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S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S
M
odern-day society depends on
storing, retrieving, and sending
information so much that an entire
industry, known as information tech-
nology, has grown to service it. From
the moment you wake up to the time
you go to sleep, you probably access
more information that you even real-
ize. If you use a smartphone, surf the
Internet,watch television, or listen to
satellite radio, you’re using informa-
tion technology.
Humans have always needed to
acquire and share information.While
the information technology industry
has come a long way since mankind
ran around in animal skins and took
shelter under twigs and branches, in
the most basic sense, society’s needs
have not changed much. People still
want to know the latest news, find
their next meal, share information
with others,andunderstand theworld
around them.
As in so many other STEM (sci-
ence, technology, engineering, and
math) fields, innovators in informa-
tion technology have transformed
the world. Easy access to information
for all people has educational, so-
cietal, and global benefits, from the
understanding of foreign cultures and
traditions to the increase in global lit-
eracy. Similarly, the ability to transmit
information rapidly haswide-ranging
positive outcomes. It can help cre-
ate a more productive workforce or
just help people keep in touch. The
consumer electronics industry has
spread the information technology
revolution to the masses. From social
media apps such to smartphoneswith
more power than the computers that
ran the moon landings, information
technology touches more humans
around the globe than ever before.
The age of modern information
technology began in the late 1870s,
INTRODUCTION
What Is Information
Technology?