WHEN this decade began, Alexa was still just a girls name and few even knew the name Meghan Markle.
In a special series, our experts reflect on the changing trends of the past ten years.
Showbiz
REALITY TV stars literally took over the world in the past decade and the course of entertainment and politics changed with it for ever.
Imagine just ten years ago thinking about the host of the US version of The Apprentice, Donald Trump, sitting in the Oval Office as Americas president with two informal advisers controversial rapper Kanye West and his reality TV star wife Kim Kardashian.
Nope, me neither. But it is proof that showbiz drives our culture more than ever as we head into 2020.
Closer to home, that was summed up when American actress Meghan Markle then a relatively unknown star of minor-league TV drama Suits became one of the most famous women on the planet after marrying Prince Harry.
In terms of love it was also the decade that saw George Clooney finally tie the knot, while the worlds most loved couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aka Brangelina split. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin didnt divorce, they consciously uncoupled.
Perhaps that bonkers statement marked the start of celebrity wokeness. Somehow David and Victoria Beckham stunned even their closest friends by staying together.
We saw many of our favourite stars find themselves in deep trouble. Ant McPartlin had perhaps the most shocking fall from grace, as one half of TVs golden double act ended up suffering from drug and booze addictions.
But in a rare showbiz rehab success story, it was a joy to see him emerge stronger and with an inspiring story about how it really is possible to come back from the brink.
In the States, Charlie Sheen went off the rails but gained respect for opening up about his HIV diagnosis. Jay Z and Beyonces sister Solange fought each other in a lift.
Ad man Charles Saatchi appeared to strangle TV chef Nigella Lawson, and pop icons Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber went for each other on social media.
But nothing could top the Wagatha Christie scandal, where Coleen Rooney accused fellow wag Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories to this great newspaper.
Ed Sheeran was such a music phenomenon he changed the way the charts are collated because he proved to be just too dominant. And Lady Gaga went from meat dress-wearing celeb to Oscar-nominated actress.
The decade ended with the #MeToo movement having brought down a host of major stars, including influential film producer Harvey Weinstein and Americas dad Bill Cosby.
The taboos around sexuality finally started to be smashed, too, with a host of stars from Ricky Martin to Tom Daley coming out as gay. But perhaps the biggest game-changer was Bruce Jenners transition to Caitlyn.
Bisexuality, gender fluidity, pansexuality and the refusal to live with labels also became a wave, supported by forward-thinking stars including Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles.
Speaking of Hazza, I cant talk about the past decade without mentioning the incredible boyband phenomenon One Direction perhaps the biggest teen idols we have had since The Beatles.
But sadly The X Factor the show that created them flamed out by the end of the decade. ITV has only renewed the show for one more year, with ratings plummeting from an 18million high to just two million.
The past decade reinforced the importance of going viral online. There are too many viral sensations to mention but my two favourites involve very unfortunate tumbles.
The first was the fallen Madonna at the Brits in 2015. No one could recover from near strangulation in front of millions on live TV with such slickness as the reigning Queen of Pop.
And the second was Gemma Collins the very definition of a viral star crashing through the stage and nearly crushing two Love Islanders at Radio 1s Teen Awards two years later.
While in the past such an incident may have been damaging, these days it helped her become an international sensation and a multi-millionaire.
But nothing could beat the sheer toe-curling horror of the Academy Awards announcing the wrong winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 2017. And to be honest, to this day I still feel La La Land was robbed. God bless showbusiness.
Tech
We also now have our own personal secretaries running our affairs, in the form of Amazons Alexa deviceSPENCER KELLY, presenter of BBC tech show Click, reflects on how technology has surged ahead:
AT the start of 2010, we were still using actual cameras instead of taking selfies on mobile phones, we listened to music on MP3 players and the iPad was yet to exist.
Primitive Instagram software launched at the start of the decade providing a window albeit a sometimes heavily filtered one into our worlds.
Although 2019s smartphones dont look that different from 2010s, they now connect over 4G to the super-computing brains of the internet and can do things unthinkable ten years ago.
I can talk to my phone and it can answer. It can understand me while Im driving, over road noise. The complex thinking is done online and the results are sent back to me by a super-fast connection.
LOVE HAS SEEN BIGGEST CHANGE
In the next ten years, how would you like to see that pocket computer of yours shrink to thumbnail size, maybe worn in the ear? With a separate, flexible screen that can roll up and fit in your bag when not needed?
In 2010, the music industry was reeling from the iPods invention. We could buy a CD, rip it, transfer it to our music player and share with a million friends. For nothing.
But then came something that stopped piracy dead and meant we didnt have to wait until the CD arrived by post. Streaming has changed the music industry yet again and now we can listen to any song, any time.
For less than the price of one album a month, we get access to the largest music collection in history. The same is happening to TV and movies. We expect quality programming in our homes at a time that suits.
We watch less traditional TV, as more than half of households subscribe to streaming services. Netflix, Amazon and the like have replaced Blockbuster as the place to rent our entertainment. Straight-to-TV movies used to be scoffed at, but not now.
Martin Scorseses The Irishman cost more than 112million to make and has been hailed as one of the films of the decade. But it snubbed a big-theatre release for a Netflix premiere and audiences lapped it up.
Our love lives have arguably seen the biggest change, as we now find our soulmate at the click of a button with dating apps such as Tinder, which launched in 2012. And its not just millennials embracing digital dating.
Over-50s use them too. Critics call them online meat markets, with suitors swiping left or right based on appearance alone. But the ever-increasing number of long-term relationships started online puts the lie to this.
TARGETED ADS
By 2037, it will be the minority who meet the love of their life offline. We also now have our own personal secretaries running our affairs, in the form of Amazons Alexa device or Googles home assistant.
But AI can do more than play music and tell you what the weather is. When you call a company, or chat with them online, you may be talking to AI at least some of the time. One robot getting good at navigating the real world is the autonomous car.
Ive ridden in a few over the years and the ones now being tested in Arizona can pull off properly human-like manoeuvres. Ten years ago that was unthinkable. In ten years time? Closer. We must mention personal data, too.
This has been the decade when we gave it all away, when huge internet companies like Facebook began to capitalise on the deal we had unwittingly signed up to.
Now they can send us targeted ads were likely to click on, targeted information were likely to be interested in and, on special occasions, targeted messages that 7 may affect our views and opinions.
Climate
ENVIRONMENTAL scientist Angela Terry reviews a green decade:
OVER the past ten years there has been a surge in climate awareness, particularly in the past year. It cannot be overstated how crucial this is.
People now have a good understanding of the crisis and are focused on lifestyle changes to cut harmful carbon emissions.
According to a recent survey by HOAR, readers are willing to take positive action with 97 per cent recycling, 51 per cent opting to walk or cycle instead of using the car and 79 per cent trying to cut food waste.
Two people have been instrumental in mobilising this Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. By highlighting how plastic pollution wrecks our environment, David kickstarted a revolution.
VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL
Now 72 per cent of us use refillable water bottles, according to HOARs survey. Supermarkets are responding to people power and most are committed to cutting plastic.
Swedish teen Greta, who started the school strike movement, must take credit for reaching the younger generation and activating their eco-voice. This age group are often criticised for not being engaged with politics. Yet it is our young people who have shown the
most amazing engagement and with good reason, for they will inherit the choices we make today. More people now understand that buying products which contain palm oil has a direct impact on global warming and our animals.
The rainforests, which help absorb harmful carbon dioxide, are being cut down and burned to make way for palm oil plantations, which in turn destroys the habitats of wildlife.
As awareness grows, more people are choosing to buy eco-beauty brands which use little, none or sustainable (RPSO-certified) palm oil.
High Street retailers Lush and The Body Shop are good options and about 90 per cent of Lushs packaging is recycled.
We are also changing our eating habits to reduce our carbon footprint. Most restaurants and cafes include vegetarian options.
SOLAR COST DOWN
Greggs now has a vegan sausage roll and McDonalds is introducing its first fully vegan meal, complete with veggie dippers, just in time for Januarys vegan month, Veganuary.
Another huge achievement is that renewable energy has plummeted in cost. It is now cheaper to use clean energy than polluting fossil fuels. That 50 per cent of our energy is generated by low-carbon resources is a huge deal.
The cost of solar power is down tenfold, wind power is half the price of nuclear and the cost of producing batteries has plummeted so electric cars are now cheaper than diesel and petrol to run.
We have made great eco-advancements and can7 keep cutting our carbon footprint if we work together.
