As we reach the latter part of the last year of the 2000's, what memorable songs/movies that has defined this decade? If someone where to ask you that question, what would your response be? What would the first thing that would pop up in your head?

I can't think of anything in pop culture other than the election of the first black president and 9/11 that left a mark in this decade.

Musically, what band or song that sort of "shaken up" the music industry? What were some iconic films?

I think this decade will be overlooked in general and people will long for the '80's and '90's with more and more kids who've missed out will reject the current stuff for things they've missed out on.

Is the new millenium a lackluster decade?

iPods, Facebook (and other similar sites) and the massive numbers of cell phones really took control of society in this decade. You are now "not normal" if you don't have these things.

As for music and movies... maybe all the animated movies; there were some in the late 90's, but they really became something else in this decade.

We have the internet, which has essentially defined this decade.

This has been a decade of networking, of basically discovering what was already there. Think about this: without this website, how many bands would you have never heard about that you now enjoy listening to?

Pop culture of this decade was not defined by movies or music, as such things were previously determined by "the industry." The corporate bigwigs were the ones in control of nation- (and world-)wide dissemination of information, but the internet has changed that.

Think about the rise of small, independent music labels, to use something familiar to the board. Not just in music, but in many industries, small businesses have risen to prominence. You've had people like Tay Zonday who became public icons without any sort of marketing. Hell, just think of what the Rickroll did to Rick Astley's otherwise dead career, and realize that such a resurgence had NOTHING to do with label executives.

I know those aren't exactly examples that we should be proud of, but they showcase the power of this series of tubes very nicely.

agree with the above post, we're at the beginning of a new age that will ultimately see essentially the fall of hollywood, instead replaced by smaller entities that will ultimately prove to be more passionate and rewarding.

Seconded. Though not quite sure about the fall of Hollywood. There are many ways of sedating the population. I do think indie movies (good non pretentious ones) will get the attention they deserve though.

I don't know how mainstream Movies and Music will be judged.. then again I don't listen to much mainstream music really. I think this decade has been great for music though, just not really metal.

You don't think it's been great for metal? Sure it has. Lots of great albums released and great bands revived.

I would like to point out how, despite certain films breaking box office sales records, Hollywood's movies have been in a general decline of sales.

I would also like to point out the success of movies released through Fox Searchlight (or whatever they call it). We're talking what are basically indie movies gaining a lot of mainstream press: Napoleon Dynamite, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, and so forth. Argue all you want about the quality of those movies, but they have undeniably made an impact on our culture. And remember that these are from no-name directors with no-name casts that are competing with major studio releases with huge budgets and A-list celebrities.

Before the internet, you had to read printed sources (newspapers) for movie reviews, and even then you'd only occasionally get more than a small blurb and a meaningless star rating. With the advent of the internet, we have blogs all over the damn place talking about movies along with sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes gathering hundreds of reviews into one place. Movies that would otherwise get passed over are now getting more attention.

Hollywood is either going to have to bring in real talent, or inevitably collapse. The fact that Pixar's films have consistently outsold competing Dreamworks pictures demonstrates how people would rather take well-written movies over more realistic CGI. Disney's non-Pixar films (and their general suckiness) prove that it's not just their backing that drives Pixar's sales.

So yes, it may take another couple of decades, but we're already seeing the signs of Hollywood's downfall.

This was essentially the decade that technology really propelled forward at an insanely high rate.