One of the hallmarks of technological progress in the modern age is the Internet. It is a powerful force that killed off many newspapers, and has done irreparable damage to record companies unable to modify their business model, in the process allowing anyone anywhere to say anything they want with limited repercussions if they’ve taken appropriate precautions. It’s an instrument for powerful social change. But this progress could not have been achieved without its profusion, which depended on three technological developments.
Broadband Internet Access
One advancement is the interconnectivity of so much of the information that we depend upon on a daily basis. This could not have been achieved without the development and progress of broadband internet access. Prior to broadband, the people who did have internet access relied predominantly on dial-up modems running at 56k. That might be enough to transfer a couple of .doc files, but if you wanted to stream a movie or download an alternate operating system, you may as well have forgotten about having had the idea!
Wireless Internet
Wireless connections actually depend on an existing broadband (or other) connection and in effect propagate the network to unwired devices. Though unable to act as an independent unit, this type of connection opened up the possibility for the now common internet hotspot that we take for granted in any city we’re cruising through.
3G Interconnectivity
Following the steady progress of broadband (and in their turn, cable and fiber-optics internet connections) came the wide use of the 3G networks that made it possible to make your cell-phone more than just a tool to call people on the fly. It gave companies incentive to develop and lead to the present state where the phone in your pocket is likely a more powerful computer than one owned by a typical person in the 90s. Who knows? Tomorrow’s laptop may well be an over-sized cell phone.