2. Thesis
Computer and the Internet has
impacted the American society in
the way we think and caused a
surge of creativity, belief and
reliance on technology.
3. Uniqueness to
this Period
• The nation had strong appeals for
technology.
• It consisted of constant mentions of new
applications for computers and brought
the idea of the future to the present.
• The nation also had creative ways of
expressing the new decade.
4. Uniqueness to this Period
Technology ran rapidly through the streets of cities and stores boomed with various products.
5. Uniqueness to this
Period
• Radios now featured cassette decks to
playback music and some recording
from the air waves.
• It made its way into the hand of many
famous celebrities.
• The promotion of technology also
soared throughout the 80s.
6. The Video Game Boom
• Video Games became popular especially
around this time on consoles and computers.
• Home computing was primitive, and many
games came on cartridges with very limited
space.
7. The Video Game Boom
• The entertainment was solidified by the
video games and the local connection of
arcades.
• This was a hangout spot for most young kids
and teens and was a true description of the
80s.
9. Kids and
Education
• With the edition of technology, the nation
started to introduce computer courses to
schools and experimented with interactive
learning methods.
• Kids also were able to now be assisted
with learning through small computers like
the speak and spell.
10. Adults and Work
• Many jobs now kept records of important
data on media storage and used advanced
computers to handle business.
• The industry also started to rapidly deploy
computers in the work force and
businesswomen and secretaries started to
explore productivity digitally.
11. The Modern Family
• Homes now included a VHS player or
video game entertainment system.
• Computers also made their way into
the homes of many families usually
used for entertainment or to keep
important files.
12. Traveling
• Cars were known as having a “boxy”
appearance and coined the new use of
electronic fuel injection powered the now
powered by computers.
• Cell Phones were sold and were bulky but
were used by many businesses and they
even made their way into cars.
13. Impact and Change
Over the Years
• How did the implications of
technology find its newfound life
in society?
• How has the mobilization of the
80s influenced our culture?
14. The Introduction of Web-
Based Communication
• Websites and chat rooms started to appear
around the late 90s making a phone not the
only form of communication.
• The world also moved towards satellite
technology which added another layer of
complexity to the nation.
15. Technology in
Politics
• Ronald Regan put out a new issue of
defense dedicated to stopping nuclear
warfare better known as “Star Wars.”
• The nation also received a surge in use of
floppy disks and cassettes to store
recordings of speeches and meetings.
16. Formation of Automation
• With the introduction of technology. Many
manufacturers found use for computers with
design and mockups.
• They used the computers to generate
simulations of real-life scenarios saving them
millions in materials and use.
• Artificial Intelligence or AI was also founded in
the 1980s and allowed efficiency to increase
through the implementation of computer
regulators.
17. A New Society
Many citizens of the US were now looking at new
computers and hoping that their dreams of the
advanced world would become reality. It shifted the
businesses to refine their products to better fit a
faster more technical world.
18. Living in this
time period
My personal belief of how I’d spend my
days in this time period.
Check out some people who tried
to do this very thing:
https://youtu.be/nESpVqVDEB0
19. Weekdays
• If I was in school, I believe I would be
writing a lot more as typing was a new
trend in education.
• I also would be going outside and playing
with friends more than now.
20. Weekends
• I’d spend most of my time at the local
arcade or at a dance party.
• A lot of house parties were also thrown
which was a social commonality.
22. This period is very important
to the start of the digital age
Without this decade, many of the ways we communicate
would have been behind. With a load of technologies
improving the life of Americans, we wouldn’t be so inclined
to technology like we are today.
23. Misconceptions about
the 80s and 90s.
• Most people believed the Internet
started in the 90s, but it was
developed in 1984. The use of the
Internet in the public was mass
marketed in 1989.
• Microsoft began as a software
company in late 1975. Their
popularity exploded in the mid
80s with the release of Windows
1.0.
24. Conclusion
The 80s brought about an era of progression
that many see as the foundation of the
current world we live in today. Many of the
technologies we use were created in the 80s
and we should thank those who spent their
lives producing this world.
25. Technology is here to stay
• The world would not be the same and with its new
functioning society. The music reflected the new
technology and started a new feeling of advancement.
• A few songs that spoke on technology:
• Computer Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aVa7qVKUHI
• Video Killed the Radio Star:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs
26. This era was the
speeding up of America
• The advancement in technology allowed for more
integrated ways to speed the American communications
system. The Internet was the greatest achievement, and
it was a great way to wrap the 80s up into one single
application.
27. The future of
technology
We have now looked at where our
journey of computing has begun,
what could be instore for the
future? We’ve built drones created
real robots and found ways to form
our real dreams.
I leave you with this question:
29. Bonus Slide
• I drive a car from the 1980s!
• It’s a 1987 Nissan Maxima and although it’s a bit old and rusty, it
still drives and has an extreme reminder to me of what the 80s
was.
• Here’s a picture of mine and an old picture of it advertised:
31. Works Cited
• Van Rheenen, Derek. “A Century of Historical Change in the Game Preferences of American
Children.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 125, no. 498, 2012, pp. 411–443. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jamerfolk.125.498.0411. Accessed 19 July 2021.
• Lean, Tom. A Brave New World: the 1980s Home Computer Boom, Immediate Media Company, 24
Feb. 2016, www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/a-brave-new-world-the-1980s-home-
computer-boom/.
• Plunkert, Lois. “The 1980’s: A Decade of Job Growth and Industry Shifts : Monthly Labor Review:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” The 1980’s: A Decade of Job Growth and Industry Shifts, Monthly
Labor Review, 1 Sept. 1990, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1990/article/1980s-a-decade-of-job-growth-
and-industry-shifts.htm.
• Joly, Nathan. “The Most Iconic Tech of the 1980s.” SBS, SBS, 8 Mar. 2017,
www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/03/08/most-iconic-tech-1980s.
• Internet Society. “Brief History of the Internet.” Internet Society, Internet Society, 1 June 2021,
www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet.
32. The Effects of Technology
One thing that has negatively affected us is our now
heavy reliance on technology for information. Studies
have shown that people have now become more anti-
social because of the Internet.
There is a strong resonance to still be there for family and
enjoy real-life interactions and never overdo it.
