I feel even if a society is in the height of their culture the sentiment will inevitably be to regard some other time in the past as the high water mark. On a separate and perhaps (but perhaps not) more trivial note, I’ve had the feeling that pop culture used to be more distinctive throughout each decade of the 20th century and the proliferation of the internet in the 21st century has obscured that distinctiveness with regards to its own decades.

Deez nuts.

sure, theres bound to be some. otherwise we live in a world where human interaction boils down to be measured through numbers/metrics thats too boring for humans IMO

In the USA: I've had the pleasure of living in the south east coast- "low country" this includes places like Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah. Place is loaded with culture from the food to the way people live with their local Geography. I was born and raised in Miami, a culture melting pot of Latin America and Caribbean culture that quite literally seeps out of corner store shops and steroes. Thing is, culture is local. Its intertwined with the earth and the things the people in that area create. Its the OG social algorithm. Zoom out and "national" culture might seem to be getting washed out as nations blend like a massive tie dye on the internet. But that tie die is whipping out new micro niche cultures every day. Yes, there is very much culture left and growing in my opinion.

Yes. Subculture.