The noughties

Tim Footman

Perhaps more than any other moment in history, the turn of the millennium, and the arrival of a new decade, was marked with a mixture of hope, scepticism and feverish speculation. But the first decade of the 21st century was an awkward child; no-one even really knew its name… From an initial feeling of anticlimax, the decade soon lurched into terror and war, and ended with financial meltdown – all to the soundtrack of irritating ringtones. This was a decade that freed us up – you could tweet Tony Blair, poke Paris Hilton or just be yourself on YouTube. It was also a decade that tied us down, with fear, suspicion and CCTV lurking on every corner. From the ‘Millennium Bug’ to bird flu, from 9/11 to 7/7, from Bebo to iPod and Wiki to Wii, one way or another it has been a remarkable decade. This is the story of how the Noughties made a name for itself. Tim Footman is the author of Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer and the Death of the Classic Album. Formerly the editor of The Guinness Book of Records and PUSH University Guide, Tim has also written for The Guardian, Mojo, Time Out and Prospect.