Major milestones include the transistor, integrated circuit, microprocessor, internet, World Wide Web, smartphones, and cloud computing. Together, they made digital systems smaller, cheaper, interconnected, widely accessible, and increasingly embedded in society.
This topic, milestones in the development of digital society, is shared by SL and HL students under syllabus area 1.1C.
| Milestone | Why it mattered |
|---|---|
| Transistor, 1947 | Replaced vacuum tubes, enabling smaller, faster, and more reliable computers. |
| Integrated circuit, 1958-1959 | Combined electronic components on one chip, reducing costs and enabling mass production. |
| Microprocessor, 1971 | The Intel 4004 placed central processing functions on one chip, helping make personal computers and mobile devices practical. |
| Internet foundations, 1969-1983 | ARPANET demonstrated networked communication, while TCP/IP allowed different networks to exchange data through common protocols. |
| World Wide Web, 1989-1991 | Tim Berners-Lee developed linked webpages accessed through the internet, making information easier to publish and navigate. |
| Smartphones, especially from 2007 | Devices such as Apple's iPhone combined computing, internet access, cameras, sensors, and applications in a mobile device. |
| Cloud computing, especially from 2006 | Amazon Web Services let organizations rent remote computing power and storage, supporting scalable platforms, collaboration, streaming, and data analytics. |
These milestones form an interconnected system. Cloud computing depends on microprocessors, network infrastructure, internet protocols, and data centres. Their impacts include expanded communication, information access, and new business models; their implications include surveillance, unequal access, cybersecurity risks, and dependence on digital infrastructure.
A common misconception is that digital society began with the internet. Earlier electronic computing and digitization provided the foundations, while later developments transformed how people and communities work, communicate, and exercise power.
In an IB response, do not merely list inventions. For an explain question, connect each milestone to social change. For a discuss question, evaluate opportunities and dilemmas using specific evidence and multiple stakeholder perspectives.
