There doesn't seem to be anything new and exciting going on these days.
No fads taking everyone by storm. No new technology everyone is discussing (AI is pretty meh at the moment, especially with the censorship). No new entertainment everyone has to see.
Maybe I'm out of the loop but I don't feel I am. Anyone else kinda feel this way?
It's the internet and lack of borders.
The internet supercharged the speed of trends to the point of irrelevance. Instead of stylistic decades, trends are forgotten in mere months. The lack of staying power and constant thirst for new content means there's no foundation for cultural development beyond the superficial.
Meanwhile, globalism and the lack of borders have created a global culture. Regional accents, slang, and local customs are nearly dead. Everyone is now part of the same global cultural monolith, stifling the creativity and quirks that used to lead to culture shifts. Needing to appeal to the globe means most media is sanitized and safe, rather than trying to capitalize on a new cultural movement.
Combine the two and you get a heavily curated "culture" with rapid shifts and the depth of a puddle.
You nailed it. Every subculture, genre, etc. started as some sort of local "scene." It had time to establish itself, find its footings, and develop before it became known more broadly.
Things which could have started broader trends are:
Yes, I do feel this is why things aren't developing also. I've noticed this issue specifically.
There just doesn't seem to be local niches of anything that develops.
Part of the issue is that it seems like no one explores anymore either because there's nothing new to find.
You used to be able to go out to some nightclub where some DJ was spinning at and it would be the only place you'd hear that music. This made it unique and that in itself was half the hook. You'd tell your friends who'd tell their friends and it would become popular but it was unique and localized then it would "explode" into something national or global.
Now, anything you'd witness in-person is already on YouTube and someone has already seen it before. This makes "exploring" the real world kind of lackluster and there's nothing local that's so unique everyone has to go and see it, they can just watch the YouTube clip.
This seems to stifle the ability of anything to really take off. It's found out and ridden through nearly immediately then everyone doesn't care anymore.
The same firewall that keeps people out will soon be used to keep people in
The Californication of the world has expanded further than expected.
Globohomo. Short for global homogenisation, also making fun of how gay it is.
I live in an area that's somewhat famous for its local flavor, especially in rural areas. If I spoke in our local accent, you'd know it immediately.
All of that has more or less died during my lifetime. Kids either speak this put on quasi-black accent that just sounds insanely fake and retarded, or they speak standard American English. Even I myself have only the faintest hint of a local accent, though I can very easily drop into stereotypical vernacular if I'm not careful.
My area is still extremely white, but it doesn't matter. They talk and act the way their feed tells them to talk and act, which is like black people.