7 Things Made Easier by the Information Revolution

Heidi Green, The Writers Network

The Information Revolution has drastically altered the life of anyone reading this article; in fact, this simple action would not have been feasible without it . Whether you are currently a toddler or a senior, there's no doubt about it, the generation in which your children live will be completely different than yours, especially when it comes to technology. The "Information Revolution," a phrase coined by journalists and philosophers to describe the increasingly easy availability of information, has made the process of discovering and keeping new information easier than it ever was. Read on to learn about several daily processes that have been simplified by technology. 

Paying Bills

Remember the days when every single bill, from your utility payments to your cable to your phone line, came through the post? The process of paying bills usually meant putting aside your entire Sunday night once a month, with a pile of paper bills and envelopes stacked up on your desk and an ongoing hunt for postage stamps. Making sure everything was paid on time was just as annoying, with the time it took for your bill to get from your mailbox to the receiving center anybody's guess. Fortunately, the Information Revolution has nearly wiped out the notion of paper bills. Currently, paying your bills is usually a simple matter of a couple of clicks online. With everything paid quickly and on time, you can actually work on your budget instead of just hurrying to finish your bills on time. 

Researching An Essay

Getting a lengthy research essay assignment used to cause more than just a long sigh of frustration; back in the days before Wikipedia and online scholarly journals, an essay or assignment would signal hours spent searching the stacks at the library and long, sleepless nights of research. Fortunately, information that used to take hours, if not days of searching to find can now be found at lightning speed, usually within seconds. After all, the widespread and easily accessible dissemination of information is what the Information Revolution is all about. 

Keeping Up With Friends And Family

There used to be a time, not all that long ago, when the prospect of moving, graduation or a career change meant saying goodbye to friends and loved ones permanently. Who has the time to keep up with all of their friends from high school, much less remember their names? With the advent of social media tools and easy access to computers and internet platforms, however, distances that used to be insurmountable are now ignored. Keeping up with your band mates from college is a simple matter of checking Facebook, as is double checking the actual date of your grandma's birthday. And with the availability of free, technologically advanced communication tools such as Skype and online chatting, having conversations with your friends from all over the world is a snap. 

Finding Out About New Music

Even though the days of thumbing through stacks and stacks of vinyl records or CDs at the local music store may cause a bit of nostalgia in many, the fact remains that finding out about new music is easier than ever. With nearly every popular song from a range of genres available on iTunes or Spotify, locating your favorite artist's new tunes is simple, as is hearing about new artists in which you haven't heard of. 

Planning A Trip

 

The era of the travel agency is nearly kaput, and it's fairly easy to see why; with the process of booking tickets for plane, train and bus trips made exquisitely simpler online, there is really no need to trudge down to a brick and mortar travel agency. With a quick online search, you can find the cheapest fares to wherever you plan on going, and then book the best accommodations for when you get there. Companies ranging from cruise lines to resorts are taking advantage of the internet, and even offer online-only specials.
 
Flexing Your Creative Genius
 
Artistic tools that were once the privy of VIPs and industry insiders are now available to the masses. For example, having the ability to record a song is now as simple as opening up a program on your computer or tablet device. This simplicity has stretched out to many different mediums, from film to podcasting, endeavors that used to require thousands of dollars in specialized equipment. 
 
Going To Work
 
The thought of doing all of your work from home may have once sounded preposterous, but many people are now making that idea an easy reality. Because many employees only require access to email, a phone and a keyboard in order to get their work done, there's really no reason for them to physically show up to a workplace other than to sit through excruciating meetings, flirt with their coworkers or go through way too many free K-cups. Unless you work in the retail, restaurant or manufacturing industry, chances are high that you could probably get most of your work done from home. 

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