💾 What Was Y2K?
The Y2K bug (also known as the Millennium Bug) was a computer glitch that many feared would cause global chaos when the year 2000 hit. Early software often used 2 digit years (e.g., “99” for 1999), so when the year rolled over to “00”, systems might interpret it as 1900 instead of 2000.
This raised fears that banking systems, frameworks, power grids and even nuclear missiles might fail due to date calculation errors. Ironically, Y2k ended up being used as a model for how large scale efforts should be used to avert a technological apocalypse world wide.
*collage made from Google images
💡 The Outcome
Despite the panic, very few serious problems occurred making this phenomena seem more like a myth than any thinge. This was due to extensive testing and code rewrites across the globe; costing over $100 billion. In the end, Y2K became a historic example of preventive action that worked.
It also marked the end of the 1990s tech optimism and the dawn of the dot com crash era. While the two events weren't connected, Y2k revealed that businesses couldn't continue to absorb revenue without investing back in infrastructure. The digital back bone proved to be more frail than expected.
🌈 Y2K Aesthetic
Characterized by:
- Futuristic chrome and metallic textures
- Bubble fonts and neon gradients
- Grids, wireframes, tech UI motifs
- Cd roms, Web 1.0 design, glittery GIFs
- Cyber fashion, alien imagery, pixel art
🎬 Y2K Documentaries
- Time Bomb Y2K (2023) – A recent HBO documentary using archival footage to explore the panic and paranoia around the millennium bug.
- Y2K: The Winter of Our Disconnect (1999) – A documentary style special examining how people prepared for the potential digital collapse at the turn of the millennium.
- Y2K Preparation Hearings (C-SPAN, 1999) – U.S. congressional hearings and testimonies about federal preparedness for Y2K.
- Y2K Scare - ABC News Special (1999) – A news special covering Y2K fears, computer glitches, and global reactions.
- Y2K: A Wired World (1999) – A PBS documentary discussing the risks and real impact of the Y2K computer bug.
🧢 Y2K Memorabilia
- Y2K Survival Kits
- Y2K themed tshirts and hats ("I Survived Y2K")
- Software patches and floppy disks labeled “Y2K Fix”
- Millennium edition newspapers from Jan 1, 2000
- Time magazines or Newsweek covers from late 1999 featuring Y2K stories
- Y2K themed promotional material from tech companies (IBM, Microsoft, etc.)
- “Bug out” bags prepped for the Y2K event