At the beginning of the decade, the right-wing populist backlash had begun, China was emerging as an economic and military threat, the Middle East was unsettled, Iran was trying to build a bomb, the Russian bear was growling in the near abroad, Europe was looking divided and sclerotic, and the Patriots were a threat to win the Super Bowl. Today . . . well, you get the idea. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
The one thing that has clearly changed is the role of the internet in our lives. Social media are vastly more widespread and influential than they were in 2010. The early dream of a peacefully interconnected world was ruined by hackers, spammers, bots, white supremacists, Russian trolls, perverts, and the like. The dream is starting to look more like a nightmare to the average citizen.
Unfortunately, that, to me, is the story of the decade.