Looking Back over the Last Decade
If you trawl the internet for facts, events, images, videos, blogs, vlogs that relate to the last decade, you will be astounded. In the blink of an eye we have witnessed changes to the way we live like never before. Technology, social and digital media play an even bigger part in the day to lives of billions of people. The Arab Spring caused by the actions of a young man showed us the way in which social and digital media platforms played a role in the way news unfolded across the World. An entire region was destabilised and the consequences were felt far far away.
A photo of then President Barack Obama and his security team watching the killing of Bin Laden was screened across the World; the photo was taken in the Situation Room at the White House as the leader of al-Qaeda was tracked down and killed by Navy SEALs.
London faced two very opposing events – the London riots which were triggered by the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan and the London 2012 Olympics. The riots saddened everyone, the Olympics gave us a fleeting moment of joy and happiness which united the country – proud of the medal winners.
In 2013, Andy Murray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon men's singles since Fred Perry in 1936, beating number one seed Novak Djokovic.
Both Princes William and Harry found their true loves and married much to the joy of the public who bathed in the pomp and circumstance, British flags in abundance across the country.
It has been an interesting decade for the European Union that began with collapse of the Greek economy and then was confronted with the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the war, however, one story stands out above and beyond all others - Brexit. That Friday in June 2016 when a very shock British public woke up to discover it was leaving the European Union. As 2020 unfolds, the consequences of leaving the EU will become apparent. The USA had Barack Obama as President swiftly followed by Donald Trump who made his presence felt across the world.
The Hashtag became a way to raise awareness, start trends, create discussions and commentary, and none more than the phrase written by Actress Alyssa Milano who referred ‘Me too.’ as a reference to abuse suffered by women. The hashtag has grown into an international movement, with not just women, but men speaking up about their sexual harassment.
Technology played a huge part in society – Apple released the first generation iPad on April 3, 2010 and the first generation iWatch in 2015. The first Instagram post was a photo of South Beach Harbor at Pier 38, posted by founder Mike Krieger on July 16, 2010 at 5:26 PM, followed by co-founder Kevin Systrom's first post, which came a few hours later (9:24 PM). By 2019, Instagram had 1 billion monthly active users and became the most engaged network after Facebook. 71% of the billion monthly active users on the Instagram app are under the age of 35. Facebook bought the photo app for $1 billion in 2012. Alongside Instagram, Snapchat, “the fastest way to share a moment”, launched in July 2011, changing the way that people under 30 communicate.
As social media took off, words became abbreviated – LOL, OMG, FOMO, LMAO to name but a few.
By November 2013, selfie was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year.
The first three phases of the Marvel films came to an end in 2019. Collectively known as "The Infinity Saga", it was the Avengers: Endgame that became the highest-grossing Marvel film of all time with a worldwide gross of $2,790,216,193.
Ed Sheeran's first Number 1 single came in 2014 with Sing, co-written and produced by Pharrell Williams, with chart-topping success across the decade and rise to global superstardom. Another home grown artist, Adele saw her 2015 album 25 become the fastest-selling album of all time.
We mourned the famous, and more importantly those close to us.
So much to reflect upon and so much more to come. Happy New Year, Happy New Decade.
Susie Crolla