OK, so it's impossible to imagine modern life,
at least here in the West, without digital technology
just being totally essential. Yeah, right. Like
our smartphones, the internet, that's the basis
for how we do almost everything. It really is.
From our jobs to hanging out with friends, even
keeping up with what's going on in the world.
That article on hack science start education,
I thought they were spot on when they talked
about how dominant these technologies have become
for communication. Oh, for sure. When you think
about it, the sheer volume of economic and political,
cultural interactions that now happen through
these tiny devices and the networks they're all
hooked up to. it's a pretty fundamental shift.
It really is. In how society operates, yeah.
And that's actually what we're gonna, you know,
really big into today. For you, our listener,
you've probably experienced this firsthand, right?
Absolutely. We're asking the question, like,
how did information and computing technology,
or ICT, become so mainstream, especially with,
like, younger generations? Yeah. We're gonna
explore how our perceptions of these technologies
and how we use them has, like, totally changed.
It's a fascinating evolution and I know a lot
of you are interested in understanding these
big shifts without like, you know, getting bogged
down in the technical stuff. Right. We're gonna
try to paint a clear picture of that journey.
Exactly, because you know, if you think back,
there was this very specific image, right? Oh
yeah. Of early computer users. For sure. The
classic computer nerd. Right. We gotta understand,
like... where that stereotype came from, and
even more importantly, how that perception has
just completely flipped. It's almost the reverse
now. Right. Yeah. That stereotype is really the
perfect starting point for understanding this
whole transformation. In those early days, much
like how young people often embrace new forms
of media, they were also some of the earliest
adopters of computers. However, the most... intense
levels of use were kind of concentrated within
a pretty narrow slice of the population. Right,
and the hack -science .education piece, they
pointed out that initially heavy computer use
was mainly wealthier white males. And so that
computer nerd image, it wasn't some random invention,
it actually reflected the profile of who was
spending the most time with these machines. That's
right, and it makes sense when you think about
what those early computers demanded of their
users. Like Landauer, he observed back in 97
that these weren't intuitive, out -of -the -box
gadgets. They required programming. Essentially,
you had to speak their language code. And this
kind of problem solving and detailed instruction,
it tended to appeal to individuals who really
enjoyed focused independent work, logical puzzles,
often folks who might be described as more introverted
and drawn to that kind of systematic thinking.
OK, so let's break this down a little bit. So
the fact that you had to actually write code
to make these early computers do anything. I
mean, that meant it attracted a very specific
kind of person. And as we mentioned, these early
heavy users, they also reportedly tended to have
less interaction with friends and family and
weren't as involved in extracurriculars. Yeah,
precisely. The initial picture was of someone
really deeply immersed in the technology, perhaps
at the expense of other social But this image,
it began to shift pretty dramatically around
the mid -2000s. This is where it gets really
interesting, because in 2005, the Kaiser Family
Foundation, they released this study, and it
kind of threw a curveball at that whole nerd
stereotype. It really did. What were some of
the key findings? What was really surprising
in that research by Roberts, for and right out.
was this discovery that young people who reported
high levels of ICT use were also highly involved
in a wide range of other activities. They were
actively spending time with friends and family.
They were participating in extracurricular clubs,
sports, holding down jobs, even getting regular
physical exercise. So the young people using
technology the most were also the ones leading
active, engaged lives outside of it. Right. That's
a huge change. It's a massive shift, and the
researchers interpreted this as a really fundamental
shift in how ICT was being integrated into young
people's lives. It was no longer a new tool for
a small, isolated group. It was becoming this
broadly adopted technology across diverse segments
of the youth population. OK, so what were the
drivers like behind this huge shift? What made
computers go from these complicated programming
tools to something that just about everyone everywhere
was using? I think a crucial factor, and this
is highlighted in that hackscience .education
article, was the steadily increasing usability
of these devices over the preceding decades.
Think back to those early computers in the 70s.
As we said, you were essentially typing in you
know, text commands. The input and output was
limited to these like basic alphanumeric characters.
Right, very very text -based interface. You had
to memorize commands and it wasn't exactly intuitive
for the average person just wanting to, you know,
like write a letter or something. Exactly, exactly.
Now contrast that with the early 1990s. Suddenly
you had the introduction of the mouse, you know,
these visual icons and menus on a graphical user
interface, a GUI. and these pre -written programs
that allowed you to actually do things without
needing to write a single line of code yourself.
Right. And that dramatically lowered the barrier
to entry for a huge number of people. Oh, yeah.
I remember those early GUIs. It was a whole different
world. Oh, yeah. Suddenly you could point and
click, and things would happen. And it made computers
feel so much more approachable and accessible
to people who weren't technically inclined. It
did. At all. And the evolution didn't stop there.
Right. By the late 90s. computers, they gain
the ability to display all sorts of rich media,
high resolution images, audio, video, animations,
and critically, they could connect to networks,
to the burgeoning internet, and this opened up
a whole new universe of possibilities beyond
just running programs on your own computer. And
so suddenly, it wasn't just about doing calculations
or writing documents in isolation, it was about
entertainment. It was about communicating with
people across the globe, accessing this incredible
wealth of information that broadened the appeal.
Oh, exponentially. Absolutely. And that leads
us to the media landscape we see today, which
is overwhelmingly dominated by mobile devices.
Think about your smartphone, your tablet. These
are incredibly portable, always connected, and
just incredibly versatile. It really is all about
mobile now. It is. Cell phones and... portable
music players with wireless internet access.
It's just everywhere. It's ubiquitous. And this
is where Stanley Schmidt's concept from 2008,
which he called the digital melting pot, becomes
really insightful. He was observing how these
devices were now offering multiple functionalities
that previously required completely separate
pieces of technology. OK, let's unpack that idea
of the digital melting pot. What did he mean
by that? He was essentially describing how diverse
technologies were converging into single handheld
devices. Think about Apple's iPhone, as the article
mentioned. It's not just a phone. It's a high
quality camera. It's a notebook for jotting down
ideas, a way to read books, check email, and
of course, access this ever expanding ecosystem
of apps. just about anything you can imagine.
It's crazy. And as the article rightly points
out. Yeah. any list of functions that we come
up with is almost immediately outdated. I know.
Because new apps and capabilities are being developed
constantly. It's true. My phone does things now
that I couldn't have even imagined 10 years ago.
It's like my primary communication tool, my entertainment
center, my GPS navigator. It's crazy. It really
has become this central hub for so much of our
lives. And that's really the core of the transformation.
ICT has moved from being these specialized programming
tools used by a relatively small group to these
incredibly multifunctional devices that now facilitate
rich social interactions for a vast diverse population.
It's no longer about being a computer person.
It's about using technology as an integral part
of how we connect with each other and engage
with the world around us in countless different
ways. So to kind of like bring this whole journey
together for you, our listener, we've seen how
computers started out as these like... complex
tools, mainly for a specific demographic, people
interested in programming. But over time, thanks
to increasing user -friendliness and the merging
of different technologies into these mobile devices,
ICT has become completely mainstream. Absolutely.
It's woven into almost every aspect of life for
a huge range of people, especially younger generations.
Particularly younger folks, yeah. And the real
aha, moment here is that, like that old picture
of the isolated tech user, that just doesn't
reflect the reality of today. Technology in its
current form is often a tool for connection,
for greater participation in social activities
in the broader world. It's not necessarily about
withdrawing into a digital world. It's often
about enhancing our real world experiences. Yeah,
that's a good way to put it. And on that note,
here's a final thought for you to consider. With
this continuous blending of different technologies
into single devices, how might the lines between
various aspects of our lives continue to blur?
That's a good question. What new social or cultural
shifts might emerge as a result of this ongoing
integration going beyond just like... the capabilities
of the devices themselves, something to think
about. It really is. It's a fascinating question.
It is. Yeah. All right. Well, thanks for listening
to this deep dive. Yeah. Thanks for joining us.
And we'll catch you next time. See you then.