1. Royal Weddings
In this past decade, there was not one, but two royal weddings. Millions of people gathered around their TVs to watch these two iconic couples exchange vows. The televised weddings gave us some memorable fashion moments, like the Queen's full lime green ensemble at Meghan and Harry's wedding.
2. The Rise of The Selfie
Selfies became very popular over the past decade. From celebrities like Kim Kardashian to Ellen Degeneres, they have all influenced the way we take our own photos.
Although selfies seem harmless, there have been more than 260 selfie-related deaths over the past decade, so remember to be careful when you are trying to find the right angle.
3. Pokemon Go Takes Over People's Lives
Pokemon Go was introduced in 2016 as an augmented reality mobile game. People wandered all over their cities and towns with their eyes locked on their screens, hoping to catch a Pokemon. The game got people moving, and it was almost a form of exercise. It was the most popular in the summer of 2016 but continues to dominate the mobile gaming world.
4. When Everyone Thought The World Was Ending in 2012
In 2012, many people were convinced the world was going to end on December 21 of that year. This was because the Mayan calendar ended on this date. Shockingly, we are all still alive, and the world is not ending just yet.
5. Donald Trump
While he has been in the public eye since the '90s, Trump has made major waves over the past ten years. From being elected as the 45th president of The United States to recently becoming the 3rd president in history to be impeached, he has been a busy man.
6. The Creation of Instagram
Now that we are all addicted, it is hard to imagine a world without Instagram. In 2012, Instagram was introduced to the world, and our world changed forever. Instagram has created a platform for people to share their life in pictures and videos, and it has influenced our culture significantly. As you read on, you will find another way Instagram changed this past decade.
7. Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage
In 2015, the United States made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. It was a victorious day for the LGBTQ+ community after years of fighting for equal rights. Since 2010, twenty-three countries have legalized same-sex marriage.
8. Flossing, The Harlem Shake, Twerking, And Many More
There was flossing; there was the Harlem shake; there was the mannequin challenge; there were too many to count.
These dance challenges took over the internet and became viral sensations. We are still not sure if we are flossing correctly.
9. #MeToo Movement
Following many public sexual abuse allegations made against Holly wood producer Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo hashtag went viral across social media. Millions of women shared their personal experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault in over 19 million tweets. The Me Too campaign created awareness and opened the discussion of a topic that has been kept quiet for too long.
10. Dating Apps Became The New Way To Meet People
During this decade, dating apps have become one of the most popular ways to meet new people. From Tinder to OkCupid, you can find a dating app that suits your needs.
Instead of talking to our crushes in person, we now try to find them on one of these apps and see if we are a match.
11. We Are Now Glued To Our Smartphones
Over the last decade, smartphones have slowly taken over our lives. Today, people cannot go a few minutes without checking their phones. With so many new models of phones being released in the last ten years, we have become addicted to the latest technology and what the latest features will be on the new smartphone.
12. Streaming Services
There's Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, and those are just a few of the many streaming services available today. Many cable providers have lost millions of clients due to the available streaming services. It has become difficult to remember what shows are available on what platform.
13. Ride-Share Apps
From Uber to Lyft, ride-sharing services became a popular way of transportation over the past decade. With the rise of smartphones, the ability to order an Uber is at our fingertips.
These ride-sharing apps have revolutionized transit and it is much quicker than traditional transit. You can now have a car arrive at your location within minutes.
14. Gangnam Style Breaks YouTube Records
In 2012, Gangnam Style by South Korean singer Psy, broke the internet. It was viewed over 2 billion times on Youtube, and cause them to increase their maximum viewing limits.
Today, it has over 3 billion views. The video is very interesting and if you are not one of the 3 billion views, you should definitely go check it out.
15. Tesla and Self-Driving Vehicles
Speaking of transportation, Tesla revolutionized the auto industry. They released the first self-driving vehicle and made it possible for people to "safely" multitask while driving. While there have been some complications with the self-driving ability, it is a significant advance in technology. We can only imagine what the next decade will bring.
16. Everyone Started Hating Millennials
Although millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, they have become the center of every cultural conversation in the past few years.
Millennials made the most significant cultural impact of the decade from hipsters and smartphones to social media and gaming.
17. When People Started Hashtagging Everything
#ItsAlmost2020. Hashtags took over the internet to keep track of trending conversations on social media. Today, you cannot go on social media without seeing at least one hashtag.
The hashtag symbol used to only be for the telephone or keypads, but it has taken on a whole life of its own.
18. Fortnite, Overwatch, and Other Video Game Crazes
Fortnite and Overwatch are the games that dominated this decade. Fortnite has lead to dance crazes, memes, and the rise of esports. Millions of people tuned in online to watch the Fortnite World Cup. These games consumed the internet and gaming world.
19. We Said Goodbye To Harry Potter
It was a very sad day in 2011 when the last Harry Potter premiered. The franchise captivated audiences for 14 years. It is one of the most popular franchises in the world, and although there have not been any new movies or books in the Harry Potter series, fans continue to revisit the beloved magical world.
20. Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and other Voice Assistants
"Hey, Siri," "Alexa," "Ok, Google." These are phrases that you may hear people muttering to their smart devices so they can do even less work. From asking your device to order something from Amazon to asking it to translate a phrase into a different language, your device will do almost anything when you talk to it.