1. 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 – 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

2. 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”)

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. American Society in the 1980s: Pop Culture Events ■ The 1980s were also defined by important Cold War and cultural events: – 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