Technology as a Revolution
WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION?
A technological revolution generally increases productivity and efficiency. It may involve material or ideological changes caused by the introduction of a device or system. Some examples of its potential impact are business management, education, social interactions, finance and research methodology; it is not limited strictly to technical aspects. The technological revolution rewrites the material conditions of human existence and can reshape culture. It can play a role as a trigger of a chain of various and unpredictable changes.
HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION
The First Industrial Revolution saw water and steam used to power and machine production. The Second used electric power to create mass production. The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.
These technologies include artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and “the internet of things” which is seeing an increasing proportion of household and business appliances connected to the internet. On speed, when compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. In scope, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country, with robotics and artificial intelligence.
PURPOSE DRIVES TECHNOLOGY FORWARD
All technologies are born out of purpose. For example, search engines were created to sort through the massive amounts of data online. With each new upgrade technology compounds existing technologies to create something better than what was previously used before. And on and on it goes.
With the lightning speed of technological evolution, it is no wonder many people have struggled to keep up. To be fair, the scope of technology’s expanse is so great, wrapping everything up into a single blog post is practically impossible.
Here is just a brief glimpse into how rapidly the Internet and technology as a whole have evolved in recent years.
THE PAST: WORLD, MEET THE INTERNET
Looking back to the 1990’s, the Internet was a new commodity many, but not all, households and businesses began to gain access. For people living during that time, the sound of the painfully slow dial up signal connecting to the Internet is a not-so-fond memory (ohhhh!).
Thankfully, as more people found value in the Internet, technology took off to eliminate having to use a phone line to go online and instead delivered faster connections to the World Wide Web.
THE PRESENT: SNAPS, CHATS AND DOUBLE TAPS
Fast-forward a short decade later, Remember VHS tapes!? The OG fast forward? OK, moving on….
Since the days of dial-up, access to the Internet is available almost everywhere. It is rare these days for consumers to go into a coffee shop, library or any place of business and not be able to access a Wi-Fi signal. If there isn’t a Wi-Fi signal in close range, most people still have access to the Internet via their cellular data connection on their smartphones and personal hotspots, no problem.
FACE TO FACE (VIRTUALLY, SPEAKING)
Face-to-face conversations via technology are resurfacing, though, and even strengthening, thanks to higher-quality video and streaming capabilities (enter: Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Face Time, live streaming, etc.). With more people engaging in web/video conferencing online, geographic barriers that once hindered communication were torn down. Instead, companies can engage with consumers in a more humane manner, people can talk to people face-to-face without the need for costly travel and reaching out to people all over the world is faster and easier.
THE INTERNET OF THINGS
You’ll hear more and more about the “Internet of Things” (IoT) now and in the future. The deeper we dive into technology, the more it seems we try to blend the physical and virtual worlds together. Smart speakers, smart homes and even smart cars are the tech wave to ride in the future, but it’s just the beginning.
Think of the Internet of Things as a network of physical devices – like handheld gadgets, vehicles, home appliances or any kind of electronic item with embedded software or technology – connected together and able to exchange data.
Gartner, an analyst firm, speculates there will be more than 26 billion connected devices by 2020. Imagine a future where your car warns you of heavy traffic or your alarm clock notifies you about your coffee brewing itself in the kitchen. Imagine living in a smart home in a smart city. In other words, the future happening is now. Or at least, it’ll be here sooner……
CUTTING THE CORD: THE ERA OF VIDEO STREAMING
Remember when Netflix was a primarily a DVD delivery company, bringing your favorite movie via mail? Back when binge-watching wasn’t a thing?
Today, people are cutting the cord when it comes to cable, opting for digital streaming and video services like Netflix, YouTube . Big brands are trying to keep up and compete, doing their best to one-up each other with original content, availability and delivery channels (e.g. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, etc.). User-generated content is a force to acknowledge as well. Thanks to streaming options like Facebook Live, Instagram Live and Periscope, individuals and business are able to broadcast their own videos and content.
In a nutshell, videos are popping up everywhere and trending big time. And they thought talking pictures would never last…
IMPACT ON SOCIETY
One aspect of technology that has had a great impact on society is how it affects learning. It’s made learning more interactive and collaborative, this helps people better engage with the material that they are learning and have trouble with. Also, it gets you better access to resources.
With the creation of the internet, it gives us access to information at a twenty-four-hour rate and you have access to almost anything online .In addition, it allows students to get work done easier. Students can take quizzes and exams more easily, and teachers being able to hold online classes can be very effective. It also expands the boundaries of the classroom, encouraging self-paced learning.
People can access learning through YouTube and social media. This helps students learn better than sitting down for lectures and reading from textbooks. These technological advancements made learning more fun and convenient.
THE FUTURE: EMERGING TRENDS ON THE HORIZON
As more existing technologies are stacked onto each other and developed into something greater, consumers and businesses alike can expect to see more opportunity with future technology. Technology will be faster, have the ability to accomplish more and everything will become more streamlined to make getting work done, easier.
While we don’t have the ability to predict the future, we can offer speculations on technology’s evolution. We are constantly seeing emerging media and new trends in technology to follow. Here are a few trends to watch for in the coming years.
WHY BOTHER KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY?
It’s a fair question. Technology is constantly changing and it sometimes feels like way too much effort to keep up with a moving target. Just remember - keeping up with technology adds value to your business.
Staying up-to-date helps ensure you don’t miss opportunities, become irrelevant or fall behind your competitors. Remember Kodak? They taught us all an invaluable lesson: don’t be afraid to embrace change.
CONCLUSION
Basically I am saying that technology revolution rewrite the material condition of human existence and can reshape culture. We are going through 4th technological revolution which, unlike the great revolution of the past, is much faster and will probably have a deeper social and economic impact. As we see different phases of technology revolution and it shows that fundamental change in way we live, work and relate to one another. Technology is advancing faster than society can handle, with only the people creating these advancements being able to understand them. Change in technology will continue to happen. So are you ready for upcoming change?
