Gotye’s "Somebody That I Used to Know" and Fun.’s "We Are Young" dominated radio waves. These tracks proved that quirky, indie-produced music could outperform traditional, highly engineered studio pop.

(which saw massive growth on consoles) showed that smaller studios could compete with "AAA" giants.

NBC’s comedy block was in peak form with Parks and Recreation and Community , while ABC's Modern Family dominated the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Twitter hit major milestones, including reporting live from the depths of the ocean and outer space, and becoming the go-to platform for real-time news during the London Olympics and the U.S. presidential election. 3. Musical Evolution: Pop and Genre-Blending