I started High School in 1993 so pretty much my real formulative years were in the 90s. The last generation before internet and mass communication devices. High School where crushes, trying to meet girls, hanging out/being cool is at it's highest, there was no internet. Sure in 97 or so, there were some chat rooms to meet ppl but it was the exception. Very few had phones, but many did have pagers.
In 1989/1990, I was in Grade 5 so around 10-11. The turning of the decade was a BIG Deal and celebrated. As an impressionable kid, it was exciting times. Things just started to feel much more modern. Especially the music (more techno, fast poppy, than R&B and the explosion of 'Rap'), movies. TV. Fox was a big game changer in terms of comedy, cynicism. Their Sunday Night Line up driving alot of that. Video Games as well. Super Mario 3 which I vividly remember and bought at $100 (reward for good grades after begging my parents for months) came out in 1990 was a leap ahead for the NES. Shortly after, it was SNES.
Than you had movies like Boyz in the Hood and its rawness whereas the 80s were more 'Hollywoody hokey', the LA Riots, Rodney King beating, Racism becoming front and center, the awareness of Hood Gang culture. Coincidentally, Asian Gang activity culture also peaked around the early 90s too. AIDs was a big deal as well as STDs. Sex was front and center again, especially among the younger people and education of it. This feeling of conflict seemed to be much different than the sunshine days of the 80s which was great for a kid.
2 big game changers of movies in the 90s overall was Pulp Fiction and American Beauty (Black Comedy) leading to the HBO in your face cynical rawness that's prevalent today. Wrestling as well in the later 90s. Grunge explosion and 'loss of innocence' with Kurt Cobain's suicide which we still see the effects among the teens today.
Even the change from the Walkman to the portable CD player was a distinct difference. Later 90s started seeing the tech revolution we see today. But in my OAC year, I still did my projects at the reference library looking through microfilm, books. Some supplement by going to my cousin's place since he had 'internet'. Where there were many different search engine that actually yielded different results. '
I've heard from older people that the 90s 'sucked', which I could see why, but for an impressionable teen, it was the last of the real fun times when we were still largely ignorant, pined for physical and verbal connections (especially friends) and generally unaware outside of what you saw or heard. Also before everything got so strict and regulated.