Evolution of Three Major Technologies Over A 10-Year Period

The world isn’t the same as it used to be ten years ago. And most of the changes have been brought forth by technologies. Take the cell phone, for example. Only 80% of American adults owned a cell phone ten years ago, making or receiving calls or messages, respectively. As of 2021, almost 96% of Americans own a smartphone that lets them make or receive calls, watch movies, take pictures, and so much more. Now we can’t imagine our lives without a smartphone. Can we? Our lives have also changed drastically with the evolution of technology. So, let’s take a look at how technology has changed in the past ten years and its impact on the world.

1. Table of Contents

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   Facebook

Though Facebook had started just a website for Harvard students, it is now one of the most popular social media platforms for people all over the world.

Status of Facebook ten years ago (2011-2020)

• Facebook came up with a completely new design exactly ten years ago.
• It had space for users to add a cover photo.
• The ticker of your friends’ activities on Facebook stayed on the right side of the page.
• The biggest change in Facebook ten years ago was the Timeline. It was the first time on Facebook that people could share posts, statuses, and other pieces of information such as the relationship status, etc., for other people to see.
• 2012 was one of the most important years in Facebook’s history, ’cause that is when it made a major acquisition- Instagram.

• Facebook made it to the Fortune 500 at number 462 in 2013. But, it was also this year that the platform faced major abuse and hate speech problems. Thus, the platform rolled out an update of the guidelines used to evaluate hate speech reports. It was also the year when Facebook ensured that whoever posts cruel or insensitive content has to reveal their true identity.

• Facebook marked its ten-year anniversary in 2014. That was when it focused on a good mobile experience.
• Though Facebook already has a messaging system, it announced that it would buy WhatsApp at $19bn.
• In the same year, Facebook removed Messenger from the main app and built it as a separate application. Messenger houses more than 1.2 billion active users since April 2017.
• Facebook started 2018 with a new algorithm which made its News Feed more focused on family and friends. That meant a major downfall for businesses running on Facebook since they had to pay for the ads to reach their target audience.

Status of Facebook in 2021:

• From Kim Kardashian to the neighbor who barely talks, EVERYONE has a Facebook page these days. This platform is probably the first thing people see after waking up in the morning.
• From sharing your whereabouts to running businesses, everything is possible now on Facebook. Whether you need assignment help or you need to sell your old bike, Facebook has the solution in 2021.

Facebook has been under the limelight since 2016 because it was reported to spread fake news, especially during the US elections. There were also a lot of claims regarding the misinformation spread on this platform. Thus, they announced that they would work with organizations that checked facts to make sure people got only accurate information on Facebook.

Read more: 11 Marketing Mistakes we Should Avoid

2. iPhone

The first iPhone arrived on January 9, 2007, and it came a long way since then. Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed this marvelous product of technology that the world didn’t know it needed.

Status of iPhone ten years ago (2011 to 2019)

• Apple had modified the design of the iPhone multiple times. It changed the metallic design with a plastic version, as you can see in iPhone 3G and 3GS. Then it moved to glass, as you can see in the iPhone 4.
• However, it was back to the metal with iPhone 5 until glass made its comeback for iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone 8 models.
• The original iPhone of 2007 had touch-sensitive controls that also let users zoom into pictures using only two fingers. There was a 4GB or 8GB hard drive for MP3tracks and movies. From Coverflow application to the ability to access voice messages and WiFi connectivity, this phone had all the right features.
• In 2008, Apple’s iPhone added 3G connectivity along with a slimmer metallic outer edging. That is when the App Store icon started appearing in the middle, and this shift to a centralised app store changed the way we used our phones.
• iPhone 3GS was brought forth in 2009, and it was similar to the 3G in design, except the former had a faster 600MHz ARM A8 CPU along with a fingerprint-resistant screen coating. The new model was fast and more responsive. MMS features were up to date. The new features in this model included the compass and voice control.
• iPhone 4 marked the arrival of FaceTime Video Chat on June 7, 2010. It also announced the implementation of the first high-resolution “Retina” screen. iPhone 4S was brought into the market on October 4 2011. This model had a dual-core processor.
• The iPhone 5 arrived on September 12, 2012, and it was the first iPhone to have a 4inch screen.iPhone 5S and 5C were revealed on September 10 and were released on the same date. The key features include a 64-bit A7SoC, touch ID and a new motion data processor.
• In 2014, Apple announced iPhone 6and 6Plus. They have a 4.7-inch screen and a 5.5-inch screen, respectively. Both the iPhones consist of A8 processors that made the devices super fast and even more efficient.
• 2015 witnessed Apple’s two iPhones 6S and 6S Plus. Both the models got new force touch technology known as 3D Touch along with a 12-megapixel iSight camera that could help users shoot 4K videos.
• From advanced Touch ID security, A10 Fusion quad-core processor to 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, the iPhone models from 2015 till 2020 only made our lives easier. The models were iPhone 6S/6s Plus (2015), iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016), iPhone 8/8 Plus (2017), iPhone X (2017), iPhone XR (2018), iPhone Xs/Xs Max (2018), iPhone 11 (2019) and iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max (2019.)

Status of iPhone in 2020 (since Apple hasn’t come up with a new model for 2021 yet)

• iPhone 12/12 mini were announced on October 13 2020, and were released on October 23 and November 13 2020. The key features in both the devices include a Super Retina XDR display, 5G networking, A14 Bionic processor dual 12MP Ultra Wide cameras, and an OLED screen with ceramic shield protection.
• iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max were released n October 23 and November 13 2020, respectively. It has the same features as mentioned in iPhone 12, except the former has Telephoto cameras with Night Mode.

As you can see, iPhones constantly evolved since 2007, and they only got better with time. As far as 2021 is concerned, we will just have to wait and see what new features and models Apple reveals to us.

3. Online streaming services

Online streaming has increased in popularity, especially during the last five years. Though online streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix dominate the marketplace, new services such as Disney+ are joining the industry and gaining momentum as well.

History of the two main online streaming media:

YouTube

• The trio, Jawed Karim, Steve Chen, and Chad Hurley, bought the YouTube domain on February 14, 2005, and started building the website.
• They brought forth a proposal and got funding from Sequoia Capital to launch the site for the public.
• It wasn’t easy for YouTube to achieve success. It ended up spending $1 million on bandwidth costs alone in the first six months of 2006. Another major problem faced by YouTube was that most of the videos uploaded were copyrighted. Thus, industry analysts were sceptic about the future and reputation of this platform.
• Google bought YouTube in 2006 at almost $1.65 billion, and this has been proved to be one of the most lucrative purchases of Google. YouTube became the 2nd largest search engine two days after Google bought this platform.
• Today, YouTube has over 1.3 billion users every month. Nearly 5 billion videos are watched, and 300 hours of videos uploaded every single minute only on YouTube. Today, there are people whose entire career revolves around YouTube, and they are known as YouTubers.

Netflix

• In 1997, March Randolph and Reed Hastings finally launched Netflix, and their initial investment was $2.5 million. They intended to make Netflix the media equivalent of Amazon. They wanted to create a website where movie lovers could see innumerable movies just at the click of a mouse. Initially, subscribers had to pay $20 to rent an unlimited number of DVDs (one at a time.)
• Netflix, however, started losing money after three years. Thus, Hastings approached Blockbuster to make Netflix its very own streaming service. But, Blockbuster passed.
• Netflix brought forth streaming services in 2007. It premiered the show ‘House of Cards’ in 2013, which was also produced by Netflix. Other productions of Netflix include “Orange Is the New Black”, “Master of None”, “Bloodline”, and “Stranger Things.” Now, Netflix has more than 120 million subscribers from all over the world. And as far as Blockbuster is concerned, it has only one store left in Bend, Oregon.

If anybody told me ten years ago that I wouldn’t need a radio or cable TV, I would have probably laughed at them. But, today, all I need is an internet connection and a device where I can play the media.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, major societal shifts and technological changes happened during the 2010s. As per Moore’s Law, semiconductors will advance in a ten-year period by 32 times. This advancement will also lead to amazing innovations in the digital era, which will change the way we live, talk, communicate, work or even socialize.

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