The technology in the Nineties

When we say that almost everything and anything that we do today in terms of social and personal technology had its roots in the Nineties, you better believe it. Right from cell phones, to the internet, up to portable music technology, it all had its roots in the last decade of the previous millennium. If you still think we’re pulling a fast one on you, read on…

The Internet

The Internet is perhaps the biggest technological discovery since the invention of the wheel. The internet was not invented in the Nineties, but it certainly took its first steps in becoming the virtual and digital behemoth that it is today.

The beginning was clunky, slow, and a bit noisy to boot, with the old modems connected to telephone lines. People literally had to put their phone lines on hold to connect online. It sounds a bit ridiculous now when we connect wirelessly to the internet. That was not the case in the Nineties. Now you can learn about playing online in Milla’s casino blog.

Online Communication

Email may go extinct one day; for now, though, it remains a vital form of online communication. Come to think of it, with the evolution of online mail, the letters we sent through the post has been long forgotten. We could also argue that email was the progenitor of the popular messaging services that have now become the de-facto mode of interpersonal communication: Think WhatsApp, Snapchat, and the many messenger tools available today.

The other communication tool that took shape in the Nineties was online forums. For the very first time, people had the opportunity, courtesy of the Internet, to share opinions and post stories that could be read by anyone with an Internet connection. Those were the good old days when trolls were almost non-existent and cyber bullying had yet to make an appearance.

Cellular Technology

If the World Wide Web has revolutionized the way we communicate, then cellular technology is definitely not far behind. Much like the internet, mobile phone technology too had its beginnings in the Nineties with large, clunky handsets that were longer the length of your hands. And, they had no touchscreens either. In terms of design, they resembled cordless phones of that decade with numbers you pressed to make a call. No messaging, no Wi Fi, no GPS, and not a lot of other things that we take for granted with our cell phones today. However, they did pave for today’s ground-breaking devices.

File Sharing

A quick way to determine if a person is truly a millennial or not is to ask them about Napster. If you are met with a blank expression as a reply, you know that they truly belong to the new millennium. So, why is Napster important? Well, this file-sharing application led to the complete overhaul of the music industry as we know it, and the way we consume media today. Back in the day, it was common for everyone to pay for an album or a movie they wanted to watch. After Napster, media files could be shared from one user to another, meaning free music, and later, free movies. The digital populace is still reaping the rewards of what the very first peer-to-peer application sowed in the Nineties.

The Decade That Built Our Technology

When we look back at the Nineties. we would probably remember a decade that was a countdown to a new millennium and the much feared Y2K. But it was the technology and the devices that took shape in this decade that have grown and evolved to what we have now. Remember that the next time you log on to your mail, post a tweet, share a picture, or call someone.