Boy, have times changed!
What happened to Reaganomics and Moon Walking on a Saturday night while watching Flashdance in our leg warmers? Well this has all changed since the early 1980s when we- as a nation- went through a cultural shift in American society which took us through Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” all the way to Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” Unfortunately, the chapter of an era has come to an end, and the end result was losing all of our legends in the 2000s; including Michael Jackson in 2009, Bowie and Prince in 2016. Even though, the 1980s and 2000s have some similarities they are ultimately different as far as technology, music and mannerisms.
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Technology nearly 36 years ago differs from the technology the younger generation has access to now. In the 1980’s while the audio cassettes and tape players were not new, they became the trend; while gaining wild prevalence and popularity all over the world. During this craze they even outsold vinyl records, becoming the new preferred source of technology. The last couple years of the decade they made their way to record stores where people would buy the cassette singles. In addition, what made them so great was the fact that you could listen to music in high fidelity. Nothing compares to hearing the music warble, muffling as the machine cut out the sound while it ate your tape. In another way, teenagers struggled to take photographs since one was forced to develop multiple sets of film making this a prolonged procedure since it would take up to days, weeks, or even months to process. However, one can think of the 2000s as time progressed, the innovation of technology become the new phenomenon. Even though, portable CD players came out in 1984 they did not accomplish recognition until a few years prior to the 2000s. In accordance, with Sony products on the market, they began to achieve more in the 2000s as people stopped buying Walkman and bought the next latest and greatest thing.
Several artists in the 80s have influenced most of the artists today. Pop culture has evolved dating back to Prince’s “Purple Rain,” in 1984 all the way to *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” in 2000. Without a doubt, music genres have changed directions for the worst. For example, in the 1980s we did not depend on auto-tuning, or pitch correction. Many musicians wrote their own music, making it more natural because it was not electronically produced and artists did not use backup tracks. Raw talent was also more evident because artists could play multiple instruments; they were able to successfully record themselves. During this point in time, disco fell out of fashion and a new wave of dance music emerged the nation with artists such as Whitney Houston, Lionel Ritchie, Tina Turner, and Michael Jackson; they have long been credited for the music of their time. On the other hand, in the 2000s, the music industries started introducing music technologies such as, auto-tune and pitch correction. However, at first, this construed a lot of hate and controversy among researchers, arguing that this caused destruction to emotional authenticity; devaluing “actual talent.” But, music producers refused to listen refusing to cover up the use of vocal processing. Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Drake, and Fall Out Boy have admitted to using autotune to enhance their sound and give a more divergent effect. Many artists claim they use it to give them special effects to appeal more to the millennial listener. But is autotune really a replacement for talent?
Similarly, the pop culture does have influence over one's behavior by reaching out to younger audiences through the use of advertisements, sports, television and even entertainment. Mannerisms from the 80s to today's youth have changed significantly. Compared to today, movies and TV shows had a golden era like no other ranging from The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Uncle Buck, to Sixteen Candles. John Hughes movies made a massive impact on the culture presenting messages to our youth; in that manner, teenagers were able to relate to his characters through their insecurities, deepest fears, and by trying to find meaning in their world. Whereas, today's culture is more expressive, and vulgar. Belligerent demeanor is certainly not water under the bridge just yet. Still, etiquette and respect are not taught because they’re not a concern among families today as it was back in the Dirty Dancing days. This should be concerning to any future parents, even before the 80s use of vulgarities was looked down upon. Subculture is adapting to new ways of life; as a result of these indecencies we are primarily becoming curse friendly, and violent by acting out on our emotions right away without thinking about the ramifications. This especially occurs online when self-indulging in social media because it paves way to sexual harassment and cyberbullying; encouraging each other to pick fights instead of discussing a solution to the predicament. These are some of the many problems that we are still facing as a country.
History shows that 1980s and 2000s are completely different time periods. Unfortunately, some of the most popular technologies and artists would clearly not be here today if it was not for the 80s influence on modern entertainment. But, the 80s have a way of making people nostalgic for the simpler way of life. That is not to say the 2000s are entirely reprehensible. But, the vast changes have shaped our society today. In brief, no generation can be compared to the striving times of 1980s, not even the 2000s. In fact, there’s too much material to reminisce about including, the music genres, technology, pop culture, and the memorable TV sitcoms.
