Retro Bay Area on Instagram: "Media spread fear and hysteria over Y2K. San Francisco Bay Area, 1999. In 1999, fear spread fast across the Bay Area. Analysts, experts, and especially the media amplified worst-case Y2K scenarios until panic felt inevitable. The media played a significant role in spreading fear and panic about the Y2K bug by amplifying doomsday scenarios and suggesting potential chaos, such as planes falling from the sky or societal collapse. This coverage fueled a prepper culture,