Although humans now use computers daily for their work and leisure, they were not always so prevalent in mainstream society. People survived without this technology for millions of years;this shift to a computerized society is a very recent phenomena. It can be argued that the first ‘computers’ came in the form of the abacus: a simple device that aided people in performing simple math calculations. The first modern computers were not built for consumer use, but were instead constructed by universities or large corporations.
Due to the size and cost of building these computers, the public was very limited in their interaction with them. However, computer companies of the 80’s and 90’s were able to start making smaller and less powerful computers as technology improved. Once the massive size constraint for a computer was reduced, it was much more viable for them to be sold as consumer electronics. Gradually, computers entered mainstream society and became essential to many parts of society.
Embedded below is a quick video detailing the progression of computers from their origin to today.