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The Effects of the Computer Revolution in the 21st Century

Today, computers are practically everywhere. The 21st century has experienced huge

leaps in the advancement of computer technology in terms of both hardware and software. These

advancements are a direct result of the computer revolution that began in 1975 when the first

personal computer was launched. The first personal computer was the Altair 8800. Since then

different companies have gone on to assemble different computers. The computer revolution

went through other phases such as the network revolution with the rise of the global internet by

ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in the 1990s. This was followed by

the smartphone revolution that began in 2007 when Apple Inc. launched the first iPhone. Now

computer technology is taking a course towards different fields and spheres. This paper will

explore the positive effects of computer technology during the 21st century and the direction of

computing in the future.

One of the impacts of the computer revolution is the application of computer technology

in previously non-technical fields. Computers are now being used in fields where tasks were

previously operated by humans. These fields include agriculture, finance, and manufacturing. In

the field of finance, for example, computers are used in data entry, processing, and storage. In

banks, computers are used to track and perform real-time financial calculations as well as track

the large numbers of accounts. ATMs also use computers to authenticate the card holder’s

information and perform transactions. Cash payments have also gone card-less as smartphones

come with technology that allows users to make payments using their smartphones. A good

example of this is Apple Pay and Android Pay by Apple Inc. and Google Inc. respectively.

Computers have become the backbone of the banking and financial industries and without them,
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it would be impossible to keep up. Another field that is surprisingly embracing computer

technology is agriculture, where farmers, scientists, and engineers are collaborating to produce

better crops. Robots and drones are being used to monitor the behavior and growing patterns of

crops. Dan Ferber, in his article, “Watching the Crops Grow,” describes how plants are

monitored on the ground using robots, “To monitor crops from the ground, both the Purdue team

and Clemson University’s ARPA-E BOOST team are developing self-driving, instrument-

equipped bots or vehicles that steer themselves through a breeding plot without trampling plants”

(31). This technology is still in its infancy, but if successful, it would help produce crops that are

capable of withstanding different climates. As Ferber highlights, “Ultimately, such computations

would help identify key genes that help plants grow faster, tolerate drought, or thrive with less

nutrients” (33). Therefore, this technology has the potential to end world hunger, which is one of

the biggest problems in the world today.

Secondly, the computer revolution has brought the innovation of technological devices

and tools. These different innovations include smart appliances, smartphones and tablets,

laptops, robots, artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. Smart devices are one of the most

interesting technology trends of today and are interconnected or connect to the internet and

include a computing chip to perform an automated task. These devices include smart televisions,

coffee makers, thermostats, and speakers to name a few. Fonda describes how Bigbelly smart

trash cans, “. . . are equipped with sensors and communications devices that can capture and

disseminate data on trash volume, dumping patterns and other information, effectively “talking”

to sanitation workers so they can work more efficiently” (54). Together, these smart devices

form the internet of things (IoT). Moreover, Artificial intelligence is one of the fastest rising

technology trends and is being included in smartphones, vehicles, virtual assistants, cars, and
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robots. Artificial intelligence gives these devices the ability to think, analyze information and

perform a task correctly. An example of artificial intelligence technology being developed by

NVIDIA for the automotive industry, is, “. . . the firm’s new Drive PX 2 technology can

“understand” a vehicle’s environment and help guide the car down the road. At full power,

Nvidia says, the system can process ‘24 trillion deep learning operations per second’—enough

AI brainpower to replace a human driver” (Fonda 54). This highlights how advanced the

automotive industry is becoming.

Thirdly, the development of the digital world through the internet revolution has spurred

the creation of new services and has digitized traditional media. Some of the services that have

spurred as a result of the internet are social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Social

Networks, in particular, has been one of the biggest inventions of the century. Facebook

spearheaded the social network trend, founded in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his

friends. Facebook reinvented how people connected with family and friends. Since then it has

gone through some enhancements. Today, Facebook is used for networking, photo sharing, etc.

Facebook has a total of 2 billion monthly users, which highlights how important of a platform it

has become over the years. Furthermore, Media consumption has also evolved over the years.

Users can get all their music, movies and news from the internet. Music consumption has

evolved from purchasing a compact disk (CD) album to streaming music from services like

Apple music and Spotify, all of which are saved into the service’s database. People can now

watch their favorite movies and television shows on video streaming services such as Netflix and

Hulu. The radio has also been transformed into podcasts, which are recorded radio shows that

can be retrieved at any time. Also, the news is shared differently as a result of the internet

revolution. Michael Shepherd, a daily news Statehouse reporter uses social media for journalism,
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“Periscope, the live streaming app, is a simple way to connect with audiences. The app allows

him to stream press conferences, get sources on record and provide transparency” (Young 53).

The use of such apps makes it easier to share information and also interact with the audiences.

Finally, the computer revolution has led to the creation of the jobs. The development of

the computer industry led to the demand for individuals with technical skills as well as other

skills required to run other areas of a company such as leadership, marketing, and sales. Thus,

resulting in the employment of many people. Currently, individuals with technical skills are the

most sought after in the technology field and hence tend to have higher salaries. As Pratt in her

article, “High Growth Tech Fields,” explains the high demand for software developers,

“According to IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology’s 2017 Technology and IT Salary Guide,

developer/programmer analysts can command $83,000 to $143,000, while mobile app

developers get $118,750 to $182,000, and senior web developers earn $116,000 to $161,500.”

(23). On the digital end, individuals also earn an income through content creation by blogging,

creating YouTube videos, offering premium products, creating retail businesses and freelancing.

In conclusion, the computer revolution has had and continues to have many positive

impacts in the world. As computer technology expands into other fields the chances of finding

solutions to the biggest problems in the world are enhanced tremendously while also making

those industries more efficient. Therefore, technological innovation should be embraced and

encouraged in all fields, not just computing alone, as it will only serve to improve the lives of

mankind.

Works Cited

Ferber, Dan. "WATCHING the CROPS GROW. (Cover Story)." Mechanical Engineering,
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Fervol. 138, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 28-33. EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete.

Fonda, Daren. "13 Stocks for the Tech Revolution." Kiplinger's Personal Finance, vol. 71, no. 4,

Apr. 2017, pp. 52-57. EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete.

Pratt, Mary K. "HIGH GROWTH TECH FIELDS with TOP PAY. (Cover Story)."

Computerworld Digital Magazine, vol. 3, no. 8, Apr. 2017, pp. 22-30. EBSCOhost,

Academic Search Complete.

Young, Adreana. "All Things Digital in 2016." Editor & Publisher, vol. 149, no. 2, Feb. 2016,

pp. 50-56. EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete.