Disney movies, Moshi monsters and Nintendo DS. Do you remember these? These sentimental items will forever hold a special place in our hearts as we grasp for the fragments of simpler times.


As the decade approaches its end, people begin to reminisce on the glowing days of pure joy and the comforts of childhood. The 2010s saw substantial growth due to the advancements of the internet and social media. Smartphones and tablets surged in popularity, allowing easy access to the internet as well as growing in features and sophistication. Furthermore, the 2010s have seen a shift in social attitudes towards LGBT rights and great progress in female representation. Moreover, global environmental concerns such as climate change have gathered lots of media attention through the increase in awareness due to large-scale protests. For many of us, the 2010s were the years of our childhood; therefore, it only felt appropriate to celebrate the end by taking a trip down memory lane. Let’s recap some of the most memorable and iconic moments of this past decade.


In April 2010, Apple released the first generation of the iPad. Upon its original launch, the iPad was so exciting and looking back, it’s amusing to think that we were so fascinated with something as simple as playing flappy bird on a tablet screen. That same year, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga wore a “meat dress” while accepting her award for Video of the year. It was instantly iconic making it one of the most memorable fashion moments of all time and even earning a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In March 2011, the infamous “Friday” by Rebecca Black was released and immediately become an internet sensation. However, it received lots of negative reviews and I think it’s safe to say, that this is one memory I would gladly leave in the past. The following year in July 2012, Gangnam style instantly became a major hit and even became the first video to ever reach a billion views on YouTube. As a result, the music video created an international dance craze which according to Wikipedia, “hadn’t been seen before since the Macarena”. The 21st of December 2012 or “doomsday” became known as the end of the world. Several documentaries and movies were released suggesting that drastic natural events and alien colonisation would occur on this date. However, this was immediately disproved the following day leaving us all feeling a little foolish. The years 2012-2013 were truly known as the time of viral videos as in September 2013, the infectious electronic song “what does the fox say” became an internet hit. So far, the decade had been full of viral songs and technological advancements. However, in March 2014 a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet disappeared with 239 passengers and crew on board. This became one of the biggest mysteries in history attracting the attention of millions of people around the world as well as triggering plenty of conspiracy theories.


The most historic day for the LGBTQ+ community was on June the 26th 2015 as gay marriage in America became legalised nationwide, giving the gay rights movement their long-sought victory. The launch of the mobile game Pokémon Go in July 2016 took the world by storm, creating opportunities to make new friends through meet-ups as you wandered together looking for your next catch. 2017 was a very memorable year for the feminist movement as in January 2017, 5 million attended the women’s march to support gender equality, civil rights and other issues that faced challenges under Trump’s presidency. Later that year, the #MeToo movement took off in October 2017 as women shared their own experiences with sexual harassment. The #MeToo campaign had become one of the most historic feminist movements as it led to widespread awareness and discussion of the topic. Furthermore, “Black Panther” which was released in February 2018 became the third highest-grossing film. The film featured a predominantly black cast and was well received with many praises for its celebration of black culture. Finally, on April 10th 2019 astronomers were able to capture the first-ever image of a black hole. This amazing scientific discovery now allows scientists to further their understanding of black holes which leaves me to wonder what’s next to be discovered.


As you can see, we have made many technological, scientific and social advancements throughout this decade. As an experiment, I set up a forum asking for people’s opinions of the last decade. Some were excited about the future but the majority were sad to see it go. Nihad Sebai, 13 said: “The 2010s has had its highs and lows but it will go down as one of the greatest eras ever. I’m going to miss this decade as not only has it been my childhood decade but it's also been the most defining years of my life.” I also interviewed a couple of people from my school and I can conclude that everyone is feeling the nostalgia. Eloise Long 14 said: “It has been the best years of my life. The music was great, I was younger with no worries and I lived in the moment. However, now it feels as if people are disconnected and with the boom in industries, it feels like everything is about profit and capitalisation.”


However, growing up is just a part of life and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings.

Romayssa Sebai