Hello and welcome to my most recent brain child. I am so happy you are here.
Some housekeeping before you dive into the good stuff:
I understand many folks relate the planet of Neptune to media trends and the cultural zeitgeist - I agree with them. My exploration into Uranus in relation to the media and internet is not to discredit that notion but to expand on the mundane exploration of Uranus.
I may have missed something. I work very hard to do my due diligence with all of my work, however, I am human and absolutely could have missed a valuable piece of information or unknowingly made a mistake. If you catch one please let me know and I will correct my mistake.
I am increasingly interested in contextualizing the outer planets through historical records. If you are a history, media, tech, etc buff or expert and you would like to help me with this endeavor please let me know.
Without further ado, I present to you my research into Uranus's transits starting with its ingress into Aquarius in 1995 and continuing through to the present time.
** note about this diagram at bottom of page
Uranus -> Aquarius: April 2, 1995
Technology rapidly changes with advancements to internet access and DVDs/ Computer animation hits the media scene in a big way
1 st computer animated full-length film - Toy Story
Shrek, A Bug's Life, Ice Age, Monsters Inc follow
Release of Windows 95 which led to facilitating access to the internet
The introduction of DVDs as opposed to VHS
Blockbuster declines to buy Netflix in 2000
1st cell phone with camera released in 2000
Napster created in 1999 and Limewire created in 2000 <3
1st record of human microphone at protest due to the laws against amplified sounds at 1999 Seattle WTO protest
Digital news subscriptions begin 1997
1999 - lots of hotly debated lgbtq+ film and media (cruel intentions, but im a cheerleader, girl interrupted, fight club, the matrix)
Uranus -> Pisces: March 11, 2003
STREAMING/ more and more options/ handheld photography and access to the internet begin to collide
streaming introduced
inundated with/drowning in media options (and it's only been exacerbated with Neptunes transit through Pisces which continues to the present time)
Blockbuster peaks in 2004 (pisces = nostalgia and novelty still relevant)
2003 marks first year that cell phones with cameras outsold digital cameras
With Pluto in Sagittarius American comedy genre transforms during this time
Mean girls, Superbad, White Chicks, Pineapple Express, Step Brothers, Dodgeball, Anchorman, Napoleon Dynamite, etc)
Pluto in Capricorn (2008 and on) contributions:
The Hangover, The Proposal, Easy A, Bruno, Inglorious Bastards
Uranus -> Aries: March 12, 2011
The power of individuals sharing eyewitness accounts/ beginning of the streaming wars and streaming wars/ focus on security of information and technology (Neptune return of first observation of Neptune in 1846)
The rise of citizen journalism - continued popularization of social media gives way to centralized avenue for individuals to share information
Occupy Wall Street + Occupy Movement 2012
Guantanamo Bay Files Leak 2011, Edward Snowden whistleblow 2013, Cicada 3301 begins in 2012, Kony 2012
Snapchat released + Minecraft released in 2011
29/30 of the most viewed videos on youtube as of 2024 released during this time period
Friday by Rebecca Black gains massive attention (released just before ingress but gains popularity following ingress)
Neptune -> Pisces: February 5, 2012 (and on)
Washington first state to legalize cannabis
Supposed end of the world
Release of GTA
Tiktok released 2016
Last 300 Blockbuster stores closes in 2014
Uranus -> Taurus: March 6, 2019
"authentic" aesthetics/ prioritization of profits (will further develop my take on this trasnit as it continues to progress)
popularization of VSCO
Tiktok and Tiktok live hit the scene in a huge way
Threads launch (like twitter but meta)
Apple TV + and Disney + released
Vertical integration of media (comcast = internet service and every form of streaming media)
Rise of alt-right social media options/furthering the political divide through social media
BeReal released - huge interest in "authentic" media (no filters/ limited time to snap pic and post to feed)
Twitter acquisition -> X in 2022
Contributions with Pluto in Aquarius:
Netflix ends account sharing outside of household and Disney+ follows
Reddit goes public and earlier announced intention to charge for use of API (has not done this as of March 23, 2024)
** This is a rough diagram of the transits of the outer planets. Please note that due to retrogration periods some of the dates could be considered slightly inaccurate as the planet moved back into the previous sign before completing the ingress. This diagram is meant to roughly show the time periods each of the outer planets spends in a sign as well as illuminating overlaps of the transits. Ex: Pluto ingressed into Capricorn in 2008 while Uranus was still continuing its transit through Pisces and Neptune was still completing its transit through Aquarius.