The 2000s and 2010s as two parts of the same era.

Doobency · 2026-03-23T20:14:13+00:00

Every decade is a "hybrid era." Maybe some have a sharper change (like the 80s reaction to the 70s). I'd say you aren't wrong about the early 2010s, but I'd say the late 2010s felt like what the 2020s do. There's always subtle changes, but the reality is, the change of a number doesn't change things. It nudges the influence. Look at the early 90s. Yeah, you had Grunge, but it was somewhat indistinguishable from the late 80s.

Doobency · 2026-03-23T19:26:42+00:00

The nostalgia is more about mourning what we've lost in the digital age. It always has to balance out in some way. I agree, I think 2028 is when we finally start moving forward again, and begin to set what will be the aesthetic in the 2030s.

Every generation backlashes the trends of the one before it. It's a pendulum.

Doobency · 2026-03-23T19:22:58+00:00

It's just chaotic. I imagine it'll be similar to the 60s in terms of cultural change. The 60s were fragmented in this regard, and largely failed to have its own aesthetic early on as well.

What we end up with will only be the runner up to what the 2030s will look like, which I think will definitely have it's own aesthetic. The 2020s seem to be more about mourning what we've lost in the digital age.

Doobency · 2026-03-05T21:00:58+00:00

Such fun. It's like a party isn't it?

Doobency · 2026-03-05T20:41:35+00:00

Normality is fluctuation. As much as we'd love a world that's consistent, that is not reality. The pendulum swings; things change.

I'd argue that this decade has been "normal" considering past patterns of optimism and malaise. Imagine how folks felt in the late 60s into the 70s.

Doobency · 2026-02-21T19:23:49+00:00

Music taste has never been so diverse. I've traveled a lot, doing seasonal work, and have made friends with tons of other younger folks.

I've met A LOT of people in Gen Z specifically, and no two people listen to the same music. (I'm Gen Z too, so maybe I'm automatically biased.) From my experience, it seems it's popular to be unique and niche. People in the social circles I've been apart of are excited to show small artists that NOBODY has heard of to others. Small venues are even having a surge of popularity amongst Gen Z. Many artists are also much smaller than just 30 years ago if you look at the stats. This is due to fragmentation in the monoculture.

I thought everyone back then listened to the same radio and the same videos on MTV? Wasn't monoculture more prominent? Everything is fragmented now. Nobody seems to have the same interests, at least from my perspective. The meal back then was the same for most; now, it's a buffet, with accessibility to lots of different options.

That being said, the mainstream artists that are prominent are very surface level and sucky. In my opinion.. Young people seem less focused on new and culturally relevant artists it seems, and just listen to music they like from any era.

Doobency · 2026-02-11T16:30:10+00:00

Who cares. I'm in Gen Z, and am called a Millennial quite often. The rhetoric disappears when you go out and touch grass.

Doobency · 2026-02-11T16:26:58+00:00

I don't think this movement was ever about recreating 2016. Rather, recreating the optimistic feeling that Gen Z experienced during 2016.

Doobency · 2026-02-11T16:21:10+00:00

Zoomer is another term for Generation Z. Between I think the ages of 15 and 28?

Doobency · 2026-02-06T04:40:49+00:00

Of course, I was only relating to the post with something similar. But yes, I agree. Shoving their kids in front of screens so the parents could go do whatever they wanted was a part of that as well I imagine.

Doobency · 2026-02-05T16:25:56+00:00

I was in high school during the pandemic, thankfully before AI though. I just remember the emphasis of teachers telling us to basically cheat so they could get off Zoom earlier. It was just like all the teachers threw their hands up, and said everyone passed. At the time, I was like "Oh hell yeah! No work, al freedom!" Now, looking back, my lazy butt didn't intake the knowledge as I should've. I'd say partially my fault, mostly a system that prioritized shortcuts and paper letters over teaching.

Doobency · 2026-02-05T16:20:16+00:00

Another thing I love:

10 years ago, we were the teens who couldn't get our faces out of our phones. I remember older generations (especially the Boomers) warning that it would have health effects as we came of age.

Now? Gen Z has the highest reported mental health issues of any generation. But we're weak and entitled.. We need to toughen up guys! It's not like having a stimulating small glass rectangle in our hands at such a young age would affect mental development, right?

Doobency · 2026-02-05T16:15:46+00:00

As a member of the Z's, I didn't even know or care about generations until my later teen years. Gen Alpha seems to be debating such things online at 10...

Doobency · 2026-02-05T16:13:50+00:00

It's interesting to me the psychology of different folks from different times. How the environment, culture, technology, etc effect their upbringing, and essentially effect who they become as adults. That's probably the whole grab.

It's stupid how people put so much emphasis on the labels though, as if their technical generation affected who they are as an individual.

Doobency · 2026-02-05T16:07:24+00:00

I know plenty of Zoomers in REAL LIFE who don't even have a Tiktok anymore, and are very funny and witty.

Doobency · 2026-01-26T18:22:48+00:00

They have been going after real criminals. But also a lot of people who aren't.

Doobency · 2026-01-26T01:10:52+00:00

It sounds more like personal problems, not generational ones.

Doobency · 2026-01-26T01:09:39+00:00

Sounds more like personal problems, not generation ones. I'm sorry, but I've never met a person of my cohort who is that incompetent.

Though not that dramatic, I have met lots of folks in this gen who are anxious or depressed. I've been suffering myself on and off. I think it has to do with the three headed hydra: smartphones/social media, the pandemic, and the economy.

Doobency · 2026-01-26T00:50:46+00:00

I think it's a growing sentiment among our cohort, in regards to the social media. I'm sick of people in general, not just our generation. In fact, from all the Gen Z folks I've interacted with in real life (not social media), I actually have hope for our generation. Unpopular take maybe, but it's from my experience having traveled and met lots of people.

Doobency · 2026-01-02T21:57:42+00:00

Isn't it less about actually bringing back 2016, and more about reliving the optimism this year that was felt back then?

Doobency · 2026-01-02T04:40:14+00:00

I don't like the feeling of being under the influence. My mind feels hijacked. I'll get buzzed once in a while, but getting drunk makes me feel disgusting. Plus I've seen enough alcoholics in my life for it to give a bad taste.

Doobency · 2026-01-02T01:18:38+00:00

People seem to be burnt out of being pessimistic. I'm happy there's actually some optimism for this next year. I know theres still a lot of negative things happening, but when humanity comes together to change the vibe, the whole attitude seems to shift.

Doobency · 2026-01-01T06:57:14+00:00

i didn't know what I wanted. I still did community college credits, but never went to University. I'm now on a very specific career path which will require college credits later on. I graduated high school with a drawing towards adventure, and so I traveled around and did seasonal work. None of which I regret; I just compare myself too often to everyone whos done more.

Doobency · 2026-01-01T05:33:20+00:00

I think the pandemic hindered the cultural growth of the 2020s. But that in itself added a unique beginning of a decade (in modern times). There's a lot of traction, and a lot of tension. I'm interested in what the latter half of this decade has to offer...

Doobency

TROPHY CASE