One of the biggest marks of change as the world shifted from the 20th into the 21st century was technology – certain aspects of technology had been around for many years already, but the turn of the millennium really marked a massive change in the type of tech that was being developed.
Not only were these changes and innovations incredibly exciting, but they were transformative with regards to life as we knew it. Technology was able to do things we had never been able to do before and make things that we had already been doing easier and more efficient.
Here are 6 ways that technology changed the world in the 21st century.
1. Access to Information
Now that everybody has access to the internet and can communicate with anybody at any given moment, it means that our access to information has increased exponentially.
In the past, people tended to get local news mostly, via the people around them as well as local news outlets – with the exception of big, important national or international news. But these days, everybody is constantly exposed to the whole world’s news. Within a few seconds, you could know what Kim Kardashian had for breakfast.
This means that the dissemination of news (both important and unimportant) and information is far greater.
2. Communication Revolution
Not only do we have far more access to information, but we can also communicate in ways that we’ve never been able to before. You don’t need to write a letter that’ll very likely get lost in the post – anyone can communicate with anybody else on the other side of the world with just a click of a button. And, we are also now able to meet strangers online – something that was never possible before.
3. Innovation in Healthcare
Technology has allowed for major advancements in healthcare, meaning that doctors and medical professionals can provide far greater care for patients than ever before.
4. Environmental Impact
Unfortunately, one of the negative aspects of innovation and advancements in technology include the impact that this has on the natural environment. Along with technological advancements come increases in production, more use of machinery, and so on, all of which are potentially harmful to the natural environment.
5. Entertainment and Media
The entertainment and media industries have completely transformed with the advent of the internet and the proliferation of mobile devices. Now, we can all have constant access to media and can enjoy everything from browsing social media to playing the pokies online NZoffers in the palm of our hand. This means we can be entertained whenever we feel like it!
6. Social Impact
Because technology has made a lot of things easier for us in our day-to-day lives, this has had a pretty massive social impact. We can access information far more easily, which means everybody technically can be in the know (if they want to be), we can communicate constantly without seeing each other and we can use modern technology to make our lives easier.
In some ways, technology has had a positive social impact, and in other ways, it’s had a negative impact, but at the end of the day, it’s all up to us!
