The ’90s vs. Now: How Has Technology Changed Since Oasis First Took the Stage?

Gina Marrs

10 months ago

Many hearts were broken when Oasis announced their monumental split in 2009, with the Gallagher brothers’ tumultuous relationship finally reaching a breaking point before a show at a festival near Paris.

Noel Gallagher announced his immediate departure from the band in the wake of Oasis’ last live show at V Fest in Staffordshire. Since the infamous announcement fifteen years ago, the brothers have gone on to create new and perform old music to nostalgic crowds around the world.

Oasis fans took to social media yesterday after the band officially announced reunion performance dates around the United Kingdom for 2025, expressing great excitement at the prospect of seeing Noel and Liam Gallagher take the stage together for the first time in fifteen years.

In true dramatic Oasis style, the band announced their return: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”

Of course, Liam and Noel have carried on with their lives in the meantime, both releasing and performing new music over the years as part of their solo careers. However, a lot has changed not only since they ended their journey together in 2009, but even more so since their journey first began in the early ’90s.

Where It All Started: Oasis in the 1990s

Oasis was arguably (or definitely maybe, shall we say) the biggest rock band of the 1990s, with the release of their first album taking the world by storm in August of 1994.

Of course, a lot has happened in the 30 years since they exploded onto the scene, becoming the bad boys of the modern rock and roll industry by means of a combination of their catchy melodies, guitar-heavy music and anthem-like bops – never mind their big (clashing) personalities.

The world was, undoubtedly, a very different place in the 1990s. If you don’t remember or aren’t aware, here are some major things that were going on at the time:

The Cold War had recently ended and the USSR had collapsed.
Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994.
The internet became universally accessible in 1991.
Mobile phones were getting smaller and smarter.
US President Bill Clinton was impeached between 1998 and 1999.
Princess Diana tragically passed away in 1997.
Major television series and films like “Friends” and “Titanic” hit the screens.

…and that’s just scratching the surface.

One of the most fascinating ways to look at how the world has changed since the ’90s is from a technological perspective.

Naturally, people were exceedingly impressed by technological advancements that cropped up in the ’90s. The final decade of the 20th century marked a transformative period in time during which many different types of groundbreaking technologies emerged at once, changing the world and creating enormous potential for the future.

30 Years On: How Has Technology Changed Between the 1990s and Now?

For many fans who have been behind Oasis since they initially became successful and have been eagerly awaiting some kind of reunion, life has changed dramatically over the last few decades.

From smartwatches and mobile phones to artificial intelligence technology and autonomous vehicles, our current reality would probably have seemed like a fever dream back when Wonderwall was blasted over stereo systems in the mid-’90s.

Here are 10 poignant ways in which technology has changed between the 1990s and now.

1. The Internet

Then: In the 1990s, the extent of internet technology was dial-up internet. It was slow and telephones couldn’t be used while the internet was being accessed. Search engines were limited, with Internet Explorer dominating the browser market and websites being incredibly simplistic in both interface and function. Multimedia was limited and the internet, as a whole, wasn’t particularly safe or secure. The “Dot-Com Boom” happened in the late ’90s as a result of collective hope and expectations for the future.

Now: Today, most people and businesses are reliant on the internet. With incredibly high-speed broadband, including both 4G and 5G, as well as advanced Wi-Fi accessible pretty much everywhere, connectivity is pretty much constant. These days, the internet is central to communication, shopping, internet, work, entertainment and more, influencing absolutely every aspect of most people’s lives as it continues to to develop and become more advanced.

2. Cloud Computing

Then: Cloud computing wasn’t a thing in the ’90s. All data needed to be stored on physical servers or actual personal devices, limited storage space, accessibility and more.

Now: Modern cloud computing makes it possible for users to store and process data remotely, creating way more potential for businesses and more than ever before. By means of scalable cloud computing services like Google Cloud, AWS and Microsft Azure, people and businesses are able to access data from anywhere at any time while simultaneously keeping it safe and secure.

3. Smart Phones and Mobile Technology

Then: The ’90s marked the beginning of cell phones, with only the most basic mobile devices that allowed for phone calls and SMS services. The actual devices were large and super basic, but for the first time, they provided the potential for being able to communicate by means other than landlines.

Now: Not only do we have small phones that can be used pretty much anywhere, but they provide users with incredible computing capabilities that probably weren’t even dreamed of before the turn of the millennium. With functionalities including internet browsing, high-tech cameras, multi-purpose applications, social media, GPS services and a plethora of other types of sensors, cell phones have become all-purpose devices that just about everybody carries with them constantly.

4. Wearable Technology and IoT

Then: Wearable technology was very basic in the ’90s, with the extent of the tech including things like digital watches (like Casio), Sony Walkman music devices and very basic step counters and heart rate monitors.

Now: Wearable tech has become a massive part of modern culture, with smartwatches and fitness trackers becoming mainstream for both athletes and ordinary people in everyday life. With brands like Garmin and Apple leading the charge, among others, modern smartwatches have the capability to track things like heart rate, steps, blood oxygen, blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns and so much more.

5. Social Media

Then: Social media simply didn’t exist back in the ’90s, other than in basic forms of digital communication, including chat rooms, early email and forums, all of which were very exciting at the time

Now: Social media is now a big part of not only the personal lives of individuals but also businesses, their marketing and more. Some of the first platforms, including Friendster, LinkedIn and MySpace, were launched between 2002 and 2003, and since then, industry giants like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and more have changed the world in terms of online communication, enabling widespread global interaction, personal branding and content sharing that simply wasn’t possible in the ’90s.

6. E-Commerce

Then: Back in the ’90s, the thought of making purchases, never mind going shopping online was only just becoming a reality, with the earliest renditions of companies like Amazon and eBay only just starting to emerge onto the scene.

Now: Now, e-commerce is a dominant retail force, allowing users to browse and buy just about anything they like, from gadgets and accessories to groceries and clothing (eat your heart out, Rachel Green). The most successful companies in the industry, including Shopify, Alibaba and Amazon, who truly has stood the test of time, have completely transformed global commerce by means of advanced logistics and personalised shopping experiences.

7. Artificial Intelligence

Then: The idea of artificial intelligence as we know it today was the thing of sci-films and comic books, and in reality, it was limited to the most basic applications in the various research communities. Many argue that the most advanced AI tech in the ’90s was that of Deep Blue which developed an AI chess-playing programme that famously beat Garry Kasparov, world champion at the time, in 1997.

Now: Today, AI is part of just about every part of our normal lives, from voice assistants (including the likes of Siri and Alexa) to programmes that assist in providing recommendations, advanced machine learning in healthcare, recognition software and even creating written responses and documents today. Some argue that modern AI tech is and will be the most influential development of the 21st century. Autonomous vehicles are one of the biggest “futuristic” developments that seem to have come out of AI in recent years, making ideas from many 20th century films (including “Back to the Future”) a reality.

8. Virtual and Augmented Reality

Then: There’s no doubt that the idea of VR existed in the fantasies of many back in the ’90s, but it was still many years until the technology as we know it was fully developed. In the ’90s, the extent of VR technology was things like arcade game joysticks, surround sound and 3D graphics.

Now: There’s no doubt about the fact that modern VR (and even augmented reality) had their foundations in the 1990s, but it’s only really been over the last decade that the tech has properly developed into the modern devices we know today. Successful organisations like Sony, Oculus and Nintendo, to name a few, have been responsible for creating many entertainment-specific VR gaming devices and programmes, while VR has now also progressed to having widespread applications in industries including healthcare, education and beyond.

9. Big Data and Analytics

Then: In the ’90s, data sets tended to be small, due to difficulties involved in collecting it as well as other factors. It was analysed and organised manually or very basic early technology that had very limited capabilities and could still only deal with relatively small samples. This meant that it simply wasn’t possible to do analysis on big data sets, limiting research.

Now: These days, technology has made it possible for massive data sets to be collected and processed in real-time. This includes incredibly high-tech software and technology, sometimes using artificial intelligence, that is able to almost instantly organise massive amounts of data, analyse it and draw out patterns and other things. This has been made possible, in addition to many other things, due to advancements in data storage, processing power data democratisation, increased privacy of data, the automation of some functions and more.

10. Medicine and Biotechnology

Then: It’s fair to say that medical research has always been a priority in the world of advancing technology, and during the ’90s, medical treatments certainly were advancing and biotechnology was slowly progressing too. However, scientific research methods and medical practices were still limited and the Human Genome Project (HGP) itself was still in progress.

Now: Medical technology has changed and advanced dramatically over the last 30 years, with scientists and doctors having conducted incredible and advanced research and improving capabilities and medical knowledge in ways that were never before thought possible. This includes developments in precision medicine, CRISPR gene editing and general biotechnology, having led to breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, immunotherapy and so much more. Overall, medical technology has progressed in ways that are allowing medical practitioners to treat conditions that were untreatable 30 years ago.