How important is history to digital culture?

The history and ideologies of early digital media


The military; powerful, brave and protect countries from war. In between savings lives the military found time to become the origins of digital technology. The cannon ball in the renaissance combined maths and physics to give the military the advantage when firing at the enemy. 


The term computer came from a woman doing maths. A computer was described as 'a woman who did the same mathematical puzzle over and over'. Nowadays, women and computers are seen as a binary opposition. ENIAC then developed the first electronic computer. It was used to calculate artillery range tables. 


Once computers had become electronic, people from all over the world started developing the basic idea to which suited them best. For example, Colossus used it for code breaking. This came about the time of the industrial revolution, so workers were going from one extreme to another; cottage workshops to big factories. 


As time went on, technology developed, and so did peoples opinions on this new term 'computers'. UNIVAC once said 'what could you possibly do with more than 8 computers?' We now live in the 21st Century and as an estimate, there are 900 million personal computers in the world! Companies such as DARPA were post war enthusiasts for technology, which later were linked to the military. 


Believe it or not, the internet was not intended! But is it a weapon? 


The 1960's saw the rise of equality movements and counter cultures, which were not homogeneous. The new left emerged; hippies. They were influenced by neo-marxism, feminism and environmentalism. 


'Technology was a thing of the man'


In 1970 when computers became affordable, advertising of this technology went through the roof. For example, Altair advertisements in 1976 had bright colours, showing that the computer is something to play with, not just for computing but also personal freedom. At this point the computer was not just for computing, but it was able to give individuals personal expression. But was this just another way to market a corporate product?


The history of the computer and how it develops over time is not known to many people. People are more bothered about the internet and who has poked who on Facebook. Can the internet be a tool for cultural change? Only time will tell.