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Rise of the personal computer
How has technology influenced US society in general
Rise of the personal computer
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Although I agree with you on the fact that many of these technological advancements we're extremely impactful, I see the period between 1950 through the present day as one of the greatest pace of changes for americans. The reason I believe this is, because of the innovations from the early 1900s, the technological advancements following the 1950s have become main staples in the american household. Just as our classmate Jasmine Tyler (2016) points out, it has become increasing difficult to keep up with the technological advances of today. But I do acknowledge the fact that if it weren't for the technologies developed between 1900 and 1950, society would not have been able to develop the technologies that are present
In general, our world as we know it changed for the better and worse. The 1940s did the most to influence contemporary America. Because the U.S. culture and society had changed a lot, especially the role of women, many families were greatly impacted. The aspect of technology is completely revolutionized. During the decade the wealth rebounded from despair; big business improved its flawed public status; income and wages reached new heights; and dominant sectors of the economy urbanized, particularly in the fabrication of buyer goods and armed forces hardware.
This time period also saw many new inventions that would change American society forever. Such things as the telephone, radio, and television are things that the average present day American could not imagine living without. But a hundred years ago people were amazed at such things. Railroads were now able to bring people all over the country while steam ships could bring you all around the world and airplanes could let you fly. The horseless carriage turned into the automobile.
A family has always been expected to be a loving and caring environment with support and communication, but this sometimes does not come naturally to soon to be parents. Some get caught up specifically in bad things, perhaps their upbringings are to blame or maybe the individual could take all of the responsibility. When a society chooses what is to be socially acceptable, that limits relatives to only one kind of family and the object becomes destroying all other kinds. The 1950s was a time when technology wasn’t a big distraction from loved ones. Joyin Shih feels her true self being targeted by others, even her own family, in attempt to destroy her true self in her article, “Chyna and Me”. Alex Williams may also be missing the 1950s an article by Stephanie Coontz called “What We Really Miss About The 1950s” because he finds that families may not be as caring as they used to be in fact he argues that families are becoming more isolated than ever in his article “Quality Time, Redefined”. Good gives people a lot of frustration, more the division than the “good” because not all families coming from different cultures, different religions, and different ideas can fit into one mold that is called “acceptable”. The more connected individuals are to the Internet the fewer individuals are connected to each other. Technology should not be the biggest tool of communication in a family.
World War II had just ended. Women that were working because their husbands were out fighting in the war came back home when the war ended. The 1940’s ended and it was time for a new decade. The 1950’s were looked as a state of mind or a way of living instead of another time in American history. The 1950’s were the most influential decade in American history because the civil rights act began, fashion was completely new and trendy there were more much advancement in entertainment and medicine, and suburban life was much more functional than any other decade in America.
American Technological Advancements and the Cold War Many of the military technological advancements that have been made in the last 60 years can be attributed to the Cold War. Much of the technology developed during the period of the Cold War is still in use today by the military and government. Advancements in offensive technology are well known to just about everyone in the way of nuclear energy harnessed in the form of the nuclear bomb, but little is known about the battle for information during the Cold War. The Cold War produced some of the most advanced technology used in the fields of detection and reconnaissance in history.
Wars have been around for centuries. A typical battle was fought on land. The infantry would line up and fire at the advancing enemy. World War I was first called "the Great War" because of the number of lives lost (Coetzee 11). There were approximately nine million deaths over the course of the four years the war lasted (11). World War I began because of the assassination of "Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne" (17). Tensions were high and war seemed the only solution (17). The alliances in Europe were well formed by the time 1914 arrived (17). "The Central Powers" were "Germany and Austria-Hungary" (Westwell 8). "The Triple Entente" were "Britain, France, and Russia" (8). All of the countries and citizens believed in the cause of the war from the very beginning (9). That enthusiasm would quickly change once the introduction of new weapons and strategies were revealed (9). Every country involved was seeking ways to improve on the resources they needed to fight, and hopefully win the war. None of the countries involved wanted the other side to have a military advantage over the other (7). World War I had technological inventions such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks and submarines, which changed the strategy of war. The outcome of these inventions resulted in more death and destruction than previous wars.
Advancements in technology and science contributed to one the most gory and bloodiest war in the annals of human existence. These new technological advancements revolutionized how people regarded war. War was no longer where the opposite forces fought in a coordinated battle. War evolved into game of cunning strategy where the side with the bigger, powerful, and smarter toys played better. This led to a fierce competition where each side tried to create the smarter machines and better weapons, leading to deadly mass killing weapons in the process. One weapon or machine was created and an even better one was made. New developments such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks, and new strategy to thwart trench warfare affected how WWI was fought and it came with catastrophic results.
So many of the great ideas and inventions of the Technological Revolution are still apart of our lives today. Most of the things we are accustomed to are credited to this time period. Only a few major innovations occurred in the post-war era, such as: computers, semiconductors, the Internet, and jet engines. Even these ideas have been impacted by the thoughts of the Second Industrial Revolution. The world would not be nearly as advanced if it was not for the people in this time period.
The major technology change that has had the greatest impact on the quality of my life is the spread of uses for the Internet. The wide range of uses for the internet has extremely benefited my life. I use the Internet to keep in touch with my family from College and with my brother who is in the Air Force in Georgia. I also use the Internet to talk to my long-distance boyfriend so my phone bill doesn't get too large. I also use the Internet in a highly educational way. Not only can I take my college courses online (which is much better for me because I teach myself much better than a professor or teacher can teach me), but it can teach me about anything else I would like to know.
The role of the television in the late 1950’s and 1960’s played a significant role in American households. In fact, never before had a media captivated audiences since the inception of the radio. While the earliest televisions were black and white, households that could afford this luxury were mostly, white, middle class. Towards the mid 1950’s the first color television broadcast aired by CBS. Moreover, the television dramatically influenced the social, political, and economical landscape of American households in this era.
Where would the world be without the inventions and ideas of the 1920's? The answer is, no one really knows; however, the inventions and ideas that were brought about in the 1920's are things that are used more than ever today. With the technological advancements made in the 1920's, the invention of the radio, television, automobile, and other minor advancements made the 1920's one of the most important decades of the 1900's.
From scientific breakthroughs that revolutionized our understanding of the world to practical inventions that changed the way we live, scientific and technological developments in the 20th century have profoundly altered nearly every aspect of our lives. We usually think of these changes as wholly positive, but when you look at the destruction caused after the first two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945, this view tends to be distorted. As we can see from this horrific event, technology can be used to improve lives, but also destroy them. If you ask someone what the greatest technological breakthrough of the twentieth century was, you are sure to get mixed responses. Some will say the television, others will say modern medicine, and young people will almost certainly say the internet.
Another example of the change in our technology over the last century is the change in the computer. In 1946, the first electronic computer called the ENIAC took up the space of a large room. Instead of using transistors and IC chips, the ENIAC used vacuum tubes. Compared to many computers now, the ENIAC is about as powerful as a small calculator. That may not be much, but it is a milestone because there would not be computers today if it were not for the ENIAC. As the years passed, the computer became smaller and more powerful. Today, more than half of the American population has a computer in their home. The personal computers today are thousands of times more powerful than the most powerful computers fifty years ago.
Technology has improved our way of living. Due to many advances of technology most Americans will not be able to live without it. The most impactful revolution that has occurred to the social life of a regular American is the Digital Revolution. The revolution brought new ways to communicate. With Social Media Americans can now connect to friends and family members across the world with ease. Many mediums of communication have been born out of the Digital Revolution.
Today we have touch screen phones with personal assistance to help you with your every google search, managing your calendar and setting your alarms for work in the morning. We have robots that can run, jump, climb and stay balanced humans while throwing different objects its way to take it off its feet. Last week or so scientist Elon Musk even introduced most sophisticated big rig that runs on electricity and gets up to 400 miles after only 30 minutes of charging. Safe to say technology has leaped forward in unbelievable ways. We might not be Doc and Marty McFly from back to the future but we have made incredible progress.