Technology Then and Now

Technology then and Now

Ryan Parslow

ERAU MGT 221　

Technology has impacted almost every area of life just in the last several decades. With this paper, I'm going to take a short historical journey through the last several decades in the area of technology. I am going to be examining some of the differences in previous generations to our current generation when it comes to the use of modern technology. How has the use of technology affected our culture and society over the years?

From the invention of electricity, computers are in everything we use on a daily basis. From cellphones, cars and airplanes, they all run off some type of computer or operating system. Technology is simply amazing. We have come from the days of a Pony Express to being able to use a cell phone to send messages all over the world in less than a second. On this devise that fits in the palm of your hand you can pay your bills instantly, order merchandise from across the globe in a matter of seconds, and speak face-to-face with someone from almost anywhere on the planet. Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to a mobile phone while only 4.5 billion have access to a working toilet. (Time, 2013)

I’m sure that when Henry Ford dreamed that he would "build a car for the multitude" and introduced the first Model T in 1908, that he never dreamed that in 2004 there would be 700 million cars on the road. Today that number has grown to 1 billion, that's a 57% increase in just 8 years. (Huffington Post, 2011) I recall the story my uncle Denny told me of how he spent many many days on the road in his cherished 1960 Chevy Impala with its 283- V8 engine from Akron Ohio to Las Cruses New Mexico to visit my mom and dad. With the technological advancements of today’s computer run cars, traveling has become very easy with all the warning lights, tire pressure warnings, cruise control and park assistance.

From the story of how the coast to coast delivery of mail in 1918...