Introduction
Of the technological advancements that have been made in the areas of: automotives, telecommunications, computer technology and so forth, technological advancements in computer technology over the past decade or so certainly appear to have made the greatest impact on people’s lives in the United States. The use of computers has made it possible for U.S. citizens to evolve more quickly with the times in the areas of personal communication, business progression, and education.
The U.S. Census Bureau (2007) indicates that as of 1994 only 8.2% of U.S. households owned a computer. From 1984 to 1997 households with computers increased gradually to approximately 40%. Since internet access became available households with computers and internet access made a more rapid increase from 1997 to 2003. By 2003 the total numbers of households in the U.S. to have a computer were 69,936 which is 61.8% of the total 113,126 households at that time; and of that 61.8% 54.7% had internet access (The U.S. Census Bureau, 2007, Table 1A). These numbers indicate that a large majority of U. S. citizens’ lifestyles have been affected by computer technology in one aspect or another. The purpose of this essay is to illustrate some positive effects of computer technology to the lives of people in the United States. The areas for discussion include: email, videoconferencing, and education.
Computer technology has made it possible for families, friends, businesses and so forth located all around the world to stay in touch with ease and cost efficiency. Since the initiation of internet access computer technology has opened up different types of choices for people to keep in touch and exchange ideas. People can use instant messaging or email via the computer for instant chat or to send letters back and forth to one another. Email accounts can be accessed through a multitude of service providers such as: yahoo, hotmail, AOL et