Internet and technology are basically the foundations that support modern society and almost everything people do today.
To get a good idea of the facilities internet gets people, start watching films set in the 70s and 80s on Cox cable or your desired streaming platform. Today, the day starts for people with the internet and ends with it too.
It is hard to even mention all the applications of the internet and technology. For explaining their uses, even a thousand-page book won’t be enough. But the following are some areas where internet and internet-powered technology play an important role:
Communication
The Internet has significantly shortened the distances between people. In the past, wired phones and fax machines were the modern modes of communication and sending files. Now you can do all this straight from your phone with an internet connection. There are multiple applications to do so like WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage, and email apps to communicate and share files.
Other than sending messages and making calls, you can even conduct complete meetings and presentations from apps like Slack, Zoom, and Teams. Without such apps, the work-from-home flexibility a lot of professionals today have wouldn’t have been possible.
Navigation
Finding an address for the first time in the past was quite challenging. The references were usually of street names or of popular places near the actual address. With unclear references, finding a destination was much harder.
Today, GPS applications like Google Maps have made navigation a lot easier than it used to be. You have multiple view options that can show you what the street looks like. You can even see individual houses and street views. All you have to do is to search for the location on your desired maps application.
Education
In the past, there were many requisites for education. People had to be in a class to learn about a subject. Also, learning was quite demanding as people had to consult multiple books and spend hours finding their answers. Lastly, education wasn’t accessible to everyone.
Today, the internet has covered all these challenges. You can use the internet as a massive knowledge base to look for the answers. All you have to do is to search online and the appearing results will answer your queries. It is convenient and time-saving. Plus, people are not bound to a class to learn new skills. You can learn new skills from online tutorials and even enroll in online degrees. Also, Zoom and such apps have made taking classes from home possible.
Transactions
One of the areas where the use of the internet has transformed everything is banking and transactions. In the past, cash and physical currency were used for buying and selling. Also, banks used to work very differently from how they work today.
Today, most transactions are made digitally. Different banking applications have taken out the hassle of paying via cash. Now, you can pay for anything from anywhere around the world and pay for it digitally. You don’t even have to convert currencies as these applications do it for you automatically.
Plus, you can get your money in currency notes whenever you want just by visiting an ATM.
Shopping
Not too long ago, you had to physically visit a shop to make a purchase. Whether you wanted a chicken sandwich, a new dress, a game, or literally anything similar, shopping was a task that could take hours of your precious time.
Thanks to the internet and digital transactions, you can buy things just by using your phone. There are various shopping applications like Amazon and Etsy that make online shopping easy and fast. You can select your desired products, pay for them online, and have them delivered to your address. Even buying products from other geographical regions is not a problem anymore.
You can do groceries and buy food from your favorite restaurants and have it delivered to your address. Needless to say, it is all thanks to the internet and internet-powered technology.
Marketing
The mediums of marketing have changed significantly over the years. In the past, channels of marketing were newspaper ads, billboards, brochures, and radio and TV ads. Not to mention most of these mediums were quite expensive to advertise your products/services.
Today, the mediums of marketing have shifted more online. Not just the mediums have changed but advertisement has gotten smarter. Thanks to algorithms of search engines and social media, online marketing gets you a significantly higher return on investment. It is because the targeted ads are shown to customers based on their preferences.
A big difference between then and now is the fact that you get started with marketing at a lower budget. This makes advertisements for small businesses doable and affordable with a higher reach.
