What defines the last two decades?
mintbro
Posts: 6,733 Forum Member
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Just been watching a show about the 90's, it got me thinking that there's nothing really that defines the last decade and the current decade, it all feels a bit samely. 2005 could easily pass for 2015, yet the 60s-90s all had their own era.
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Or rather *celebrity* culture in general, before they were gossip, now they are news.
I would agree, especially the mobile phone. I started a job in 1994 and everyone wanted a mobile phone. It was a status symbol, only certain job roles and grades had them. To own one personally meant passing quite a stringent credit check. The phones were half the thickness of a brick still, cost over £200 and the calls cost a fortune. You could make and receive calls and that was about it.
I got my first company phone in 1996. It was still pretty chunky. there were no texts still but there were some basic games. Signal was all over the shop. Anywhere slightly remote was out of signal and frequently you would get a network busy signal. If you tried to make a call or text on say NYE it might be 12 hours before it arrived. I got my first phone I could text with a bit later.
Now look where we are. The phone is pretty well taking on the role of the PC, it gets on the net, takes pictures and video, you can buy coffee with it, measure your running times etc etc.
Bloody amazing when you think about it.
Yes, I think smartphones are the main thing distinguishing 2015 from 2005.
Exactly what I was going to say. First thought on reading the title was terrorism and war.
If we'd had Kinnnock from say, 87 onwards, we probably wouldn't have mobile phones and internet in the UK yet.
The Simpsons was the 90s
There is possibly some truth in that. Thatcher's government opened up the Telco market to competition. In order to get new players in they segmented the country and put franchise areas up for bid by overseas providers.
The deal was if you want to provide cable TV in the region you are bidding for, you have to provide a phone service too. This lead to commercial alliances among US cable and US phone companies, companies that had been separate entities until then. They formed composite companies so they could enter the British market. The notion of bundled services was probably a direct consequence of this.
Until then the UK market was a BT only affair. They were very establishment and very reluctant to change. They had a total monopoly and if you wanted a phone you played to their rules. I worked in the emerging cable industry in the early 90s and BTs response to this commercial threat initially was to dig in and be even more traditional
When I asked BT to install a phone for me in 1991 the waiting time was 7 weeks and a new line install cost £140. Three years later the cable companies were offering a 4-7 day turn around in cabled areas with install of £50; usually waived on an offer. The retention response from BT to these cheaper upstarts. up until the late 90's was more or less - stick with us we are a safe pair of hands or the cable companies are cheaper but the service isn't there. They were very complacent.
If some kind soul could post a link for it I would be grateful for this phone is not letting me
Thanks gold!
Blame culture
Lack of personal responsibility
Apathy
State dependency
'I'm alright, Jack' selfishness
Disintegration of community spirit
Regression