What Will the 2010’s Be Remembered For?

As the decade comes to a close, I have to wonder how we look back on this decade many years from now? Every decade conversation starts with the music and the 2010's musical landscape is a tricky one.

Adele 

What we can say for sure about the 2010's is that if you throw every metric that matters into a pot and stir it up, you come out with one name. Factor in her time on the Billboard charts, her record sales, touring numbers and critical acclaim and Adele was the Queen of music in the 2010's. I only wish there were more like her and she was part of a movement or identity. The fact is, once you get past Adele the decade lacks identity and substance.

The Death of Political Discussion 

You loved Obama or hated him, you loved Trump or hated him. At some point in the decade we all went from discussion to argument and in the end stopped talking all together. No one moves off their point, considers the other side or is willing to examine whether they might have something wrong. It's like a light switch was flipped, I cannot pinpoint the moment down to the month, week or day but I can say it happened in the decade that is about to end.

Tom Brady & the New England Patriots 

No sports team or story could even come close to the unprecedented success of the New England Patriots in the 2010's. In this decade alone, they won 3 Super Bowls and appeared in 5 (by calendar year). The most amazing thing is that they are still, a top contender to kick off the next decade with another Super Bowl victory.

Instagram

In a decade that started with Facebook as the king of social media, it seems now that Instagram has dethroned the king. For better or worse we are deep in the digital era and everyone has a camera fixed on themselves. I'd like to be super-critical but that would be hypocritical. I'm on Instagram a lot. Snapchat also blew up in the 2010's but I can't figure out the appeal, I don't wanna make my face look like a cat, at all. It's officially a "me" world with social media being a huge part of the problem.

Look at the previous decades:

• The 60's - Woodstock, Vietnam, free love, protest and a song book that will live forever.
• The 70's - Disco, Disco sucks, hilarious fashion, Jimmy Carter
• The 80's - Hair bands, "Greed is Good" & Ronald Reagan
• The 90's - Bill Clinton, alternative rock (grunge) & flannel
• The 2000's - Britney Spears, Boy Bands & 9/11

It's easy to write those decades down in some names and terms. I can honestly say, as I sit here now I do not know how I will look back on this decade. I can say my personal life went from dreadful in the beginning to truly, truly blessed. 2020 is coming and that is super weird because we are living in the "future."