According to IGI Global; an international academic publisher, the period after the industrial age; is applied to the period beginning around the 1980s. This is when the movement of information became faster than physical movement. It has been dubbed the information age. The information age is characterized by an influx of information. The period began around 1980 and is still going on to date.
Compared to previous centuries, the 20th century was characterized by a lot of inventions. History Learning Site (a website that highlights topics of history) in an article titled, ‘‘Inventions 1900-1990’’ lists the inventions that happened during this period. There were many inventions that came about during the 20th Century. From air conditioning, radio broadcasting, electric washing machine, robots, medicine, electric guitar, helicopters, dialysis machines, including the nuclear bomb just to name a few.
The first world war happened between the years of 1914 to 1918 and in between those years there were not many inventions. However, after the world settled, more inventions were coming about. Robots in 1921 also insulin in the same year, the technology of freezing food in 1924, the television in 1925, the electric razor in 1931, the electric guitar in 1935 and the helicopters in 1938, again just listing a few of them. Then World War two hit in 1939 and extended to 1945. A lot of the inventions that came about after the second world war were highly influenced by the war. With the first nuclear reactor being invented in 1942 and the nuclear bomb in 1945.
After the World Wars, the world was now settling and countries were beginning to properly define themselves. People were beginning to realize that they could benefit more from trading than from warring with each other. Also, with the formation of the United Nations in the year 1945, peace was being embraced. In Africa, a lot of the African countries were just getting independence from the colonialists. Over thirty-five countries of the fifty-four African countries had gotten independence between 1950 and 1970; a lot of them in the 1960s. Of course, with the exception of countries like Egypt who had gotten independence many years before; also, Ethiopia and Liberia who were not colonized.
Technology plays a big role in driving information and with the invention of computer software like Microsoft in 1980 this could not have been truer. Before, people would have to go and search for information from different books in the libraries or by physically looking for information where they knew they would find it. But now with personal computers being available, and software to store information accompanying the personal computers, information was now becoming easily available. Around the same time, the mobile phone was also being developed and it played a big role in terms of changing the mode of dissemination of information.
With this, came an influx in information hence the information age. Information was now available on the personal computers, one just had to search for it. You did not have to look for an encyclopaedia or go to the library in order to get information. Search engines like the very first one which was known as Archie, and many others in between to Yahoo in around 1994, with many more and now to Google founded in 1998. Which is widely used, with a market share of about 87.6% according to Statista; a website that provides current market figures and forecasts on consumer goods. In the 1990s, the mobile phone was being used widely and continued to be developed.
Information was becoming easily available and people were embracing it very quickly. This caused an exponential growth to companies that sold computers, mobile phones and even the search engine companies. This information age influenced the way people worked. All industries were influenced including how human beings engaged with each other in their daily lives.
It was not long before companies, organizations and individuals adapted to the information age and changed their modes of operation.
Great discoveries that had made research and accessing information very easy.
The article effectively portrays the Information Age as a pivotal period characterized by the acceleration of information flow, technological innovation, and societal transformation. It highlights the interconnected nature of these developments and their enduring impact on the modern world.
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