This article is about the decade starting at the beginning of 2000 and ending at the end of 2009. For the century or millennium starting in 2000 (or, technically, 2001), see the links below.
In keeping with naming decades (cf. 1990s "the Nineties", 1980s "the Eighties", etc.), the decade of the 2000s lacks an accepted name. The most common name is "the Os", pronounced as "the ohs". A widely accepted term may not come about until the decade has ended. However no such term exists for the decades of the 1900s and 1910s. Some other suggestions for the 2000s decade are:
"the Twenty-O's" (pronounced; twenty-ohs) or "the Oh's". For example, the year 2005 would be pronounced as "twenty-oh-five," instead of "two-thousand and five."
"the 0-0s", usually pronounced as "the oh-ohs". This pronunciation sounds like "uh oh", an expression of dismay; this similarity is no doubt intentional.
"the 2Ks", a term that is rooted in the slang of the times. K is shorthand for the Greek prefix kilo meaning 1000; hence, 2K means 2000. In popular culture, the years of the decade are already being named according to this slang. For example, the year 2003 is referred to as 2K3. The "2K" term probably has its popular origins in the heavily-hyped Y2K bug that began in 1999, and lasted into this decade.
"the Aughts" (or "Oughts"), keeping with the practice of the twentieth century.
"the Nillies", derived from the term "nil", meaning nothing or zero.
"the Noughties", referring to the nought, or zero, as the decade indicator; the word-play on "naughty" is intentional.
"the Twenty Hundreds", though this could be confused with a name for the century.
"the zeroes",
"the double-O's"
"the 0-Hundreds"
"the two thousands", simply 2000s instead of stressing the last two numbers of the first year of the decade e.g. 2000s instead of just 00's.
The United Nations General Assembly declared the (mostly overlapping) decade of 2001-2010 as the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World".
September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on New York's World Trade Center and Virginia's Pentagon killing over 3000 people. A resultant change in stance towards international terrorism (See War on Terror) has ripple effects on the USA's foreign policy and military strategy.
United States expands international influence, in particular in the Middle East, as well as continuing to expand its military might. The US also hold a number of war games pertaining to the Strait of Taiwan in preparation for a possible war with the People's Republic of China over a Taiwanese succession
While the US continues to enjoy international political, military and economic dominance, China emerges as a viable world power, as well as an industrial powerhouse for numerous light goods
Reality television becomes a well-established sector of the television programming industry. Nightly news broadcasts continue to lose viewership to 24-hour internet news coverage. Changing television habits that involve increased use of the internet and the preponderance of TiVo make marketers rethink the paradigm of the 30-second TV ad. Viral marketing, and Product placement within reality television shows and movies are some increasingly used alternatives.
