A life changing invention is a subjective concept, because what one person considers life changing may be completely insignificant to someone else. With this in mind, these are just some of the modern inventions that have changed the lives of people around the world.
Computers
Where would we be today without computers? Okay, we could manage without them if we had to, but computers have changed lives for so many people in so many ways that they have to be top of this list.
Thanks to computers, students can compile essays and keep copies on file without the need for filing cabinets and piles of paper. People who are tied to the house because of disability or family commitments can now work from home. Computers make life much easier for so many people – office workers, journalists, authors – the list is endless.
Internet
Love it or hate it, the internet has had a profound effect on how people live their lives. Without computers, we wouldn’t have the internet – the two go hand in hand.
If you’re filling in a general knowledge crossword, and you’re stuck on 21 across: ‘Film that won the Best Picture Oscar in 1968,’ a quick Google will not only tell you that it was ‘Oliver!’ but also that the next musical to win the Best Picture Oscar was ‘Chicago!’ in 2002. So you can send in your crossword and hope to win the big prize, rather than waiting until next week to find the answer.
That’s rather a trivial example, but it serves to illustrate the point that the internet has brought a sense of immediacy to modern life. You can find out anything on any subject, good or bad, within seconds.
The internet has also changed how we use our leisure time and how we socialise. Think online dating, Fantasy Football, online gambling and Twitter. None of these would have been possible without the internet. Then there’s online shopping. You can buy almost anything online these days, and, because online stores don’t have the same overheads as high street stores, there are usually fantastic bargains to be had.
Let’s not forget eBay. The online auction site has enabled ordinary people to sell their junk and collectibles or run their own business from the comfort of their computer chair. Almost everyone you speak to has either bought or sold something on eBay. That fact alone qualifies the internet as a modern life changing invention.
Credit and debit cards
Credit cards have only been with us since the 1960’s. and it was almost 20 years more before debit cards came on the scene, but they seem to have been around for ever. These days, we’re almost a cashless society, but credit cards have changed life in so many more ways than the fact that we can all be like Queen Elizabeth of England, who is reputed never to carry cash.
Gone are the days when people saved up for what they wanted – nowadays, you can charge it to the card and worry about paying for it later. Debt is no longer something to be ashamed of, it’s an accepted fact of modern life, and this attitude has come about because of the advent of the credit card.
Without computers, the internet and credit and debit cards, modern life would be so different as to be unrecognisable to today’s generation. That’s why these inventions qualify as life changing.
