How Technology Has Helped Make Instant Information Possible

Technology  

The Internet has democratized the world of information, making anyone with access just a minute away from finding relevant data. While it has taken decades for the search engine technology to become as rapid and convenient as it is now, it has been a long time in development.

Gone are the days when we had to go to a computer and look up a magazine or journal article and find it on microfilm or in the dusty stacks of the library. Now, all we must do is type in the topic we want and sift through millions of results from Google or another search engine. The Internet has democratized the world of information, making anyone with Internet access just a minute away from finding relevant reading material. While it has taken decades for the search engine technology to become as rapid and convenient as it is now, its development history predates the World Wide Web.

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Server Technology

One of the tools that makes the search engine experience possible is computer server technology. This is a real computer with a hard drive that can store millions of bits of information. When a person types in a search phrase in Google, his or her request must go to one or more of the Google company's servers. The request may go instantly through a series of servers, and then an automated process ensures that the person searching for that information receives an output of search engine results. Some pieces of this resulting information are relevant to the user, while others are not.

Continuous Evolution of Servers

Over time, servers become capable of storing more information in a smaller physical space. Server technology has also evolved to enable the search engine function to occur faster and to include more ways to manipulate the list of results. With this server technology widely available throughout the world, users are accustomed to getting instant information. Even the older ones among us find it hard to remember what it was like to wait for a computer to dial up via AOL for ten minutes. Sometimes, we would have to keep trying because it was a peak hour. We no longer have to call back people at home because their phone lines were busy while they were online. We just call them on their mobile phone at any time. If they are using their mobile hotspot to use the Internet on another device, we can still get through and talk to them.

Modern information technologies make it easy for us to access information on the Internet. They also make it possible for us to further our education and continue our schooling there are even master of public administration programs out there to help students be successful. We can also use mobile devices to find information on the digital web and on the mobile web to find different info. All we have to do is formulate a question for a search engine, and the results are just an instant away.

By Kara Masterson

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