First Half of 2011 Was Amazing

The core 2010s began in 2011, but 2011 was when the 2010s culture felt fresh and promising. Q1 2011 felt pure electropop era. Q2-Q3 2011 was when the core 2010s began, but also was a mixture of the electropop era. Q4 2011 felt core 2010s. 2011 is peak early 2010s.

2011 was more politically incorrect than 2015 to present. People could say whatever was on their minds from being canceled, shunned, or black-listed. 2011 was before Trayvon Martin got shot, Black Lives Matter, Me Too, Alt-Right vs SJW and liberal vs conservative wars, political correctness. Trump was still known as the reality TV show host, not someone who was running for president.

Touch screen smartphones and tablets took off in 2011, but I still saw many people with Blackberries, sliders (me included), and various other feature phones with physical keyboards. Analog technology wasn't completely dead yet, although it was heading that way since the mid or late 2000s. The transition wasn't complete until the mid 2010s. Cable TV was still relevant, although streaming was growing. The radio still had influence. 7th generation gaming was still going strong. My sister and I purchased the PS3 that May, shortly after our birthdays and the end of 7th grade for me, along with the game "Michael Jackson: The Experience" from Walmart on Friday, May 20, 2011, lol.

Blockbuster was still in business, although they were a shell of their former selves, not even a tenth of what they were in the 2004-2005 season. Borders bookstores were still in business for most of 2011. I think they went out of business around September 2011, right when 13 year old me began 8th grade, my last year of middle school. Borders' permanent closure marked the end of the era. I remember hearing from my mom about Borders' employees crying. I felt bad for them. Seeing the Borders near me dark, empty inside with the sign ripped off the building was a depressing site and a blight to see. The economy still sucked. Great Recession effects were still lingering.

I watched a 10-year anniversary documentary of September 11, 2001, with my mom and sister, which was when I first learned about the attacks and my mom's experience. I went to the first and last birthday party of a now former friend who turned 13 years old around mid to late September 2011.

I would not trade who I am and what I have accomplished today to return to 2011, not even for a second. I cringe at myself and am ashamed of who I was then. I am trying my very best and am determined to distance or depart from those years the best I can. My mom was still going through a divorce and I was still having nasty arguments with my father. They didn't divorce until 2013. I still have a shitty relationship with him, but now I don't care anymore about remedying that. Now I don't have nasty arguments with him as much as I did back then, pretty rare actually.

2011 is the best year of the 2010s

I'd say it was transitional all throughout as well as the late part of 2010. Smartphones, Windows 7, end of the Iraq war, CN revival era, 00s type music completely dying out and EDM/indie music getting big, occupy wall street, etc. 

I think I prefer the first half more than the second part, mainly due to way things were still not completely 2010s all the way, even though it was mostly there, the second half of 2011 was more authentic, than most of the latter 2010s years, and solidified the core identify, but 2012 was a bit more energetic and a bit more developed pop culturally.  

Yes finally someone who agrees with me on this! The earlier part of 2011 (up to about August) was so much fun, I started high school January 2011 and I remember that time having a super lively, party atmosphere. The popular songs in that time were actually popular unlike today (you couldn't go anywhere without hearing party rock anthem for example), and just the aesthetic was super bright and colourful.

I have so many fun memories of early-mid 2011 and the songs from then are super nostalgic for me. 

Yeah there was this dead vibe in late 2009 and 2010 that no one talks about. It was like there already was this sketch map of the 2010s with some solid building blocks but there was this dying and boring and sometimes obnoxious 2008-2009 culture that wouldn't completely fade out that was part of it. 2010s weren't exciting from the start then, they felt like upgraded or repackaged 2000s culture at the time, it wasn't until 2011-2012 that we felt we were onto something meaningful and more interesting as a decade. What makes 2009-2010 interesting is the lack of pretentious and ultra pc core 2010s culture and slightly more physical media more than anything else imo.