How has tech changed the world, and are kids ready for the future?

Some of the biggest technological changes in the 20th century include telephones, fridges, TVs, radios, computers and game consoles. Then the 21st century saw major technological advancements in smartphones, social media, and even healthcare. New technologies have completely altered how we communicate, work, learn, and spend our downtime.
With the speed at which new tech is evolving and changing the world around us, we need future generations to be able to keep up. So, it makes sense that coding was introduced to the school curriculum across England and Wales a decade ago.

You may remember people talking about the ‘dotcom bubble burst’ 24 years ago. In a nutshell, the dotcom bubble in the USA was a short period of rapid growth and investment in online start-ups, and then the subsequent burst happened in March 2000 when it all took a huge tumble. Online retailers like eBay and Amazon survived but many others failed.

Since 2000 however, things have continued to ramp up; here’s a quick look at what has changed since the dotcom bubble burst:

• Internet Access: In 2000, less than 7% of the world was online, which is staggeringly low by today’s standards when more than half of the global population has internet access.
• Mobile Phones: There were 740 million mobile phone subscriptions in the early 2000s and now there are more mobile phones in the world than people!
• Handheld Devices: The introduction of devices like the iPod in 2001 and the iPhone 6 years later has completely revolutionised personal tech. 
• Online shopping: There has been a massive shift toward online shopping, with supermarkets now delivering your weekly shop straight to your door. Online retail took another big step forward during the pandemic.
• Social Media: Love it or hate it - this now has an enormous impact on people’s daily lives. Social media gives us all a voice and an online presence if we want it, albeit this has happened so quickly some would argue that we weren't ready for it.

What else has changed?

• Media Consumption: The past 20 years have reshaped how, when, and where we access media, be this news or entertainment, as well as the ability to participate through social media, blogging and even virtual reality.

• Healthcare: Technology has brought significant advancements in healthcare delivery and treatment including how patients schedule appointments and access treatment and how physicians diagnose and deliver treatment.
• Climate Action: Tech has allowed for more efficient and innovative approaches to tackling climate issues. For example, many scientists are now looking to technology to steer us toward a carbon-neutral world.

One thing is for sure, technology continues to progress at an unparalleled pace, and whilst it’s exciting to consider what the future holds, we need future generations to be ready to take it forward. And without coding and programming firmly under their belts from an early age that would be almost impossible.

If you want to start your journey into scratch coding and see where it can take you, or if you want more information or a 14-day trial of Rainforest Coding, click here: RainforestCoding - Coding Games for Kids