I love this quote from Alan Kay: “Technology is anything that was invented after you were born, everything else is just stuff.” Actually I realized that it was quite true.
Technology for my children is vastly different from my concept. For them, computers and internet are normal. Only what will be developed next will be new technology – for example, self-driving cars, electrical vehicles, etc. For me, born in the early 70’s, computers and networks are still marvels of technology. I still remember in the early 1990’s in engineering school, how it was fantastic connecting to a server on the other side of the Atlantic using ftp!
What this quote underlines is that technology is a relative concept, at least when it comes to what we perceive as technology. A lot is hidden from view, but what was there when we grew up is certainly our baseline to appreciate technological developments.
