Story settings set in modern day. Thoughts?

[Anihime]

This has been bugging me for a while, but whenever I see a story published online that has a modern setting it's usually set in the year it was first published online in. At least, that's what it feels like. Does it matter when the story is set in to be considered modern?

Reason I ask this is because I'm planning/writing a mahou shonen (magical boy) comic and Chapter 1 is almost done. The story is set in the year 2015 because that's when I started writing it. The reason it took so long to finish the first chapter was due to my friend/illustrator not having the right program/equipment at the time as well as having little time, save for Tuesdays to work together on it. If I published it now would it be considered outdated or would no one care as long as the story is good?

How important is it to have a modern setting set in the current year compared to setting it 3 or 4 years ago?

[qwerty]

Not at all imo... I mean, if stories can be set 50 or 100 or 1000 years in the past, why not 3? Personally I have no clue what year my stories are set in (although admittedly these are short ones without highly developed worldbuilding). Unless there's a particular reason why it needs to be set in a particular year to work, do whatever you want and don't sweat it

[An_Alias]

I think as long as it takes place in the past decade/century it is technically considered modern/contemporary?

[burginlewis]

I think as long as your characters don't use too much tech or slang you'll be fine. If you think about it, those are the words that change constantly. I wrote a "modern" fantasy story in 2007 that's just now rolling out. Feedback I got from betas and my editor was that I just needed to change a few words of technology jargon to reflect more current usage, but it's otherwise fine. In most cases, I was able to remove the words entirely.

[Kura]

Mine takes place in 2008 with there being flashback/forwards of the characters in the future.

Honestly the biggest thing I mess up on is the friggen phones, since both time frames have different ones that are regarded as common. 2008 having mostly flip and sliding ones and not smart phones with 2019 having smart phones and not so much flip and sliding anymore.

I screw it up in the sketches all the time x.x.

[burginlewis]

This was my big issue too. Sliding phones.

[Anthezar]

I have a modern setting in my superhero novel, but I haven't actually said when the date is and I don't think I ever will, to be honest. When talking about cell phones, I avoid stating what kind of model it is and whatnot. I avoid brand names in my works, too. Any brand names can instantly date your work if you're not careful.

I'm sure in 10 to 20 years there might be things that will be glaringly outdated, but I also have some futuristic things woven into the storyline that aren't common now - like billboards talking about designer babies.

[Maps]

Man mine takes place in like 2045 but it’s also more behind than our current world a LITTLE bit. (Aka, takes longer to gather DNA, etc.)

I say do what makes sense for you.

[IndigoShirtProd]

Depending on the details you focus on, like technology advancements and pop culture, it can pull focus away from the story. Like if your characters are going to have smartphones, then just call them smartphones and don't focus on the brand or model. If you want your story to be timeless and not forever stuck in a certain time period, then it's in your best interest to not use slang that was only popular during the year you created the comic.

[fuyudust]

It's depend on what kind of audience you are writing for. Most of the time the main audience is the youngster who either interested in their current period which they find it relatable, or far away history, a dozen or two years ago is not enough to peak their interest. That's why it's better to set the timeline to the current year. Story about the era when people used flipped phone ? Most of them would think its boring.

[Mari]

If it's set in recent years and if the story doesn't need the reader to know when it's set, I would suggest you leave it out. If it does nothing for the plot (as in, if there are no historical significant events in the world that would require some context on how long ago they were etc) it will not do anything for the reader either. It just complicates things if you accidentally add in something that did not exist yet.

[Ich-San]

If you think about it, there isn't much difference between 2015, and 2019, or the whole 2010s lmao.

[Kura]

I avoid stating what kind of model it is and whatnot. I avoid brand names in my works, too. Any brand names can instantly date your work if you're not careful.

Kinda more difficult to do in a drawing medium like comics. Even when not using brand names the general LOOK of phones is drastically different in a visual sense between 2008 and 2019.