What is Y2K?
The Y2K is a techno-optimist and utopian movement characterized by a distinct aesthetic, fashion, lifestyle, music, and art prevalent from 1997 to 2004.
Y2K is an acronym for "year 2000" ("Y" = "year," "K" = "kilo" = "thousand"), referring to a cultural movement revolving around the excitement and anticipation of a new technologically advanced millennium.
The Y2K term is also used to describe a computer error in formatting and storing calendar data after 2000, known as the "Y2K computer bug."
What is the Origin of Y2K?
The Y2K movement originated in the 90s dot-com bubble and increased innovations, leading to public excitement and anticipation of a highly technological millennium.
However, as the millennium was getting closer, the mood shifted towards gloomy views, culminating with predictions that the world might end because of a computer error, the Y2K bug.
The Y2K bug was caused by computer programmers who, in the 70s, in their quest for speed and efficiency, used a simplified 6-digit technique for encoding time.
Massachusetts-based programmer David Eddy coined the acronym "Y2K" in an e-mail sent on 12 June 1995 to describe the potential computer error:
What is the Y2K Problem?
Y2K Problem (aka Y2K Bug, Millennium Bug, Y2K Glitch, and Y2K Error) refers to a programming error where computers input the year 2000 as year 00.
As such, when shifting from 1999 to 2000, computers worldwide would record the time as 00, causing electricity grids to collapse, water plants to stop, total financial systems to collapse, and even airplanes to fall from the sky.
What is the Y2K Fear (Y2K Scare)?
The Y2K Fear (Y2K Scare or Y2K Anxiety) was the societal fear of the world ending because of the Y2K bug and total computer failure.
In the years leading up to the turn of the century (millennium), the public became aware of the Y2K problem.
Despite releasing software to prevent the Y2K problem, the 'Millenium Bug' became a source of fascination among the public, fuelling the collective imagination and spawning a survivalist movement.
