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Please consider anything you think that gives evidence that 1996 had more in common with either 1978 (18 years before) or 2014 (18 years after).
IMO, I have a feeling that 1996 had more in common with the years before (anything in the 1970s or the 1980s would go well in 1996). I think 2000 is the earliest year that could go better with 2014. What's your opinion?
In 1996, we had cellphones, and the internet and ATM's were plentiful- just like today. You could actually survive just with the plastic by 1996, most stores were taking credit.
1978 was before cell phones and the internet, and ATM's were very rare. It was a time to stand in the line at the bank.
1978 was before MTV, most cable networks, VCR's, people smoked in their offices in 1978. Internationally, the Iron Curtain was still up and the Cold War raged.
1996 has a lot more in common with the current era than it did with 1978.
I would say 2014. Because the internet was around in 96, and cell phones. Albeit in limited use, but most knew they were eventually going to be widespread. In 1978, the only semblance of such, were mobile phones in limousines, and proprietary computer networks in government and business. PC's were fairly advanced in 96, the only thing available in 78 were a few rudimentary machines that nobody but geeks could make any use up.
Culture about the same from 78 until now, just different fads.
People who say 1978 have forgotten how the Internet and the personal computer changed absolutely everything. Business. Entertainment. Communications. You name it.
Meanwhile, in 1978, only a very few people had a computer, and the internet was completely unknown. You still typed everything. If there was a typo in the document, you either managed to white it out or you retyped the page. You still mailed most of your correspondence. You still got your information from newspapers and magazines. The internet was still rudimentary in 1996, but it had already begun transforming the patterns with which we consumed information and conducted business.
What's more, the geopolitical world had already gone through the convulsions by 1996 that created the modern world. The Soviet Union was kaput. China was already rising. The United States was already involved in the Middle East. The years since then have only magnified those trends.
I'd actually say 1978. Most people were still writing letters and stuff in 1996 actually, computer and Internet users were only about 1/10 to 1/3 of the population even in the most advanced countries. Socially 1996 seems more like 1978 too, gay rights and environmentalism were still sort of looked down upon then while now the people who oppose them are viewed as bigots. I was born in 1990 and from what I remember 1996 was surprisingly old fashioned in a lot of ways. Still very similar to the 70s and 80s I would imagine in most regards. We still used film projectors at school and even the way people talked was a bit more "formal" if you know what I mean watching films from that era. Most cartoons were still hand-drawn in the 90s and all Hollywood movies were still done on traditional film.
Pop culturally 1996 and 2014 are definitely closer though, I think since 1992 or so the fundamentals of pop culture have more or less stayed the same. Bubblegum pop for the kids and alternative and rap for everyone else.
People who say 1978 have forgotten how the Internet and the personal computer changed absolutely everything. Business. Entertainment. Communications. You name it.
Meanwhile, in 1978, only a very few people had a computer, and the internet was completely unknown. You still typed everything. If there was a typo in the document, you either managed to white it out or you retyped the page. You still mailed most of your correspondence. You still got your information from newspapers and magazines. The internet was still rudimentary in 1996, but it had already begun transforming the patterns with which we consumed information and conducted business.
What's more, the geopolitical world had already gone through the convulsions by 1996 that created the modern world. The Soviet Union was kaput. China was already rising. The United States was already involved in the Middle East. The years since then have only magnified those trends.
The US has been involved in the Middle East since at least the Beirut crisis and IMO the Cold War never truly ended, Russia is currently in the process of regaining its lost territories. The Islamist thing actually began in the 70s and they already had operatives on our shores by the mid-80s.
The Internet and cell phones were definitely around and widely known by 1996, I was aware of their existence even as a 6 year old child but the fact is most things were still done the old fashioned way in 1996. People still bought music in physical form, online shopping was pretty much unheard of, landlines were still the vast majority of phones, and in a lot of countries I think even telegrams were still widely utilized.
Now if you were gonna cite a year even a couple years later, like 1998 or 1999 I'd say more like 2014 for sure.
i think these posts are a good idea cos they're creative and get people to think about how things have changed, progressed. if i missed things about politics in the past i learn from the responses. good idea. better than having to listen to know it alls in person who talk politics
It snowed in 96' didnt it. Im assuming overall 1978
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