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Abstract

The meaning of time in modernity as a conventional metaphor instantiated in technology is made visible and problematized by the phenomenon of the so-called `Millennium Time Bomb' (MTB) which is both a vehicle for social change and a process for social study. The MTB is created by the two-digit representation of the year in hardware, software and embedded chips potentially resulting in widespread failure of computerized systems in the Year 2000. Technology is the driving force behind social change as modern societies in which knowledge is power increasingly rely upon interdependent computers to effect rapid transfer of information. Empirical data are drawn from local case studies and media publications to describe and analyse the research problem. A tentative method is put forward for researching the range of problems encountered; the role of the social scientist as change agent is also investigated.

Keywords

millennium time social theory technology

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`The Millennium Time Bomb' or Year 2000 Problem: What Problem? Whose Problem?

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