Digital technology is a mainstay of our society to the point it’s hard to imagine a life without it. It has been integrated into every part of our life starting with the digital clock’s alarm that wakes us up in the morning before classes to the TV we watch in the evening before going to sleep. We have quite a dependence on digital technology, and while whether or not that is a good or bad thing is debatable, but what exactly is digital technology? And how do we classify that exactly?

The Orgins of Digital Technology

Digital technology got its start in 1679 with the development of the first-ever binary system. As the site Base 22 explains in Their article ‘The history of Digitization’” the binary system was the start of all digital technology. The creator, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz crafted a well-known book titled “Explanation of Binary Systems” in 1703 to help others understand the binary system. Later in 1755 another pioneer of the binary system, Samuel Johnson, wrote a book to explain the system from a border perspective so the general public could understand.. This binary language became the building blocks for digital technology.

So what was there before that, Enconpedia.com explains. Before digital technology, telecommunications relied on analog signals. But in the early 1980s, enhanced fiber optics enabled the creation of digital communication networks. Compared to its predecessor, digital transmissions were less distorted and could be duplicated easily. The inclusion of direct broadcasting satellites which compress digital signals to be received, used for digital television happened in 1998. It was much more effective to point out that the Federal Communications Commission ordered all American broadcasts to be digital by 2010

Back then, technology wasn’t as streamlined and compact as it is today. For example, early computers such as ENIAC, the first ever computer that was introduced in 1946 were so large it took up the entire room. Despite their size, they could only form basic operations that today would seem relatively trivial. Not only that, they were only operated by trained technicians who would use the computers to perform calculations and solve numerical problems. Compare to today, it almost sounds crazy.

What makes Technology Digital?

Digital technology is any technology that generates stores and processes data using binary code. As such, said data is transmitted and stored as strings of 0s and 1s. This data is read by the technology and then used for whatever purpose it is needed for. Whether that is for transmission, storage, or reading and used for a specific task.

Before the digital age, electronic transmissions were limited to analog technology, which instead used varying electric signals to send and receive data. Broadcasting and phone transmission made use of this kind of technology to function but today has been passed up in favor of more modern digital technology.

Digital in broader terms can also apply to anything that is a representation of digital technology. Some examples of this are visual reality (VR), audiobooks, digital art or music, podcasts, and video games. All of these forms of media are built on digital technology and are part of the larger whole. All perform different functions but use the binary code to transmit and store data.

Emergence and Integration of Digital Technology in the Mainstream

Digital technology was introduced to the public with the introduction of the mobile phone in 1973. Computers soon followed with the first personal computer released in 1974 with the first laptop, Osborne 1, in 1981. Both were game changers, even more so with the introduction of the World Wide Web in 1991 which brought forth a new age that streamlined the transmission of information.

Digital technology has advanced more rapidly than any other innovation. It enhances connectivity, financial opportunities, and access to trade and public services, improving and having a major influence on today’s society. Studies have shown the effects of technology on society. It has led to improvements for us. Whether it be for newer innovations in medicine, science, or even general life.

Although this sounds good in theory, there are issues to be had with digital technology. It leaves us always connected in a way, that makes privacy hard to achieve. Not to mention, often leaves us distracted. Anything can be harmful if used improperly and technology certainly can be harmful to students

This isn’t even mentioning someone’s digital footprint. Nothing posted on the internet ever goes away, no matter how much you try, it can’t be completely deleted. This has had unintended consequences, such as people being ‘canceled’ online for their previous actions and posts made online.

Push Towards Digital Writing

Digital writing has been a major part of the internet. It encompasses many different forms of writing. Everything from blog posts to social media posts to texting are all forms of digital writing. Even code can be considered a form of digital writing. In more recent years there has been a push towards to move away from more print writing and towards more digital writing, even taking printed works and bringing them to the digital world.

One major factor in the push towards digital writing, and digital technology in general especially in educational settings was the Covid-19 pandemic. As cases rose, the public had to quarantine themselves, effectively turning our homes into the classroom. For learning to continue, schools sought out ways to continue teaching and used digital technologies to do so. While it did work, it also had the effect of effectively forcing students to make all their writing digital.

Granted, that already had been happening. Several schools have given their students laptops for them to do their work on, instead of having a dedicated room that is visited only occasionally. Services such as Google Classroom became a hub for learning, making it a place for teachers to post work and students to easily submit it.

It isn’t hard to see why people prefer digital writing. Unlike print writing, which is more rigid, digital writing is a lot more fluid. The text can be altered, whether by the website itself or by an add-on. It can be bolded or resized to be easier to read or even have parts replaced. Not only that, digital works can be accessed from several places from anywhere that can access the internet via a web browser. Not to mention the ability to have the text read aloud to you without requiring a CD or tape.

Final Thoughts

It can’t be denied that digital technology is here to stay. It has become an integral part of society and it doesn’t look like it will be changing any time soon. New and newer advances are being made every day. With our voracious appetite for the newest tech there is, there’s no doubt that there will be innovations made for us consumers to, hopefully, change our lives for the better.