Looking Back at the 2010s

Words by Brandon Goh

Photos by Jonathan Lim

Remember the planking trend back in 2010? Or the dizzying rise of social media and meme culture? In the blink of an eye, it is now 2020 — a new era has begun. As we say our goodbyes to the 2010s, The Buffalo Horn (TBH) wants to bring you on a walk down memory lane as we reminisce the past decade and its little quirks, and some big trends. So grab your iPhone 4, and tighten the shoelaces of your Adidas NMDs, ‘cause we’re about to dive deep into the experimental decade one last time!

The popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram (IG) and YouTube skyrocketed in the 2010s. Crucially, these sites have revolutionized content creation. Functions such as filters and effects have enabled individuals to make high-quality content on an unprecedented scale.

With just a few swipes of the finger, a simple photo can transform into something altogether more aesthetically pleasing or “IG-worthy” so to speak. This phenomenon has led to the rise of social media influencers who rely on their picture-perfect accounts to garner huge followings.

The online likes and reposts gained have become a currency of its own and impacted real-world interactions by turning such personalities into bona fide celebrities whose every word and action carry weight. If anything, the past decade has only illustrated the strong link between social media’s rise and the online celebrity.

The increasing convergence of the offline and online worlds in the 2010s was not just limited to social media but extended to the rest of our everyday lives.

Consider how we use our smartphones to do just about everything. The same device we use to Netflix and chill also sends out work emails and pays for our cashless monetary transactions.

The separation of work and leisure is disappearing, fueled by the rise of the Internet which is finding its way into every aspect of our lives. A testament to this is the increasingly generous mobile data packages people subscribe to. In 2010, the notion of using 10GB of data a month would have been unthinkable. In comparison, 10GB of data usage may just be an insignificant sum. Times have changed, and mobile data is the currency fueling this new trend.

The often outlandish graphics of memes provide bite-sized, instantaneous chunks of humor for many people. While the word “meme” originally referred to ideas that spread from person to person within a culture, today it represents a staple of millennial humor. Some of us may be familiar with the cheesy Hongkong-based online platform 9GAG’s memes of the early 2010s, which still exists today. From the humble Derp and Derpina meme templates, meme pages have branched into more niche topics such as National Service (Memedef) and the adulting woes faced by millennials. There are even memes made from pictures of classical art paintings. With so many new meme templates created each year, the object of humor in memes is limited only by the creativity of the person behind them. Memes have grown to become more than satire and arguably become a means of catharsis for most online users.

In every decade, quirky trends abound and the 2010s were no different. Remember the planking challenge, where people would lie face down on any surface, even ON a moving escalator? Or the ice bucket challenge where we doused ourselves in ice-cold water? These trends caught on like wildfire and vanished just as quickly. While it was all done in good fun, and for some, for a good cause, there were casualties too with people getting injured from planking on unstable surfaces for instance. Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun, but beware of letting the fear of missing out (FOMO) get to you.

It is no secret that global warming is harmful to Planet Earth, and the Earth is alarmingly turning into an unbearable furnace. With all the horror stories about the harmful effects of disposable plastics, it is heartening to see people make an effort to do better. The growing popularity of reusable metal straws and utensils, for example, shows us just how taking some ownership over our own carbon footprint can go a long way for the environment. Still, there is arguably much to do in the fight against environmentally unsustainable practices, but the reusable utensils trend points us in the right direction. If anything, it accentuates the need to continue doing and showing more care for the environment that we cherish.

The late 2010s saw an unprecedented shift in streetwear going mainstream. This was embodied best by none other than Hypebeast, a sneaker blog at the head of this trend.

With Hypebeast, sneakers have also made their way into high-end fashion with luxury brands getting in on the act with their own renditions of traditional and modern trends and styles. For instance, the all-white sneakers that were once dismissed as a mere part of school uniforms has transformed into an invaluable fashion accessory. So-called “sneakerheads” even collect such shoes and buy and sell them for thousands of dollars.

When paired with the now ubiquitous Hypebeast or Supreme T-shirts along with skinny jeans for good measure, we have a fashion trend that personifies the late 2010s.

This coming together of fashion and comfort is also seen in the athleisure clothes we wear today. Athleisure has brought track pants and sweaters into the domain of fashionistas. Stylish activewear designed to accentuate their wearer’s physique and make them appear sharper have emerged. Gone are the ill-fitting old clothes people wear to the gym, replaced by something altogether more aesthetic, versatile enough to be worn outside the gym.

The 2010s have shown us that the notion of marrying style with the functional is very much in vogue. The lines between casual and formal dressing blurs as people want the best of both worlds in their everyday wardrobe. Add to the mix millennial sensibilities and the Hypebeast and athleisure trends are now born.

The 2020s were certainly a memorable decade where many of us grew up and came of age. In a blink of an eye, a lot of us are now entering adulthood and facing new challenges. The fact that things do not say the same may sound poignant but alas, change is the only constant. Trends may come and go, but the relationships and memories forged are what made these years golden. Just as entering a new decade may sound intimidating, lets take heart because it is time for something new. Who knows what opportunities are headed our way in the 2020s?