What was (your) life like in the mid-2000s? (war, Rome, general)

[tvdxer]

It seems so close, yet the period 2004-06 was so "yesterday" in terms of the economy, technology, and other issues:

1. The economy was BOOMING. The dot-com crisis was long behind us. The housing bubble stimulated the construction trades and many took out loans on the equity of their home and lived larger than ever. Jobs were easy to find, and almost all of my high school class (Class of 2005) was employed at some local business or another. Wages were somewhat lower, but the lower prices of most things more than compensated (except houses and technology, lol). Used cars were a particular bargain compared with today.

2. Gas prices began to go up. I remember everybody shocked at $3 / gallon gas. Heck, I remember them shocked when it went up to $2.00. Thankfully the doomsday scenarios popular then never came to pass.

3. Bush won by a decent (as in indisputable) margin over Kerry. Multiple states had referendums on the same ballots to add a statute or constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which all passed.

4. National news coverage focused on the War in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, as well as local events that were blown out of proportion, such as the "missing white girl" cases and the Runaway Bride. I started listening to NPR.

5. Facebook and MySpace were for students at certain universities and mostly for young people in general, respectively, and barely existed at the beginning of the period; new social networks, such as Twitter and Pinterest, did not exist. YouTube was just beginning to see the light of day.

6. Cellular phones were popular, but text messaging had just become popular in the U.S., and only among younger people. Mobile internet (again in the US) still mostly consisted of WAP pages and generally had little use. Smartphones were the domain of businesspeople. People used stand-alone cameras, often digital and of a quality which cell phone cameras are just beginning to rival, to capture kids' birthdays, graduation parties, and the like. And of course, you couldn't tweet a picture to all of your followers right after taking it. You more likely e-mailed it.

7. Music was about half a light year from where it is now. The upbeat dance music that now is the staple of CHR (Contemporary Hits Radio) was almost unknown in the U.S., although popular in Europe. Madonna's release of the period, for example, which mainly consisted of dance tracks, barely charted in the U.S. Instead the chart leaders almost always were rappers and R & B singers: Chamillionaire, 50 Cent, Terror Squad, Ciara, Lil' Jon, etc., rapping and/or singing over minimalistic, low-tempo tracks.

What other memories and personal experiences do you have of 2004-6, especially that contrast with the present?

[belmont22]

I was a younger teenager at that time. I think what surprises me about the mid-2000s is how similar to the 90s it still was. Slow jams were still big, Mariah and Will Smith still making hits on the radio.

Technologically film cameras were still hanging on and dial-up was still the norm for connecting to the Internet.

[Aerio]

I was in high school at the time: 2002 to 2006.

If I recall correctly, most people had brick or flip phones, and my friend paid hundreds of dollars for a Motorola Razr when it came out. I had a Nokia 6200 whose internet capabilities were all text-based and primitive: no videos or music. I wasn't addicted to the phone as much as I am now, mostly due to the internet my smartphone has.

The iPod became popular in this time. My underclassmen years consisted of a CD, then an iRiver which held about fifteen songs, and finally by senior year, a hefty iPod. We seniors felt a tinge of envy when the underclassmen were allowed to run the mile with their iPods, something we weren't allowed to do only three years before.

I remember getting gas around the time when Katrina struck, and being lucky to fill my mom's new 2005 Civic for $2.99 a gallon, whereas everywhere else was $3+. Speaking of Civic, the new 2006's came out during this time and I thought they looked really futuristic, a big departure from the previous generation Civic.

In contrast to today, I was less addicted to my phone, more ignorant of global affairs on a down to earth level, and social networking never caused me "drama"; furthermore, I enjoy today's music more than the stuff from those years. I wouldn't say either period is better, however I do look forward to the future.

[Squidlo]

Working 6 days a week 10 to 12 hours a day. Cheap fuel! Bought a 2004 dodge ram 4x4 and only put in premium. High speed internet was still kinda new. Yuppies and carpet baggers (home equity bandits) invaded my home town.

Home values starting to spike to ridiculous levels. Started planning to cash out and run before the bubble popped. (moved in late 2006) Rat holed cash for the "slump" on the back side of the bubble.


2013 looking good in Texas!

[WRolle]

I moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 04 at the age of 15. I remember people making fun of my Bahamian accent. I also remember going to Best Buy and buying a iPod Nano. I remember in '05 EVERYONE in my high school was listening to 50 Cent and The Game. I also remember watching the Britney Spears and K-Fed. I remember smoking weed for the first time on my 16th bithday in 2005 with my girlfriend. My favorite TV Shows were the Best Damn Sports Show, Jim Rome is Burning, Two and a Half Men and Rocket Power. I was still watching Nickelodeon. I graduated from high school in '07. I feel so old.

[pch1013]

In 2006 I moved back to the U.S. from Europe after having lived there for 4 years.

Before, I would go to work every day, come home, have dinner, watch tv, go to bed.

Afterwards, I would go to work every day, come home, have dinner, watch tv, go to bed.

[Ethereal]

Frustrating high school days sum up the mid noughties (2004-2007)

*Had to cope with bullying and moronic people
*Home life was also intense because of clashes with my father (now we're so much better though)
*Puberty was hitting me hard, started to get uncomfortable of my looks
*Because of above stuff, I gotten very quiet and not much social
*50 Cent, Eminem, Mariah Carey, Usher and a lot of rap/urban music were the thing
*Flip phones & first ever video phones, iPods & declining of walkmans

[MistaEazy-E1995]

The mid 2000s were the peak years of the decade obviously, things weren't that cynical and it was the most upbeat time of the decade. When the Cranck rap era started things got really fun it was very similar to the 80s in a way. Then the 2008 economic crisis happened........

[thatguydownsouth]

Looking back through my facebook...I was in College, hopeful for the future, and single. Good god I miss those days.

[John7777]

The mid 2000s weren't that long ago. In any event, the phones are better today. The economy is worse. Personally, I can't tell much of a difference, other than certain things are more expensive.