How tech touched the '00s
Among the multitude of end-of-decade lists, the Associated Press rounds up 50 lifestyle trends. Whether it's surprising or not, tech-related items make up nearly half.
- I've been a journalist for more than three decades. I was a finalist in the 2021 Digiday Media Award for Best Newsletter.
I've been enjoying all of the end-of-decade lists that have suddenly cropped up. I like knowing what I was intimately aware of and what I completely missed.
This week, the Associated Press came out with its list of "50 things that changed our lives in the aughts." First off, the reference to the "aughts" made me chuckle. Back in late 1999, I was concerned about two things: Y2K and what the heck we were going to call the first decade. Neither of those concerns turned out to be much of a problem in the end. "Aughts" certainly never caught on.
Second, and more importantly, it was interesting to see how many of the AP's 50 trends are tech-related. In all, 21 items are directly tied to technology.
For CNET News readers, all 21 items will be absolutely familiar. Here they are: apps, blogs, BlackBerrys, (digital) cameras, cell phones, connectivity, (online) dating, DVRs, Facebook, Google, GPS, information overload, iPods, Netflix, sexting, texting, (flat) TV screens, Twitter, Wii, Wikipedia, and YouTube.
Of the other 29 trends, I'm embarrassed to admit that two were completely new to me: Uggs and cougars. Better luck next decade.