The Most Influential Tech Developments of the 21st Century

Technology, much like life itself, moves at a remarkable pace here in 2024. In fact, technology is now so innovative that it's easy to forget just how far the sector has progressed over the past two and a half decades. We’re all guilty of taking technology for granted, especially since it's permeated everything from our working lives to how we socialize, but there have been some truly revolutionary developments that we’ve been witness to here in the 21st century.

While we might not quite be at the stage of what or what, nevertheless, the following innovations have been the most influential—and revolutionary—tech developments of the 21st Century.

Image: Nathan Dumlao

Smartphones

Let’s face it, we’d all be lost without our mobiles! Smartphones have revolutionized how we communicate, stay entertained and access information. The release of the iPhone in 2007 in particular marked a significant turning point, integrating features such as internet browsing, touchscreens, and app ecosystems into a single, portable device.

Social Media Platforms

Speaking of smartphones, how many of you reading this article actually use your mobiles to make or take voice calls? Back in the 1990s, elder Millennials who weren’t lucky enough to have portable computers in their pockets were reliant on landlines and phone boxes to communicate. These days, all we have to do is open up a social media app and we can instantly reach all the important people in our lives, as well as the not-so-important ones.

Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the ever-controversial TikTok have redefined how we stay in touch with each other and share (or overshare) the minutiae of our day-to-day lives. As well as on the micro level, social media has also transformed things on a macro scale, creating new avenues for marketing and business, mobilizing social movements, and influencing and shaping cultural trends and public opinion.

Image: Umberto

The Internet

Of course, neither smartphones nor social media platforms would exist if it weren't for the internet, nor would any of the myriads of ways we stay entertained and connected to the world. While it's technically not a 21st-century invention per se, it did come into prominence at the turn of the Millennium following mainstream innovations like broadband and mobile data connections.

It’s no overstatement to say that we use the internet for everything. From work to play, this is one tech development that plays a massive role in modern human life. It’s also revolutionized several of our hobbies, just look at how internet connectivity has spawned massive growth in the global gaming industry. Players from opposite sides of the planet can now eMeet, collaborate, compete, or simply hang out in vast digital gaming environments. Meanwhile, the arrival of the internet successfully transmogrified brick-and-mortar games like roulette to the digital space. It´s possible to check the list on Oddschecker to see just how many online casinos now offer the game, as well as a multitude of others.

And if you thought the internet was done with development, think again. We’ve fully entered the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), which refers to the interconnected network of devices that communicate and exchange data across the World Wide Web. From smart home devices like thermostats and security systems to industrial IoT applications, this internet-drive technology is doing radical things when it comes to automation, efficiency, and convenience in various fields.

Image: Luca Bravo

Wearable Tech

Quite possibly the most Sci-Fi of all the developments featured in this article is wearable tech. Wearables are highly influential. There are very few among us who don't utilize some form of wearable tech, such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and health monitors. They’re integral to personal health and wellness management, reminding us to hit our step counts, monitoring our blood pressure and even collecting and analyzing data to provide insights into sleep patterns, etc. Now, the medical industry has begun to roll out healthcare treatment plans using wearables, and as the tech becomes more sophisticated its utility will increase even further.