and things like mini skirts becoming a staple piece of female fashion.

I think it's because black and white photos/movies were still common in the 60s. 70s were the first fully "color" decade.

I think it's because black and white photos/movies were still common in the 60s. 70s were the first fully "color" decade.


You might have a point. I did see a colour photo of some candlelight vigil for JFK and I was struck by how "normal" it looked.

You might have a point. I did see a colour photo of some candlelight vigil for JFK and I was struck by how "normal" it looked.


My mind does not comprehend that the world was actually in color back then. I look at colorized movies and especially the yellows make a bad taste in my mouth.

1993 onwards is where the modern world begins to me. Footage and media pre-1993 seems a lot older.

Prior to around 1995 looks a bit older to me but not in an ‘olden days’ way. The 1980s still look fairly modern to me, and other than the internet I don’t think things have changed significantly since. Staple fashion pieces have been consistent, video gaming was becoming popular, computers in the workplace were common.

I would probably consider the 1950s and before the ‘olden days’.

You have a point about the 60s, colour photos were certainly more common in the 70s.

It depends on what aspect you are talking about such as, the fashion, the music, technology, film and so on. For fashion, the first modern decade was definitely the 1990s, everyone was dressing up for comfort compared to the more uniform 1980s. For film and television, I would have to say the 2000s really, the 90s movies and TV look noticably very dated now. I could say the 1980s was the first modern decade for film with the start of the Hollywood Blockbuster age (starting with Star Wars), movies also didn't move as slow as they did in the 70s anymore but, there is still a lot of set backs, movies still had an old "film like" aesthetic, the audio wasn't super clear yet, CGI wasn't really a thing yet (practical effects completely dominated), the comedy films were still very "safe/conservative", 2D traditional animated films completely dominated and a lot more reasons. Music is a lot harder to judge because, it's always changing very consistently. Geo - politically, I would say the 1950s (after the second world war). Economically, the 1980s, especially starting with Reaganomics. Socially, I would also say the 1980s, the 60s and 70s still had a lot of set backs that people don't consider. For technology, I am definitely going with the 2000s (considering, cell phones, computers and the internet were all very common things).

I will like to add, that black and white photos can make any era look old, which is a huge reason why the 1960s and early 1970s look so old compared the mid-late 70s.

The modern era includes the early period, called the early modern period, which lasted from c. 1500 to around c. 1800 (most often 1815).

The modern era includes the early period, called the early modern period, which lasted from c. 1500 to around c. 1800 (most often 1815).


I knew this, and it's interesting. Only, to me any decade before the 1960s feels alien and seems too long ago.

Personally I'd say somewhere between the 70's and the 90's.