Essential Question: What was America like the in 1980s?

American Society in the 1980s: The “Me Generation” Society in the 1980s was defined by the “Me Generation”: The symbol of the 1980s was the "yuppie“ (young urban professional), a baby boomer with a college education, a well-paying job & expensive tastes In some respects, the popular culture of the 1980s reflected the era's political conservatism. For many people, the symbol of the decade was the "yuppie": a baby boomer with a college education, a well-paying job and expensive taste. Many people derided yuppies for being self-centered and materialistic, and surveys of young urban professionals across the country showed that they were, indeed, more concerned with making money and buying consumer goods than their parents and grandparents had been. However, in some ways yuppiedom was less shallow and superficial than it appeared. Popular television shows like “thirtysomething” and movies like “The Big Chill” and “Bright Lights, Big City” depicted a generation of young men and women who were plagued with anxiety and self-doubt. They were successful, but they weren't sure they were happy.

A prevalent focus in the 1980s was making money & buying consumer goods The wealthiest Americans benefited from Reaganomics while the poor were hurt by less social programs & deteriorating cities

American Society in the 1980s: Movies, Television, and Cable Popular media in the 1980s reflected materialism & an emphasis on pop culture: It was the age of the blockbuster movie (“E.T.”) & teen films (“Breakfast Club”) Cable television was introduced which added new programming networks, like MTV, CNN, ESPN, & the Weather Channel Popular sitcoms showed non-traditional TV characters (Cosby Show, Rosanne); Shows emphasized materialism (Dallas); news shows (60 Minutes) were popular At the movie theater, the 1980s was the age of the blockbuster. Movies like “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Beverly Hills Cop” appealed to moviegoers of all ages and made hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. The 1980s was also the heyday of the teen movie. Films like “The Breakfast Club,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Pretty in Pink” are still popular today. At home, people watched family sitcoms like “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “Roseanne” and “Married...with Children.” They also rented movies to watch on their new VCRs. By the end of the 1980s, 60 percent of American television owners got cable service–and the most revolutionary cable network of all was MTV, which made its debut on August 1, 1981. The music videos the network played made stars out of bands like Duran Duran and Culture Club and made megastars out of artists like Michael Jackson (1958-2009), whose elaborate "Thriller" video helped sell 600,000 albums in the five days after its first broadcast. MTV also influenced fashion: People across the country (and around the world) did their best to copy the hairstyles and fashions they saw in music videos. In this way, artists like Madonna (1958-) became (and remain) fashion icons.

American Society in the 1980s: Music The 1980s saw innovative changes in music Music became more diverse, with new wave, heavy metal, rap, techno pop, alternative rock, & "new" country MTV created pop music megastars like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna; Young people who copied the hairstyles & fashions they saw in music videos As the decade wore on, MTV also became a forum for those who went against the grain or were left out of the yuppie ideal. Rap artists such as Public Enemy channeled the frustration of urban African Americans into their powerful album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.” Heavy metal acts such as Metallica and Guns N’ Roses also captured the sense of malaise among young people, particularly young men. Even as Reagan maintained his popularity, popular culture continued to be an arena for dissatisfaction and debate throughout the 1980s.

American Society in the 1980s: Music The 1980s saw innovative changes in music Heavy metal (Metallica, Guns N’ Roses) & rap (NWA, Run DMC) reflected the angst among young people & minorities As the decade wore on, MTV also became a forum for those who went against the grain or were left out of the yuppie ideal. Rap artists such as Public Enemy channeled the frustration of urban African Americans into their powerful album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.” Heavy metal acts such as Metallica and Guns N’ Roses also captured the sense of malaise among young people, particularly young men. Even as Reagan maintained his popularity, popular culture continued to be an arena for dissatisfaction and debate throughout the 1980s.

American Society in the 1980s: Technology The 1980s began the “computer age”: IBM created the first personal computer which was used in offices, but later became popular for home use Computing “bulletin boards” in the 1980s evolved into the Internet & started the beginnings of the World Wide Web Technology 1980's The 80's signaled the start of the computer age, following on from the creation of Microsoft and Apple towards the end of the 70's , the technology and the speed of innovation both in Hardware and Software together with the cheapness provided a speed of growth and take up . The birth of the IBM PC signaled the start of Personal Computers first in the Offices and then into peoples homes becoming an integral part of our lives. following on from Micrsofts MSDOS on PC's to the first versions of Windows a GUI Graphical User Interface This was also the Decade that the Post-It was introduced which came from a glue invented in 1968 accidentally while trying to discover a stronger glue at 3M by Spencer Silver Another technology that was also just starting was that of cellular mobile phones , in the beginning the phones were big and heavy and hit and miss for signal strength , but as with the Internet would change our lives .

American Society in the 1980s: Technology The 1980s began the “computer age”: Arcade games, video game systems (Atari, Commodore 64, Nintendo), & the first cellular phones became popular Technology 1980's The 80's signaled the start of the computer age, following on from the creation of Microsoft and Apple towards the end of the 70's , the technology and the speed of innovation both in Hardware and Software together with the cheapness provided a speed of growth and take up . The birth of the IBM PC signaled the start of Personal Computers first in the Offices and then into peoples homes becoming an integral part of our lives. following on from Micrsofts MSDOS on PC's to the first versions of Windows a GUI Graphical User Interface This was also the Decade that the Post-It was introduced which came from a glue invented in 1968 accidentally while trying to discover a stronger glue at 3M by Spencer Silver Another technology that was also just starting was that of cellular mobile phones , in the beginning the phones were big and heavy and hit and miss for signal strength , but as with the Internet would change our lives .

American Society in the 1980s: Pop Culture Events The 1980s were also defined by important Cold War and cultural events (use hyperlinks) In 1980, Japan passed the USA as the largest car manufacturing nations In 1980, the USA beat the heavily- favored USSR hockey team in the “miracle on ice” The USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics & USSR boycotted the 1984 Olympics In 1981, John Hinckley shot Reagan In 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded as it launched into space The 1st launch of a space shuttle Columbia in 1981; Challenger Reagan shot Olympic Boycotts Japan passes the US as the largest automaker US hockey team beat Russia for the gold in the Winter Olympics.