Abstract:

Lay summary: The article proposes that social scientists missed a valuable research opportunity to approach the Y2K bug as an area for social science study. The article demonstrates that studying public reactions to and national policy regarding Y2K holds rich potential for social science research. It explicates four areas where social science and Y2K converge and concludes that social scientists often mistakenly consider technological issues to be unrelated to social science interests. Publication significance: The article argues for broadening the parameters of social science research. It claims that the apparent separation between social science and technological fields leads to missed opportunities for social science research. Social scientists have much to learn from examining the human and cultural aspects that shape our response to technology at both the individual and national levels.