[Ghoulish Delight]

Music - compare the lineups of Lollapalooza (the touring one that lasted from '91-'97, not the current Chicago incarnation) to those of Coachella if you want an overview of the shift in music. Arguments can go on forever over what, if any, of the music in the Milleni-Os can be considered "new", but the overall musical landscape is marekdly different. An argument could be made that it wasn't a decade of particular musical innovation, but that doesn't mean that the musical trends don't have a unique signature in terms of what was being listened to and what was making money.

And for that matter, what about distribution? iTunes, MySpace, file sharing. Perhaps stylistic innovation was simply overshadowed by industry innovation this decade. And that HAS produced it's own style. The biggest musical style innovation could easily be considered the rise of the YouTube-friendly song.

There are probably an infintie number of ways you can categorize a decade's culture. Music, fashion, politics, business models, art, architecture, travel patterns, etc. etc. etc. Just because you can pick one of those out and show that it didn't change much from the decade before doesn't mean that everything taken together doesn't add up to significant cultural shift. All it means is that particular element didn't carry as much social significance over that period. It so happens that technology took center stage this decade.