Things you forgot from the 2010s

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Taylor Metcalf

As 2020 leads us into a new decade, it’s easy to forget all of the treasures that were bestowed upon us in these last 10 years.

Trends came and went, songs released that quickly became earworms and some of our favorite apps were brought into the world and our hearts. As we go into this new year, let’s look back on all of the wonders the 2010s gave us.

1. The Launch of Instagram

With a humble beginning in 2010, Instagram has grown to be one of the most popular social media platforms today. While it feels as though we’ve been uploading photos, commenting and finding inspiration on the app for much longer, Instagram celebrates its 10th birthday this October.

2. “California Gurls” by Katy Perry

Perry released this well-known song in 2010, and it hasn’t stopped playing on the radio since. The interesting music video that accompanies this particular earworm is known by most and will likely not be forgotten anytime soon.

3. The First iPad

Steve Jobs released the first iPad in 2010 and the electronic quickly gained popularity despite high prices. New and improved versions have been released in the years since, but the “grandfather” of the iPad line should not be forgotten.

4. Planking

This one speaks for itself, as everyone either participated in or watched planking. The not-so-subtle art form of lying stick straight on random surfaces swept the world in 2011. A truly iconic movement for humanity.

5. The “Farmville” Craze

While “Farmville” was released in 2009, it reached peak popularity in the early 2010s. Everyone’s mother, grandmother and aunt was playing this farming game on Facebook, sending out requests left and right. Avoiding the pleas for wood and breadcrumbs became an art we all had to master. Thankfully the craze eventually died down and we were all marked “safe.”

6. “Friday” by Rebecca Black

This song. Everyone knows it, and if you say you’ve never sung it you are most definitely lying. This gem was released in 2011 and can still be heard around the world, usually followed by a chorus of groans. Its follow-up song “Saturday” was released in 2013.

7. The Cinnamon Challenge

This challenge is one we all wish had never happened. Reaching its peak in 2012, the dangers this challenge brought finally caused the trend to die off in 2013. Many people jumped on this bandwagon, and some paid the price.

8. “Gangnam Style” by PSY

Now this one should bring back some memories. “Gangnam Style” was released in 2012 and quickly became a worldwide favorite for both the catchy tune and the interesting dance the South Korean artist performed in the music video. People all over social media posted their renditions of the dance, clearly having a wonderful time. This song truly brought a short period of peace to us all.

9. The End of the World

2012 was an interesting year, particularly because an alarming amount of the population was positive that the world was going to end that year. All the commotion surrounding the end of humanity happened because of the Mayan calendar’s prediction. Thankfully, the world did not end, but it did cause quite a bit of panic at the time.

10. “The Harlem Shake”

We all remember this trend. The dance started out among the younger generation, but somehow got into the wrong hands. The wrong hands being those of teachers and school faculty who used the dance to promote good test scores and maximum effort. Seeing your teachers throw their heads back and shake was a memorable part of 2013.

11.”What Does the Fox Say?” by Ylvis

This one doesn’t need an explanation. Just think back on 2013 and resent this article for getting this song stuck in your head.

12. Harambe

Behind the memes was a tragic event that held a lot of controversy. But it was the meme culture that kept the event alive. #ripharambe

13. The Mannequin Challenge

This trend was extremely popular in 2016 and could be found on every social media platform. Whether you took part or not, the videos were interesting to watch. Even the elderly tried their hand at staying as still as possible, often going viral on Facebook and Vine.

14. The Solar Eclipse of 2017

People from all over the nation were skipping school and work to find the best spot to watch this amazing phenomenon take place. It was the first total solar eclipse in 99 years, and few were willing to miss it. Whether you were sitting in the school yard or standing in the streets, it was a sight for sore eyes (unless you had eye protection).

15. The Black Hole photo

The first ever photo of a black hole was taken just last year and was a huge accomplishment for scientists. For years, astronomers have attempted to capture an image of a black hole to definitively prove their existence. With this enormous step came an abundance of memes, but it was an accomplishment nonetheless.