modern era
The contemporary period
The modern era is a historical period generally understood to begin around the late 15th or early 16th century, marked by developments like the Renaissance, colonialism, and the rise of nation-states, and extending to the present day.
Historians sometimes distinguish between the early modern era (roughly 1500–1800) and the late modern era (1800 onward), with some arguing we've now entered a postmodern era.
In casual use, modern era often just means recent times: In the modern era, smartphones have transformed how we communicate.
Era's dominant mentality
- millennialsThose born 1981-1996
- social mediaOnline content-sharing platforms
- streamingReal-time digital delivery
- pop cultureMass entertainment and trends
gig economy · telecommuting · podcasts · influencer · crowdfunding · e-sports · cryptocurrency · minimalism
Machines mimicking human thought
- smartphoneHandheld connected computer
- internetInterconnected computer systems
- blockchainCryptographic linked transaction record
- virtual realityComputer-created interactive environment
nanotechnology · biotech · robotics · quantum computing · cloud computing · 3D printing · genomics · machine learning
Transition to factory-based economy
- reformImprove by correcting faults
- suffrageRight to cast ballots
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- advancementForward movement or promotion
evolution · development · equality · democratization · civil rights · literacy · social change · healthcare
Large important city
- skyscrapersExtremely tall urban buildings
- suburbiaResidential areas outside cities
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
- commuteRegular work travel
density · zoning · high-rise · sprawl · congestion · public transport · megacity · real estate
State of mutual linkage
- tradeExchange of commodities
- integrationCombining into a whole
- cross-borderSpanning national boundaries
- transnationalCrossing country lines
international · commerce · outsourcing · offshoring · cosmopolitan · mobility · migration · networks
zeitgeist
Era's dominant mentality
- millennialsThose born 1981-1996
- social mediaOnline content-sharing platforms
- streamingReal-time digital delivery
pop culture · gig economy · telecommuting · podcasts · influencer · crowdfunding · e-sports · cryptocurrency · minimalism · wellness
artificial intelligence
Machines mimicking human thought
- smartphoneHandheld connected computer
- internetInterconnected computer systems
- blockchainCryptographic linked transaction record
virtual reality · nanotechnology · biotech · robotics · quantum computing · cloud computing · 3D printing · genomics · machine learning · digitalization
industrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
- reformImprove by correcting faults
- suffrageRight to cast ballots
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
advancement · evolution · development · equality · democratization · civil rights · literacy · social change · healthcare · secularism
metropolis
Large important city
- skyscrapersExtremely tall urban buildings
- suburbiaResidential areas outside cities
- gentrificationWealthy influx displacing locals
commute · density · zoning · high-rise · sprawl · congestion · public transport · megacity · real estate · housing crisis
interconnectedness
State of mutual linkage
- tradeExchange of commodities
- integrationCombining into a whole
- cross-borderSpanning national boundaries
transnational · international · commerce · outsourcing · offshoring · cosmopolitan · mobility · migration · networks · collaboration
- historical erasStone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Renaissance
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, epoch
- history termsempire, dynasty, colonialism, Renaissance, Enlightenment
- erasepoch, age, bronze age, period, Renaissance Italy
- time periodsday, year, month, week, hour
- timelinedate, dates, epoch, period, century
modern eraantiquity
Great age, ancient era
ancient times · ancient era · prehistory · classical antiquity · Middle Ages
modern eradawn of civilization
modern, era, modernize, modernized, ultramodern, modernist, modernity, modernism, modernizing