Technology has been a driving force for change since at least the Industrial Revolution. But during the past 20 years, unprecedented innovation surges continue one after another. Seismic technology shifts led to the current digital landscape that barely resembles the turn of the century.
While IT experts and historians look back and muse about the changes, it's also important to recognize this is a two-way street. Technology evolves at break-neck speed and changes the way everyday people exist socially, professionally, and in the quiet of our own living spaces. These rank among the fundamental ways technology has changed the world and the people in it over the past 20 years.
Kenny Riley, owner of Velocity IT in Dallas shares some of his findings over the past 20 years.
Few Survived The Dotcom Bubble Bursting
Entrepreneurs embraced the World Wide Web during the 1990s. Many took business ideas and innovation online. They enjoyed the backing of excited financiers who saw an opportunity for tremendous return on investment by reaching consumers globally. Much of that promise went off the cliff at the turn of the century. According to reports, the dotcoms sector imploded between 2000 and 2002, losing upwards of 75 percent of its value. These days, survivors such as Amazon and Craigslist remain thriving household names that consumers rely on. We don't even call it the "World Wide Web" anymore. It's now the "Internet."
Internet Access Expands Exponentially
Americans ranked among the first to enjoy widespread access to the Internet. Email and file sharing had been around for decades, and nearly 50 percent of people in the U.S. enjoyed Internet access by 2000. Such was not the case with the remainder of the world. According to reports, only 7 percent of the world's population were online at that time, and some countries had zero access.
Between 2000 and 2016, global internet access increased from 413 million to more than 3.4 billion. According to the following data culled together in 2019, the U.S. now ranks third.
China: 854 million users
India: 560 million users
United States: 313.3 million users
Indonesia: 171 million users
Brazil: 149 million users
Nigeria: 126 million users
Japan: 118 million users
Russia: 116 million users
Bangladesh: 94 million users
Mexico: 88 million users
Internet user growth had to be expected between 2000 and 2020. But few could have anticipated that everyday people would become so reliant on the Internet that courts and governments would make access a fundamental right. To date, countries such as Canada, Costa Rica, Finland, France, Greece, and India, among others, rank Internet access among citizenry rights.
The Rise & Controversy Of Social Media
Social media was little more than a novelty in 2000, with Myspace touting only about 1 million users. What may seem counterintuitive after closing out 2020 is that Facebook was considered an underperforming platform consistently beaten by Myspace. It wasn't until 2008 that Facebook outpaced Myspace. These days, Facebook remains the most popular social media resource, with a reported 2.7 billion accounts considered active every month. YouTube and WhatsApp rank second and third, respectively, both hovering around 2 billion.
Market share dominance by a small group of Big Tech corporations and information handling has caused controversy in recent years. Facebook, which also owns WhatsApp, has become embroiled in controversies that include news censorship claims and exceeding the limits of antitrust laws. The once open forums that included rants and raves by users are now under constant scrutiny. Facebook faces an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. government claiming it's a monopoly. The social media world has changed so much that people may yearn for the simpler days of Myspace.
Technology Caused Work-Life Culture Shift
Among the most significant changes attributed to technology has been the rise of the remote workforce. Twenty years ago, few people enjoyed the technology to work from home. Increased Internet speed and advancements such as the Cloud supported a steady trend to work offsite. From 2005 to 2018, the remote work trend increased by a reported 173 percent globally. Remote infrastructure also allowed businesses to pivot and maintain productivity online during the height of the pandemic.
In essence, technology saved countless businesses from bankruptcy that might have been unavoidable 20 years prior. More than 43 million people in the U.S. now work remotely. Technology has become such a ubiquitous aspect of human life that many enjoy live-work spaces and lifestyles that seemed impossible 20 years ago.
