A decade that borrows lots from the 2010s, but distinctive with several key factors.
1.
2020-
2021 COVID pandemic and recession.
2. Advanced
AI in business and media.
3. Skibidi Toilet. First a joke
meme, now dramatic sagas of Cameramen vs
Skibidi Toilets.
4. Geopolitical events in Eastern Europe and Middle East:
-
2021 US Withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, although entire
war started in 2014. Drone warfare is honed down to a science.
- 2023 Hamas Attack on Israel, and subsequently IDF's brutal counter-assault.
- Long-running Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict ended in 2024. Armenia renounced claims to mountain region and Azerbaijan subsequently took control over it.
- 2024 Collapse of al-Assad's Regime by al-Sharaa's Coalition Forces.
- 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.
5. Backlash against political correctness and social justice preaching in
government, education, and media.
6. Backlash against illegal immigration in USA and Europe.
7. High cost of living, goods, and services.
8. Biden forfeits re-election, Kamala stinks, and return of Trump as POTUS in 2025.
9. Lingering cringe of pop EDM/big room house, but no one cares about brostep or Skrillex anymore.
TL;DR - the 2020s are similar to the 2010s but darker. I'll leave the
definition as is if not much changes later in the decade.