How Computers Changed the World

There are many computer inventions that have changed the face of computer usage.

I believe that the most important invention that has and will continue to shape the world this century is the Internet. Internet can be defined as the worldwide interconnection of individual networks operated by government, industry, academia, and private parties. Millions of people now have access to the internet. The number of individuals accessing the internet is growing at an alarming rate (Chapman, 2009). The Internet has made it possible for the everyday person to access information from pretty much anywhere in the world.

This revolution in sharing information has changed the world dramatically (Chapman, 2009). Now we can contact people from countries on the other side of the world with relatively no effort. It is because of internet we are able to search and access information, share ideas, sells products, and stay in touch with friends and family from across the globe. Internet is great for businesses as well (Goldstein, 2013).

It has global reach for a global audience. Consumers don't have to sit in traffic, find a parking space, and walk through countless aisles to find and examine goods.And they don't have to drive all the way to a store, only to find out that the desired product is out of stock. In addition to this it stays open 24hrs a day and 7 days a week.

You don't have to worry about weekends or federal holidays. From a consumer's perspective as well as a provider's, business can be accessed at any time. The fact that the Internet is operational at all times makes it the most efficient business machine to date (Goldstein, 2013). Plus it is relatively inexpensive to market your product on the internet.Compare to the traditional methods, at a fraction of the cost, you can publish information to millions of users with the stroke of a key.

The beauty of the Web is that it allows customers to explore products in as much detail as they desire. If the client just wants a general overview, he or she can look at the advertising information. For those wanting more in depth information, you can provide white papers and product descriptions for download. Internet had made social networks like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube possible. These networks are web based and provide means to interact over the internet.

These sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. Web based social networking services had made it possible to connect people who share interests and activities across political, economic, and geographic borders (Leiner,1998). Initially these services were used for casual communication and entertainment but, social networking sites have recently showed a value in social and political movements. In the Egyptian revolution, Facebook and Twitter both played a pivotal role in keeping people connected to the revolt.Egyptian activist have credited social networking sites with providing a platform for planning protest and sharing news from Tahrir Square in real time.

By presenting a platform for thousands of people to instantaneously share videos of mainly events featuring brutality, social networking proves to be a vital tool in revolutions. We can text, video chat, send E-mails instantly because of Internet. Last year when my husband was deployed to Iraq our most prefer medium of communication was Skype (form of video chat). It was convenient, easy and most of all free. All we needed was the Internet connection on both ends.It is because of internet we no longer need to depend on conventional mails and wait for days to communicate to our friends and relatives.

Other inventions are very important as well, such as satellites or medical applications. However, I feel as though the Internet has united the world in information sharing and has dramatically changed the world within only two decades of its release. The internet has made such a huge impact on society that people can't remember how it was to work without it. Nothing else has had such a great impact on people throughout the world.