aughties

The aughties is an informal term for the decade spanning from 2000 to 2009, representing the first ten years of the 21st century. The name originates from "aught," which historically refers to zero or nothing. This period followed the 1990s and preceded the 2010s. The term aughties is primarily used in American English, while British English often uses "noughties" to refer to the same decade. The decade was characterized by significant technological advancements, the rise of the internet and social media, major geopolitical events including the September 11 attacks, and the global financial crisis of 2008. Culturally, the aughties saw the emergence of reality television, the popularity of mobile phones, and the beginning of digital streaming services. While not as commonly used as terms like "the eighties" or "the nineties," aughties serves as a colloquial reference to this transformative period in recent history.