Now, while inauthenticity may have risen this past decade, there were also good things to come about. Before I dive into that let me note that one can perhaps argue that inauthenticity didn’t rise. Perhaps it was just more overt and blatant. Inauthenticity put on a show this decade and we all had front row seats. But I am going to move past that as I’ve already discussed this phony decade disturbance.

It’s a new decade, supposedly. A new framework. Or so many of us hope. Before that, many of us can note there were many good things about this last decade. Lots. Even a curmudgeon like me can admit to that.

Technology kept making many things better in life. In 2010, the iPad was released. I now sleep with mine underneath my pillow. Hopefully, its not sending some weird signals at night to my subconscious. Also, I now ask Alexa to wake me up to Nine Inch Nails and to remind me to buy more things. Many more things. Progress. Beautiful progress. I may sound facetious but I do love technology and have found it to enhance many day-to-day aspects.

How about this? A black and blue dress got everyone to realize perception is everything. Psychologists have been arguing this for a while. It’s good to get validation because of a viral phenomenon.

The royals came back in vogue. From numerous television shows and movies, to multiple weddings. Prince Harry of Sussex married Meghan Markle and we got to see an American actress live a fairytale. We will just ignore all the hate that sprung up here and there.

In terms of history, The United States’ 116th Congress had a record-breaking number of women. Now we can see that both men and women can do nothing. I kid. It was a great historical moment. It means something for our children.

There was also the rise of Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu in terms of great television and, eventually, movies. Of course, if the movie is released by a streaming company, is it truly a movie or is it instead a made-for-tv movie? Traditional definitions and categorizations of pop culture experiences are heing upended. The good thing is that now we can be super duper lazy couch potatoes. Of course, we could stream these great new entertainment selections while riding a Peloton.

Where would we all be without our smartphones? I stream movies. I order takeout. I catch a ride. My dog gets a walk. I buy too many shoes. I love my smartphone. There I admitted it. No shame here. I know many people decry its rise and note how, ironically enough, we are more disconnected from one another as a result of the smartphone. But I have not entirely bought into that framing and narrative. Through my smartphone I do manage to stay more in touch with people I would have normally eventually become distant from. It’s all about context and moderation.

For this decade I found some great television shows to binge watch. I love bingewatching. Who doesn’t? You don’t have to wait weeks. You can watch a whole season in one night and have true continuity of narrative. I feel that dvrs and streaming services often led to tighter narratives and more compact seasons. Fluff and empty episodes are becoming more and more a thing of the past. For me this is a major highlight of the decade. Storytelling is tightening and exposition is being utilized more and more as a driving narrative factor. I know that my own personal storytelling has changed. I embue the work story with the personal because I can tie it all together. It’s as if I have my own DVR running in the background of my mind. I can bingewatch my own memories.