WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY? HOW IT EVOLVED AND IMPACTED OUR LIVES.

Hello everyone,  

In this blog post we'll go through the steps of technology evolution, the way that it impacted and  changed our lives. 

Technology can be defined as an application of scientific knowledge into our daily lives, helping people to satisfy their wants and needs. 

A massive step for the evolution of technology was taken when Internet was created, in 1960. However, we must think about that Internet as a really rough idea of the complex network that we know today. 

In only 60 years of history, the creation of Internet has changed the world. The transformation has been so huge that experts have been talking about a Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0.  We now live in a digital world, and it is nearly impossible to look back at it. 

YouTube (2019) "How the Internet changed everything"

THE EVOLUTION OF INTERNET

According to the infographic history of  Internet speed by Entrepreneur (2013), only 30 years ago, the Internet speed was so slow that it would have taken us 30 minutes to download a call or around 28 hours to download a low-quality movie. Thinking about taking 28 hours to watch a movie online will simply drive us crazy nowadays. A massive increase in Internet speed is due to the switch from a dial-up system to the broadband network. 

The demographic with access to Internet also started to increase in the late 90’s/early 20’s. The way we access Internet has evolved through the years. We have passed by accessing the Internet online with massive and slow computers to being able to use our lovely pocket sized smartphones. A research by Digital Marketing Community demonstrates that 94%of the consumers now owns a smartphone and it is the most used device to access internet.

The reasons for accessing Internet can be  multiple. Internet was born as a tool to work and do scientific researches. Nowadays, we access it to do everything: we access to seek information, to socialise, to purchase a product or service, to express our ideas and  to entertain ourselves.

Video consumption online  is increasing yearly. Especially in the past 2 years, being stuck at home due to the pandemic, has given us the chance to explore video platforms even more, therefore increasing their performances. Videos online have always been quite popular through the generations, however in 2020 51% of GenZ and Millenials stated that they "could not live without it" (ThinkwithGoogle, 2020).

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY: HOW IT CHANGED OUR LIVES AND BUSINESSES

All aspects of our lives have been changed and irreparably transformed by the impact of technology: almost everything we do today, involves the usage of a tech product. We can just think about the panic feeling exponentially raising in us when we can’t find our smartphone in the bag, we feel lost, disconnected and disoriented. 

However, it’s not only our lives being impacted by technology, but also businesses cycles. In the past, the  businesses  focus was clearly on the quality of the products or services, now in this digital world what really matters and makes the difference is the experience that businesses can provide. 

Marketers are working with SEO and other digital platforms to identify their target audiences and recognise what consumers are really looking for. In this digital world, marketers must take current trends under special consideration when advertising a product.

CONSUMERS TRENDS

With the evolution of technology, sophisticated and high quality videos are certainly a smart way to market a product or service, as the consumers can clearly see what they're about to purchase and the application on real life scenarios. 

The VR trend is also expanding. VR headsets create virtual realities,  to provide an unbelievable experience to consumers. This trend quickly became more and more popular through the years, and it is set to become even more fundamental after Mark Zuckerberg announcement of Facebook, transforming into  Metaverse and implementing the usage of VR into the social platform. 

NY Times (2021)- Mark Zuckerberg testifies Oculus.

Generally speaking, the implementation of technology and automation into our daily spaces is a big current trend. We can think about Amazon Alexa, and the popularity that it gained in the last couple of years; but the implementation of automation is also a guarantee of success when set into the regular retails spaces. 

An example of this can be the new Amazon grocery stores: Amazon  opened their first store early this year in the US,  it quickly became a global success and it is now already expanding in Europe and Asia. The idea behind it is that customers can enjoy their shopping experience without having to queue to make a payment, because it gets automatically taken at the end of the experience via the app. Aligning with the definition of technology above, this is clearly an optimised tool to assist us and makes our lives easier. And who doesn’t want to have a little bit of help in life? 

                                                Financial Times (2021)- First Amazon grocery store 

SUMMARY

All of these are just few aspects of the way technology really transformed the world. Technology is everywhere, even where and when we don’t think about it. 

Some consumers are worried that automation and artificial intelligence  will eventually replace humans connection. However, the future is still in our hands and, as long as we think about technology as an assistant to improve our real lives instead of replacing these entirely, the fear will not come true.

SLIDE PRESENTATION:

https://www.slideshare.net/EleonoraCangelosi/the-evolution-of-technology-250591202