Information technologies have been in existence since the start of humanity since people have been communication through the available technologies during their time. However, it does not mean that the technologies used in antiquity were the same as the ones that the modern world uses. For this reason, it is critical noting that information technologies have evolved through four major phases to the present state—pre-mechanical, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electronic (Reilly, 2003).
The pre-mechanical phase was the earliest of all the information technologies (from 3000 BCE to 1450 AD). During this phase of communications, humans accompanied their communications with petroglyphs in telling their stories, mapping their terrains and record keeping (Reilly, 2003). The same study suggests that the mechanical phase of information technology existed from 1450 AD to 1840 and it saw advancements in the technologies used in communication from the previous era. During this time, people began showing interests in the computation of data and information, which led to the development of the earliest forms of storage technologies, including the slide ruler and the Pascaline, which were forms of mechanical computers that would be used in the manipulation of simple arithmetic.
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The telecommunications that are prevalent in the modern era started evolving during the electro-mechanical era, which lasted between 1840 and 1940 (Reilly, 2003). During this time, the study cited indicates that a number of revolutionary information technologies were discovered, including the radio, telephone, and the Morse code among others. The information technologies invented during this era were considered critical stepping-stones to the development of the modern information technologies. In addition to the identified technologies, it is reported that the same period saw the development of the first large-scale digital computer that marked the onset of the computer era. The current era is called the electronic era. Though many revolutions have occurred concerning information technologies, they can be summarized using the phrase ‘the digital era,’ which infers to the fact that the current information technologies use electronically processed and stored data. This period also marked the development of the internet, which has now resulted in social media. The internet is considered the most remarkable of the technologies ever developed during the electronic era because of the influence it has contributed to the corporate world.
The evolution of information technologies through the four phases described in the preceding paragraphs has influenced businesses remarkably. The first way in which information technologies have affected businesses is increasing the volume of information shared between businesses and their customers (Groveret al., 1998). The development of each of the technologies has always improved the capacity of people to generate and process data, which is critical for businesses. For example, businesses have been able to market their products with ease and to wider audiences through the improved information technologies, which has resulted in improved performances. Elements such as cost-saving, target marketing, online selling, and others, have also resulted from the fact that information technologies have enabled people from different geographies to interact online and share information.
The evolution of information technologies has also contributed to the improvement of businesses through the provision of systems of research and development. For instance, corporations in the modern world are capable of conducting large-scale online surveys on different perspectives of their business, including marketing statistics. The findings realized from such research have been critical in the improvement of the nature of businesses through informing their owners on the new products to be developed, the means of marketing them, and the prospects of the market (Groveret al., 1998).
References
Reilly, E. D. (2003). Milestones in computer science and information technology . Greenwood Publishing Group.
Grover, V., Teng, J., Segars, A. H., & Fiedler, K. (1998). The influence of information technology diffusion and business process change on perceived productivity: The IS executive's perspective. Information & Management , 34 (3), 141-159.
