What is Y2K

Y2K was a popular aesthetic at the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, featuring futuristic elements prevalent at the time. Its name derives from the "millennium bug," known internationally as Y2K. Recently, it's been nostalgically recalled online, but what exactly does it refer to?

Windows 2000

Basically, it revolves around the "cybernetic" elements of that time (note the use of this term, very common at a time when people talked about "surfing the net"). And for cybernetic, it is worth mentioning the film "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber ​​Chase", from 2001. Much of what it presents demonstrates the thinking and aesthetics of the time, like that virtual green, originating from "The Matrix", for example.

Scooby-Doo and the Cyber ​​Chase (2001)

Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Speaking of colors, besides green, there are notable elements like chrome (SB-129) and ice blue, all with a striking gradient reminiscent of metallic. The use of basic CGI is also significant.

These characteristics are grouped within the so-called Y2K Futurism, predominant between 1997 and 2004. However, there are other aesthetics also linked to Y2K in general, such as Y2K1, a sort of transition between this era and Aero Frutiger, which would become standard at the turn of the 2000s and 2010s. An example of this would be Windows XP, which features elements of both aesthetics.

Metalheart, on the other hand, is the Cyberpunk variation of Y2K, common between 1998 and 2004. It is based on abstract, futuristic and underground backgrounds.

Source: Aesthetics Wiki

Chromecore (we have an article about it) was the main technological aesthetic of the 2000s, lasting the entire decade. Almost everything from the era (DVDs, TVs, cell phones, digital cameras) had something related to the silver texture. The goal was precisely to convey a futuristic air with the arrival of the new millennium.

Nokia 6810 (2003)

The Matrix Effect was also another variation, based on the hype of the franchise's films between 1999 and 2003. Many productions of the time incorporated Matrix elements, such as Bullet Time (slow motion effect, seen in Shrek), the use of martial arts (Steve Seagal films), and "radical" costumes (overcoat and boots).

Into the Sun (2005)

There was also the neo-tribal aesthetic (use of Polynesian tattoos and esoteric symbols), McBling (Hollywood aesthetic present in films like “Mean Girls”), among other variations that perhaps will be covered in another post.

Neo-Tribal

Source: Aesthetics Wiki

Mean Girls (2004)

*What ended it

O cerne do Y2K durou até 2004, mas seus frutos se mantiveram vivos por meio de variações como o McBling e o Chromecore, perdurando, de certa forma, até 2009.

Recentemente, e seguindo o ciclo de 20 anos, esta estética foi revivida com objetivos nostálgicos.

*See also

Chromecore, our article on this aesthetic

#y2k #aestheticwiki #2000s #millennium #windows2000 #windowsxp #nostalgia #cafévídeo