Today's technology emerged with the personal computer revolution in the 1980s. For the first time, people began using a computer at home for entertainment and personal finances. By the turn of the century, the Internet was beginning to change everything, and by 2020, anyone without a desktop or laptop computer, tablet or smartphone was considered woefully behind the times.
Modern technology has dramatically changed the course of modern life in the developed world. However, like everything, technology is both good and bad. Small retail outlets are rarely seen these days because of Amazon, although many mom-and-pop shops do thrive as a vendor on Amazon itself. The corner arcade has given way to computer gaming at home, and many movie theaters have been replaced by Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services.
The smartphone has perhaps had greater influence on society than any other tech invention. Although it enables anyone to obtain information about anything 24 hours a day, its social impact has been enormous. Young people live on their phones and socialize in person much less frequently than they used to. Unfortunately, social media also reinforces our beliefs and rarely gives anyone a nuanced point of view. See
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