We live in a world that’s always moving forward, especially when it comes to technology.

Sometimes, we don’t take the opportunity to look back and see how many innovations have been made in the last 2 decades.

Technology is constantly adapting all the time, with new innovations on a daily basis.

Although some of the innovations on this list might not seem like such a big deal, the pieces of tech on this list have truly being life-changing for the majority of people; every day people living every day lives.

So, which tech innovations of the last 2 decades do we think were most important for those every day people who are consuming technology as soon as it arrives?

Wikipedia

Although Wikipedia might not seem like one of the biggest tech innovations of all time, it has completely changed how millions, perhaps billions of people conduct their research online.

For a lot of people, their source of factual information is Wikipedia; it’s where they begin their research, and generally where they end it.

Although such a reliance on one tool might seem like a concern, it doesn’t change how valuable an invention Wikipedia actually was, and it’s only becoming better as they days go by.

It might have problems, but Wikipedia is one of the best pieces of software ever developed.

Smartphones

If you’re young enough, you’ll never have known a time without a phone that can do all the things that a computer can do, sometimes better than a computer can do them.

However, if you’re a little bit older, you’ll recall a time when all mobile phones could do was call somebody or text somebody.

Smartphones have undeniably transformed the lives of billions of people, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

However, we can say with certainty that smartphones are one of the greatest tech innovations of the last two decades.

Suffice to say, the development of smartphones is still ongoing; they’re becoming better on a daily basis.

Social media

The internet has been around in some form for decades now, and you’ve been able to use it to communicate for a fairly long time, too.

However, social media platforms have only just began developing in the last couple of decades.

Social media platforms have completely and irrefutably transformed the way that we spend our lives; they are certainly comparable with the impact of smartphones and the internet itself in terms of impact on society.

Billions of people worldwide use social media on a daily basis, with the most significant platform being Facebook.

Facebook alone has over 2 billion users, which is a huge fraction of the Earth’s population.

Movie streaming platforms

There was a time when you had to go to the cinemas to see a movie, hope that it was on TV, or buy the DVD or video.

The thought of platforms storing thousands of TV shows and movies, all accessible in mere seconds, was never something that crossed your mind, especially for only a small subscription fee.

Platforms such as Netflix enable us to watch a huge library of TV shows and movies all in one place, with the cheapest subscription being only £5.99 a month; in some places, you wouldn’t be able to buy even one DVD for that.

Although these are just 4 tech innovations that have changed everyday life, suffice to say that there are a whole lot more innovations that we haven’t discussed here.

What technological wonder changed your life for the better?

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This article was written by Rebecca Kilburn with useful industry information from Compatible SFP.

Rebecca is a Yorkshire lass who loves all things technology and admits to being a true geek.