The 2000s

This cultural history examines how the 2000s fundamentally reshaped our relationship with fame through the collision of emerging social media platforms and celebrity obsession. Bob Batchelor explores the birth of what he terms "Generation eXposure"—the first cohort to navigate a world where MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook gave ordinary people the tools to craft and broadcast their own public personas. The book argues that technology didn't just allow people to imitate celebrities like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton; it provided a platform for everyone to pursue their own fifteen minutes of fame, effectively democratizing celebrity culture and creating a new era of Pop Culture 2.0.

Batchelor's analysis stands out for its sharp focus on the technological and cultural pivot points that defined the decade, moving beyond simple nostalgia to explain why the 2000s were a genuine turning point. This is essential reading for millennials who lived through this digital awakening and for Gen Z readers seeking to understand the origins of today's influencer economy. The book successfully frames a decade often dismissed as frivolous, revealing it as the crucial incubator for our modern, hyper-connected reality.