Electronic World: Expanding technology is shrinking the globe

Story after news story is focused on new technology and how it impacts the world today.    The new developments in technology affect every field of business and recreation and they are not just steadily growing--the development of new technological advances is growing at an exponential rate. Some people grumble about the new electronics gadgets and wish for a less complicated society, while others take the opposite approached and criticize those who are not willing to jump on the bandwagon of new products.  In truth, the best philosophy is somewhere in between.  The new products that make life easier, that save lives, that aid in preventing war or that make better utilization of the earth's resources are positive.  Products which take lives, increase hostility or warfare, or waste resources are to be shunned. Probably the vast majority of new electronics products fall somewhere in between the two ends of the spectrum of usefulness.

One way in which technology is shrinking the world is in the field of business.  Today, even a small home business with access to the internet can market to literally billions of people around the globe.  In years past, establishing a market in another city was difficult.  Companies large enough to expand their markets often had salespeople driving a route or territory.  A regional office might be added or if the company grew even larger, the establishment of an international office might be considered.  This required recruiting people in the opening areas and bringing them to headquarters periodically to train.  Alternatively, home office personnel might be moved overseas for a time to supervise the establishment and training of new offices or plants.

Today, much of the marketing for products is done over the internet.  Many businesses are eliminating the retail outlet and selling directly to customers from an online shopping cart.  Even very specialized niche market entrepreneurs can make a living because so many more people can be reached.  Shoppers no longer have to make a major excursion to a large urban area in order to obtain the best prices for a hard to find item.  Chances are excellent that it can be located on the internet, ordered through a secure site and paid for electronically 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Questions about the products can often be resolved through a customer service live chat feature found on many web sites.

One other area of note in the field of electronic technology and its capacity to shrink the world is the use of cell or mobile phones by millions of people worldwide.  Within 50 years, telephone usage has gone from party lines where call connections were made by an operator plugging wires into a switchboard to teenagers listening to music, sending pictures and chatting both with text messages and endless conversations on color coordinated hand held cell phones. Cell phones can bring in FM stations, play songs to announce which friend is calling and provide hours of entertainment through games and puzzles.