Technology, How Hast Thou Changed Us – Let Me Count the Ways

 

 

Do you remember these things?

·         4-1-1

·         Your best friend’s phone number

·         Rotary phones

·         Encyclopedias

·         Cookbooks

·         Bankers hours

·         8-tracks

Technology changes how we do things. Today, we have cell phones and smart phones that remember people’s phone numbers, making 4-1-1 obsolete. To dial 4-1-1 was to call “information.” That information happened to be phone numbers. Today you probably don’t even know your best friend’s phone number for the same reason. You don’t have to.  Not too long ago, we had to use a rotary phone to call our friends and family. Today, many people do not even have a home phone, opting for a mobile.

Before the internet, students had to go to the library or reference encyclopedias if they were fortunate to have a set at home. While the student studied, mom was probably in the kitchen making dinner, referencing a cookbook for the recipe. The cookbook has also gone by the wayside with Google.

How we interact with our bank has also changed. It used to be that the bank was only accessible to customers between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Today, we can bank from our smartphone at any time. You can pay bills, apply for a loan, transfer money, and deposit checks.

Last on today’s list is music. Music has gone from vinyl to 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs to digital – making it more portable and instant than ever before. How has technology changed your life?