2020s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends
Video calls for everything, working from the kitchen table, and AI arriving fast.
Below: the gadgets in ordinary 2020s homes, what computing looked like at the time, what changed across the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.
Useful for a reminiscence session, a quiz round, or working out what someone grew up using.
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Shop prints and posters Look back to 2020 Look back to 2021 Look back to 2022
Cards and prints, drawn and printed by us
Funny cards, retro art prints and pin badges, printed in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
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"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
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Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
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Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
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You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
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Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
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Years covered in the 2020s
- 2020 - Lockdown, clapping on doorsteps and a year nobody needs reminding of. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2020
- 2021 - Another lockdown, then a summer of football and reopening. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2021
- 2022 - The Platinum Jubilee, the death of the Queen and three Prime Ministers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2022
- 2023 - The coronation, Barbenheimer and 'Last Christmas' finally getting to number one. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2023
- 2024 - A July general election, the Olympics in Paris and Gavin & Stacey signing off. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2024
- 2025 - The Lionesses retained the Euros and the Oasis reunion filled the stadiums. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2025
- That is every 2020s year we have written up so far: 2020 to 2025.
Gadgets of the 2020s
- Webcams and ring lights selling out in spring 2020.
- Smart doorbells, robot vacuums and connected heating.
- Wireless earbuds replacing headphone sockets.
- Electric cars going from unusual to common on the school run.
- QR codes on every pub table and then everywhere else.
Computers in the 2020s
- Zoom and Teams becoming daily tools for people who had never used them.
- Laptop shortages and chip shortages through 2020 and 2021.
- ChatGPT launches in late 2022 and puts AI in front of everyone.
- Cloud-first working; the office PC stops being where the files live.
- Broadband upgrades as the house becomes the office.
Tech trends of the 2020s
- Hybrid working reshaping what technology people need at home.
- Streaming services multiplying until people started cancelling them.
- AI tools in phones, search and office software within two years.
- More talk about repairability, e-waste and how long a phone should last.
What people remember
- You're on mute, said thousands of times a day.
- A quiz on Zoom with everyone talking over each other.
- Trying to buy a webcam in April 2020 and finding none anywhere.
- The first meeting back in a room feeling oddly loud.
How to use this
- Reminiscence: ask what the first one they owned was, and what it cost - the price always gets a reaction.
- Quiz round: read a gadget and ask for the decade.
- Themed party: put the 2020s playlist on and lay a few old gadgets out on a table.
- Present: a print of the machine they learned on lands better than a generic card.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop prints and posters Look back to 2020 Look back to 2021 Look back to 2022
How to write it so it lands
- Prices are the best prompt - work out what a gadget cost in a week's wages and the room goes quiet.
- Ask what broke and how it was fixed; repairs get better stories than purchases.
- Check the dates before using these in a quiz - launch year and the year it reached most homes are rarely the same.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 2020
- Look back to 2021
- Look back to 2022
- Look back to 2023
- Look back to 2024
- Look back to 2025
- 2020s calendar: year by year
- 2020s trivia: fun facts
- 2020s holidays and travel
- 2020s food and recipes
- 2020s music: albums, artists and songs
- 2020s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
- 2020s books, films and TV
- 2020s party playlist
- The 2020s: the whole decade
- Viral and TikTok party games
- Phone party games
- How to run a quiz night
- Guess the year quiz
- Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
- Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What gadgets did people have in the 2020s?
Webcams and ring lights selling out in spring 2020. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.
What were computers like in the 2020s?
Zoom and Teams becoming daily tools for people who had never used them. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.
What were the big tech trends of the 2020s?
Hybrid working reshaping what technology people need at home. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.
Do you sell technology or retro gadgets?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.