The period since the mid-1980s has been characterized by the rise and convergence of several transformative digital technologies: * **Digital Imagery, Sound, and Music:** The shift from analog to digital formats revolutionized media creation and manipulation. Digital audio workstations (DAWs) replaced tape machines[^1], digital cameras and non-linear editing transformed image capture, and digital synthesis/sampling changed music production. This allowed for non-destructive editing, easier storage, duplication, and manipulation of media. * **The Internet and Cloud Computing:** The advent of the public internet and the World Wide Web (early 1990s) fundamentally changed communication, information access, and distribution[^2]. Later, the development of broadband and cloud computing enabled remote data storage, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and large-scale remote collaboration across geographies[^3]. * **Processing Power and Miniaturization:** Driven conceptually by Moore's Law (observing the doubling of transistors on integrated circuits roughly every two years), computing power increased exponentially while costs decreased. This made powerful processing accessible beyond large institutions, leading to affordable personal computers, laptops, and eventually powerful mobile devices and embedded systems[^4]. --- ### Further Reading & Resources [^1]: [What is a DAW? Your guide to digital audio workstations (Avid)](https://www.avid.com/resource-center/what-is-a-daw) [^2]: [The History of the World Wide Web (Gloria Themes Overview)](https://gloriathemes.com/the-history-of-the-world-wide-web/) [^3]: [Digitalisation - Cloud Computing and Cloud Collaboration (IChemE - Explains concepts)](https://www.icheme.org/knowledge-networks/knowledge-resources/priority-topics/digitalisation/cybersecurity-fact-files/cloud-computing-and-cloud-collaboration/) [^4]: [Moore's Law, Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/technology/Moores-law), or further reading [Understanding Moore's Law - Intel Newsroom](https://newsroom.intel.com/tech101/understanding-moores-law)