When looking at modern tech, it can seem pretty insane that we’ve gotten so far within a single lifetime. If you’ve been alive for over two decades, you’ve seen the way we live modern life change entirely due to the devices that a lot of us take for granted. However, it’s important to look back and remember where this all came from. For that reason, let’s take a trip down memory lane to some of the biggest “tech” moments of the past thirty years.

A connected world

It’s amusing to see how often people underestimate just how old the internet is. Before it became a huge consumer hit, the internet was primarily an enthusiast space, most consisting of messaging platforms around specific, often nerdy interests. Early messaging tech like Usenet allowed for basic HTML communication spaces that laid the foundation for the forums that would start appearing in the mid-90s, which then gave way to live chat rooms, instant messengers, and eventually the social media that has now come to dominate so much of online discourse.

The digital tech explosion

After computers started to become a household name, the power of the “microchip” became a household phenomenon and there were plenty of manufacturers ready to capitalize on it. Taking even a look back at 90s tech shows just how quickly new developments started coming in, from operating systems like MS-DOS, to floppy discs, instant messengers, and social media. Though many of these would be replaced by later iterations, the 90s are when the language of consumer technology was first well and truly defined and when some of the longest standing names, like Microsoft and Apple, first rose to prominence.

Moving mobile

One of the most recently transformative turns in technology was when we start to take the power associated with the PC and started to make it more portable. From laptops to smartphones and now tablets, we can communicate, entertain ourselves, and even make money on mobile phones. Nowadays, most smartphones are effectively handheld PCs with the ability to make calls. As such, we’re always connected to a device with all the capabilities associated with digital technology, a trend that’s likely to stick with us for as long as digital tech remains a thing.

The digital home

Digital technology became not only more portable, but also a lot more versatile, interfacing with devices that previously weren’t digital like never before. This has led to what is called the Internet of Things, a term that describes a series of connections between digital connections. Nowadays, we use smart home hubs to connect to smart speakers, smart TVs, smart lights, smart security cameras, and more. All of this allowing us to more effectively control more of our lives in an increasingly intuitive and effortless way. Smart tech is growing ever more popular so it’s not hard to imagine this trend becoming more mainstream in homes.

There’s only one thing that’s certain amongst the ever-changing landscape of digital technology: things will continue to change. We can only look forward to what those changes bring.