From the Old to the New

Technologies

UNIT II
Introduction

Information Technology is like a living organism- always

growing and changing at a remarkable pace. We have seen how
the technologies have evolved from decades ago, and how it
affected humanity.
After the overview of the advancements in information
technology, we will at how the modern world live with the
presence of the key features in computers and communication
today. This would lead to the emerging technologies that we
expect to affect the modern world in the next years to come.
History of Technology
History of technology, the development over time of systematic techniques for
making and doing things. The term technology, a combination of the Greek technē,
“art, craft,” with logos, “word, speech,” meant in Greece a discourse on the arts, both
fine and applied. When it first appeared in English in the 17th century, it was used to
mean a discussion of the applied arts only, and gradually these “arts” themselves
came to be the object of the designation.
By the early 20th century the term embraced a growing range of means,
processes, and ideas in addition to tools and machines. By mid-century technology
was defined by such phrases as “the means or activity by which man seeks to change
or manipulate his environment.” Even such broad definitions have been criticized by
observers who point out the increasing difficulty of distinguishing between scientific
inquiry and technological activity.
History of Technology
A highly compressed account of the history of technology such as this
one must adopt a rigorous methodological pattern if it is to do justice to the
subject without grossly distorting it one way or another. The plan followed
in the present article is primarily chronological, tracing the development of
technology through phases that succeed each other in time.
Obviously, the division between phases is to a large extent arbitrary.
One factor in the weighting has been the enormous acceleration of Western
technological development in recent centuries; Eastern technology is
considered in this article in the main only as it relates to the development of
modern technology.
History of Technology

This framework is modified according to the particular requirements of

every period— discussions of new materials, for instance, occupy a
substantial place in the accounts of earlier phases when new metals were
being introduced but are comparatively unimportant in descriptions of
some of the later phases—but the general pattern is retained throughout.
One key factor that does not fit easily into this pattern is that of the
development of tools. It has seemed most convenient to relate these to the
study of materials, rather than to any particular application, but it has not
been possible to be completely consistent in this treatment.
The Print Age

The third period in media evolution is the Print Age. In this period, it emphasized on
visual print. In the “Gutenberg Galaxy”, the eye became the dominant sense; age of linear
thinking, and gave status to science and individualism. The printing press was invented
during this time.

Also in this period, it made the visual dependence worldwide and it converted the
annual writing into technical printing. This means that writing becomes much easier with
the use of printing press which prints the message or wards into a paper or any printing
material.

The Print Age standardized the national languages, thus, it produced nationalism in
countries and also, it produces prototype of the industrial revolution.
The Audiovisual Age

Italian inventor and engineer Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) developed, demonstrated and
marketed the first successful long-distance wireless telegraph and in 1901 broadcast the first transatlantic
radio signal. His company’s Marconi radios ended the isolation of ocean travel and saved hundreds of
lives, including all of the surviving passengers from the sinking Titanic. In 1909 he shared the Nobel Prize
in Physics for his radio work.

Before this age, radio only offer entertainment through sound and it is the work of the people to visualize
what they are hearing from it.
- Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy invented by Guglielmo Marconi who transmitted telegraph signals
by radio waves,opened the door for radio and television broadcasts. The concept of passing signals then
prompted the enhancement to signal transmission and reception. Because of this, the vacuum tube
technology was even upgraded leading to televisions and radios to be more reliable and compact. The
upgrade did not end there as cable and satellite television began to compete with broadcast television,
wherein they provided access to more channels and service in areas where broadcast signal reception
was unreliable like in mountainous regions.
The Audiovisual Age

Cable and satellite television provided access to more

channels and service in areas where broadcast signal
reception was unreliable like in mountainous regions.
Before the television, pictures were delivered to the public
through printing of magazines.
People‘s homes became more informed, entertained
and rounded participants of the nation‘s affairs when the
television finally came into the market. In the long run,
radio became obsolete and television brought better
entertainment to homes by adding visual component to it.
Internet and Digital Media Age

- Internet features before were too complicated to use and the communication
process through would really test your patience that will eventually lead to boredom
which discourage people from using it and the participants or the audience who want
to engage in a communicative platform are limited.
- The development of digital code, microprocessors, and fiber-optic cables were key
technological advances that made the Internet and digital communication possible.
Rapid developments around 1990, such as the creation of HTTP and HTML coding
and Internet browsers, created what we know today as the World Wide Web.
- The Internet brought a wider and collective form of communication. People can just
be involved with what is happening anywhere, anytime and with anyone‘s life. It has
allowed for the creation of user- generated content, thereby raising authenticity
issues when it comes to the information being passed unto different people.
 The internet and digital technology are as much a part of modern life as other institutions, such as the
government or the education system. This was not always the case, though - we are living in the midst of the
Digital Age, which started less than a century ago.

The Digital Age, often known as the Information Age, refers to a historical era and information
technology-based economy originating in the twentieth century. It is marked by a rapid transition from the
industrialized economy brought about by the Industrial Revolution to a knowledge-based economy.

A Digital Age Timeline

There have been many technological developments that led to the era that we currently live in. As we
cannot explore all of them here, below is a timeline of the major developments in almost every decade of
the Digital Age.

● 1940s: this was the beginning of the discipline of information science.

● Late 1940s: universities, the military, and companies created computer systems to digitally copy and
automate previously done mathematical operations by hand.
● 1970s: the Altair Microcomputer Kit, the first home computer, was released. The video game
console, the first coin-operated video games, and the heyday of arcade video games all came
into existence.
● 1980s: computers entered semi-ubiquity (almost everywhere) as people brought them into
homes, businesses, and industries.
● Late 1980s - 1990s: Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which became publicly
accessible. The Internet quickly spread, entered popular culture, and many companies
mentioned websites in their advertisements. Despite their invention, phones were not widely
used.
● 2000s: cell phones outpaced phones of the 90s in terms of technological advancement and
became as commonplace as computers. Text messaging exploded in popularity. The
developing world became heavily involved in the digital revolution.
● 2010s to the present: both smartphone use and console ownership increased in popularity. The
number of individuals using the Internet expanded dramatically over time, reaching 63.5% of
the global population today.1 The use of cloud computing became widespread.
Features of Computer in the modern society

Miniaturization
Miniaturization in electronic devices involves fitting more transistor nodes on a smaller
integrated circuit (IC). The IC is then interfaced within its intended system or device so that,
once assembled, the system can carry out the desired function. The technology is made
tinier yet mightier.
And TV is not the sole example. Pretty much everything tech keeps getting reduced in
size. Phones, personal computers, cameras, headphones, data storage devices, even cars.

Advances in electronics have made it possible to fit an enormous quantity of transistor

nodes on a square nanometre of space. This means the actual working component can be
minuscule and the body surrounding it can be scaled down and/or enhanced.
Communication Development today

We once had the voice telephone system- a one to one

communication medium to communicate families, friends and
etc. Additionally, we had radio and television systems-
multimedia systems that connected one to many or mass media.

Ex. Newscasters can share with you on single medium, such

as television, but you cannot communication with them.

There have been three recent developments in

communications:
Connectivity

Modern society has never been this connected

before.Computers are connected and can provide online
information access and sharing of peripheral devices. With
this expansion of computer networks, we can now join a
university across the country by emailing and shopping
abroad.
Connectivity enables human to human communication, the
exchange of information between people, between people and
machines, and the recognition and engagement of devices.
Connectivity is essentially the world’s nervous system and it
is rapidly expanding across the globe of becoming
ubiquitous.
Interactivity

Televisions programs in the past did not know our

reactions to what they were showing on the screen. Today,
however we can easily comment on the news and programs we
are watching by just going online. Thus, SMS voting and
internet polls became popular in the present times.

The interaction between technology and humans has become

more two-way and interactive, allowing users to respond to
information they receive and modify the actions of a
computer.
Multimedia

The word multi and media are combined to form the word multimedia. The word
“multi” signifies “many.” Multimedia is a type of medium that allows information to be
easily transferred from one location to another.

Multimedia is the presentation of text, pictures, audio, and video with links and
tools that allow the user to navigate, engage, create, and communicate using a
computer.

Multimedia refers to the computer-assisted integration of text, drawings, still and

moving images(videos) graphics, audio, animation, and any other media in which any
type of information can be expressed, stored, communicated, and processed digitally.
When computer and Communications combine

Computers and communications began to converge in the

1990’s ushering in a new era within the information age. As
a result, society today benefits from five additional
developments.

Convergence- is the quality wherein different kinds of

communication technologies are coming closer to each
other.It means one terminal device, where anybody can use a
mobile phone or digital television for different services.
When computer and Communications combine

Portability or Mobility- in the 1980’s meant preceding

computing power and convenience in exchange for a smaller
size and weight. today , however, we are on the verge of not
having to make any sacrifices.

Personalization- we have our digital footprints recognized

by the internet. This includes the comments in social media,
Skype calls, app use, email records, and the cookies left by
retailers and product review sites.
When computer and Communications combine

Collaboration- A more recent trend is mass collaboration, in

which more- are rapidly transforming into an unprecedented
collective force of power.

Cloud Computing- it is previously referred to as demand

computing, grid computing, or software as a service, cloud
computing means that you store your software or data on
internet serves rather than on your PC or company’s
computers.
The Future of Information Technology

Top emerging technologies from the trends in Information

Technology for 2019 till today.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Smart Machines

-the science of making machines that can think like humans. It can do things that are considered "smart." AI
technology can process large amounts of data in ways, unlike humans. The goal for AI is to be able to do
things such as recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans while Smart machines include
robots, self-driving cars and other cognitive computing systems that are designed to work through tasks
without human intervention. Smart machines are digital disruptors because of the positive and negative impact
they have, and will continue to have, on society.
The Future of Information Technology

2. Virtual Reality

- Virtual reality is the use of computer technology to create simulated environments. Virtual reality
places the user inside a three-dimensional experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them,
users are immersed in and interact with 3D worlds.

3. Augmented Reality

- Augmented reality uses the existing real-world environment and puts virtual information—or even a
virtual world—on top of it to enhance the experience. For example, think of Pokémon Go, where
users are searching in their real-life neighborhoods for animated characters that pop up on their
phone or tablet.
The Future of Information Technology

4. Blockchain Data
- A blockchain is “a distributed database that maintains a continuously growing list of ordered
records, called blocks.” These blocks “are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a
cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data.

5. Internet of Things

- The term IoT, or Internet of Things, refers to the collective network of connected devices and
the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as
between the devices themselves.
Application for student productivity

Popular Productivity Apps:

1. Edmodo
2. Socrative
3. Google Meet
4. Messenger
5. Zoom