The Advent of Hi-Tech Has Altered Our Way of Living

Businesses, and particularly the marketing aspect of businesses, rely a great deal on the use of computers. Marketing is the process by which goods are sold and purchased. Modern marketing has evolved into a complex and diverse field. This field includes a wide variety of special functions such as advertising, mail-order business, public relations, retailing and merchandising, sales, market research, and pricing of goods.

Computers play a significant role in inventory control, processing and handling orders, communication between satellite companies in an organization, design and production of goods, manufacturing, product and market analysis, advertising, producing the company newsletter, and in some cases, complete control of company operations.

In today’s extremely competitive business environment businesses are searching for ways to improve profitability and to maintain their position in the marketplace. As competition becomes more intense the formula for success becomes more difficult. Two particular things have greatly aided companies in their quests to accomplish these goals.

They are the innovative software products and the World Wide Web. More and more manufacturing businesses are integrating some aspects of production, including inventory tracking, scheduling, and marketing. This idea, known as computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), speeds processing of orders, adds to effective materials management, and creates considerable cost savings. In addition to designing and manufacturing a product, a company must be effectively able to advertise, market, and sell its product.

Much of what passes for business is nothing more than making connections with other people. What if you could pass out your business card to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients and partners? You can, twenty four hours a day, inexpensively and simply on the World Wide Web.

Before there were electronics, people found simple ways to entertain themselves: curling up with a good book, knitting by the fire, listening to the radio, and playing bridge. There was no such thing as cable television or boom boxes. In the picture: already ibooks.

Technology has provided us with even more creative ways to occupy our time. Thanks to Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, we can play video games, competing with friends and other gamers from around the world to master fighting, strategy, and sports titles. While some parents may argue that video games are violent and addictive, healthy amounts of game time can actually be beneficial to a child’s development. A study by Information Solutions Group for PopCap Games discovered that playing video games can improve concentration, increase attention span, and provide positive affirmation, especially in children suffering from ADHD. In addition, we can burn calories while playing Wii Fit.

As far as music goes, we used to have to pop in another cassette tape or CD once one reached the end. Today’s portable music players (PMPs) – such as the Apple iPod touch and Microsoft Zune – have redefined how we listen to and access music. We’re able to store gigabytes of music on a PMP and listen to thousands of songs on one player. And when we get tired of the music on them, we simply load different tunes.

Traditional paperbacks and hardcovers are now inching towards e-books. With Amazon’s Kindle, we have access to more than 150,000 e-books at any given time. In addition, the Kindle offers 180MB of onboard memory, which means we can carry up to 200 books at once.

Watching TV involves more than just our television and cable box these days. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) like the TiVo HD XL enable us to pause, rewind, and fast-forward live TV as well as record TV shows when we’re not at home. If we’re bored with watching our tired DVD collection, there’s always renting movies and buying TV shows from our couch using Apple TV. This nifty digital media extender also lets us play digital content onto our TVs from any home Mac or Windows machines running iTunes.

While we can’t imagine being without these engaging devices, technology can at the same time hold us back from truly enjoying life. There’s still nothing like flipping through the crisp pages of a traditional paperback. Listening to music with ear buds divert us from hearing the incredible sounds of nature. Video games are great for eye- and hand coordination, but it doesn’t hurt to turn off the console and go hiking or out to dinner with friends as an alternative. And instead of recording almost every show on TV, stick to the ones you’re actually going to watch.