Information Technology—Then and Now
Some of the most disruptive developments of all have involved information technology. In the past decade, the most dramatic disruptions have been caused by two factors: afford-able and tiny computer technology and the World Wide Web. No matter how low-tech your business may be, those two items are either your nemesis or your opportunity. They are permanently altering the business landscape.
The Web is just a natural evolution, however, in a long line of disruptive information technology developments. The first true information technology began with Gutenberg’s printing press, back in the mid-1400s. There are a lot of parallels between this introduction and what is happening today. This single technological development radically altered the course of history. You could argue that one German innovator’s rudimentary contraption led to the Protestant Reformation, the migration to the “new world,” and the spread of representative government.
I know 500 years seems like a long time ago, but in the con-text of human existence, it’s as if it happened last week. We are still just on the cusp of developing the information technology that will shape our tools and drive our future. Let me say this in another way. In 20 years, the ways in which we use in-formation technology now will seem as antiquated as the pony express.
Why should you care about what happened 500 years ago, or 100, or even 20? Because technology is the most important factor in our history. It has shaped us since the dawn of agriculture. The only thing that has changed is the rapid rate at which technology builds on itself and continues to expand at an exponential rate. I believe we are just getting started. Biotech is still in its toddler stage, and nanotech is
