Y2K Bug

Months before the close of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, much attention was paid to what was termed the Y2K Bug. Y2K is a “numeronym” denoting the year (Y) and the rollover into the new century, two thousand (2k). The perceived “bug” represented a problem in computer programming: computers, which had been operating with a simple date identification program beginning with “19” and ending in the last two digits of that year (for example, 19 [representing the 20th century] together with the year, 1998 [written as 98]), were expected to malfunction as computers made the switch out of the 20th century and into the 21st century.

The problem was conceptualized as significant and was perceived to be a widespread and global issue, as computer programmers and others who worked in industries that relied heavily on computers (e.g., banks, hospitals, stock market) worried that there would be a global shutdown as computers made the rollover transition from dates beginning with “19” into dates beginning with “20.” Further, significant concern arose about data processing capabilities when the previous two-digit dating system became obsolete and it became necessary for a four-digit dating system to come into existence. Given this valid concern on the part of programmers and business owners and operators alike, it became clear that the Y2K issue was one that could not be ignored, as potential simple programming glitches were increasingly being identified as preparations to move into a new computer dating system came into fruition.