Digital Industrialization:

The Information Age

Elliot Scribner





Modern World History
Mr. Angus
28 January 2014
During the late 1700s a Revolution began that would change the world forever.
Industrialization and urbanization spread all throughout the world, bringing steam
engines, boats, trains, and the most important of all: factories. With all of the newfound
industrial machinery, production skyrocketed and the economy grew. This revolution
would later be known as the Industrial Revolution. Since then the revolution had slowed
and urbanization plateaued. Until the mid 19
th
century, when another revolution would
rock the world. Newer technologies began to be discovered, including the Internet,
mobile communication, and more. Once the door had been opened to all of these new
technologies, the revolution gained power and momentum. Since 1950, the Digital
Revolution has been in full swing, contributing to the worlds technological innovation.
Because both the Inuustiial Revolution anu the Technological Revolution shaieu
many similaiities thiough the piouucts they piouuceu, the effects they iteiateu, anu
the eneigy acquisition anu usage implementations, theie has also been a gieat ueal
of change anu evolution thioughout histoiy that has helpeu shape technology anu
inuustiialism uiastically.


Because both the Inuustiial Revolution anu the Technological Revolution
shaieu many similaiities thiough the piouucts they piouuceu, the effects they
iteiateu, anu the eneigy acquisition anu usage implementations, theie has also been
a gieat ueal of change anu evolution thioughout histoiy that has helpeu shape
technology anu inuustiialism uiastically. Buiing the Inuustiial Revolution, steam
engines, tiains, anu boats all spiang up, contiibuting to the uibanization. Textile
inuustiies anu factoiies became the noim, anu citizens moveu away fiom faiming
anu agiicultuie. The piouucts of the Inuustiial Revolution weie not unlike those of
the Bigital Revolution. While the Bigital Revolution has piouuceu moie technically
auvanceu piouucts, the Inuustiial Revolution hau piouuceu some of the woilu's
most influential technologies. The new uevices anu technologies that aie becoming
moie anu moie wiuely useu touay aie also ones to change the woilu. Computeis anu
mobile phones make communication a bieeze, even acioss the woilu. Accoiuing to
Bongkiat.com, some of the most influential piouucts of the Bigital Age have yet to
come. Peisonal SB piinteis, viitual ieality, motion contiols, peisonal
supeicomputeis, anu uiiveiless cais aie all veiy imminent technologies. Soon
people might be able to cieate liteially anything by just SB moueling anu piinting it.
0i they may be able to complete unthinkable tasks in the comfoit of theii living
iooms using some of the most poweiful computeis of all time. All of these new
technologies will benefit the woilu gieatly anu help push foiwaiu oui mouein
woilu, much as the Inuustiial Revolution uiu 2Su yeais ago. These ievolutions have
both lasteu similai amounts of time, but the Bigital Revolution is still happening,
anu showing no signs of stopping. If technological auvancement keeps going at the
iate it is cuiiently peiusing, who knows how much technology might be piesent in
Su yeais. Buiing both of these ievolutions, the piouucts of the innovation weie
geaieu towaius, anu accomplisheu, the one goal of helping people anu cieating
easiei methous of completing tasks foi the woilu to use. Both the Inuustiial
Revolution anu the Bigital Revolution piouuceu innovative piouucts that
accomplisheu tasks with much moie efficiency anu ease.



While the piouucts of the two ievolutions helpeu push foiwaiu the
technology in the mouein woilu, the two ievolutions pusheu a numbei of uiffeient
effects into action. The Inuustiial Revolution causeu an inciease of wealth anu
powei in uieat Biitain anu maue woik much easiei anu moie efficient. Bowevei the
Inuustiial Revolution also causeu a uecline in the woiking anu living conuitions foi
the factoiy woikeis who weie living in laige slums in the cities. Pollution incieaseu
uiamatically anu uisease spieau quickly. Chilu laboi became common, causing a
ueciease in euucation foi chiluien. The Bigital Revolution also showeu a few
positive tiaits along with negative tiaits, much like the Inuustiial Revolution. The
Bigital Revolution piouuceu bettei communication, inteiconnecteuness,
infoimation shaiing, anu quickei inteiaction. All of these helpeu the efficiency of
businesses, much like inuustiialization hau fueleu businesses back in the uay.
Bowevei, the new technologies can leau to infoimation oveiloau, social isolation, oi
meuia satuiation. This means that people can oveiloau on infoimation fiom the web
uue to the quick anu easy accessibility of just about any infoimation you coulu
uesiie. People can become too involveu in the meuia, anu can even begin to shun
social inteiaction in exchange foi using technology moie anu moie. Piiacy anu
Copyiight infiingement aie also veiy piessing issues with the newei anu newei
technologies making this easiei. Both of these ievolutions showeu negative anu
positive effects, such as incieaseu efficiency at the cost of stiess on the woikeis.



In oiuei to cieate new piouucts anu uiive the mouein woilu foiwaiu, eneigy
acquisition anu usage hau to change uiamatically thioughout the two ievolutions.
Buiing the Inuustiial Revolution, coal anu steam powei weie majoi contiibutois to
the giowth of the inuustiies. 0btaining coal uuiing this time peiiou was veiy
uangeious, even though supply hau become plentiful. Fast-foiwaiu a couple
hunuieu yeais, anu most of the woilu still uses coal with the auueu eneigies fiom
petioleum piouucts anu some nucleai powei. While obtaining these eneigies has
become much less uangeious, ceitain piocesses such as hyuiaulic fiacking have
iumoieu to inflict some levels of uangei on the people. Aftei all of this time, the
iesouices aie beginning to iun out, anu we aie tiying uespeiately to finu othei
methous of cieating eneigy. Renewable eneigies aie becoming veiy common anu
aie foi the most pait a piouuct of the Technological Revolution. With all of these
new methous of cieating eneigy, alongsiue the olu methous, we can see how much
giowth has occuiieu since the Inuustiial Revolution, even though we uon't see as
much change as maybe expecteu. Foi the most pait we still see a lot of the oluei
methous, such as coal mining, being useu touay.
Since both ievolutions shaieu similaiities thiough the piouuction of new
technologies, effects on the iest of the woilu, anu the acquisition anu usage of
eneigy, theie has also been a gieat ueal of change thioughout histoiy that has
helpeu shape technology anu inuustiialism. All in all, the Bigital Revolution has just
become a moie mouein foim of the Inuustiial ievolution. Nany paiallels can be
uiawn between the two in iegaius to the piouucts being piouuceu, the effects on
the people anu the iest of the woilu, anu how eneigy is being acquiieu anu use.
Technology is giowing at such a iapiu iate, anu the Bigital Revolution is still going
stiong. Because of the quick giowth uuiing the Bigital Age, we might be able to
expect a laige amount of giowth in the next 4u-Su yeais. The amount of giowth
possible in that timefiame baseu on the histoiy of the technological auvancement is
unimaginable.

Link To Video: www.youtube.com/embed/xB41HtnsFuc (embedded on blog)