It is not limited to electronics or computing; it also includes advances in agriculture, medicine, construction, energy and various other fields. In general terms, technology seeks to improve efficiency, productivity and quality of life through the application of knowledge and innovation.
The relevance of a technology is measured by its ability to transform the production system. Very few technologies have been capable of generating such significant changes. Every time a technology has changed the production system, it has had important consequences for the social model.
Below, we will explore the main technologies that have brought about disruptive changes, through the evolution of stages and major revolutions that have left their mark on human history.
How many revolutions and structural changes has humanity experienced?
When approaching the concept of human history in a broad sense, we encounter key stages, from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods to the classical world, passing through the transition from barbarism to the Middle Ages, and finally entering modern and contemporary history.
The question arises about how to divide these periods. Is it correct to limit ourselves to six, or is it preferable to consider seven or eight? Macrohistory, in general terms, is structured around five or six major stages. Although we could delve into contemporary history and analyse events such as the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Cold War, we would be addressing historical events that did not have a global impact on all of humanity. For South American countries, for example, these events did not represent significant changes.
It is essential to emphasise that when we talk about great revolutions in human history, we are referring to global phenomena. We are immersed in waves of revolutions and structural changes that have left their mark on the definition of our existence as human beings. Unlike more localised events, these revolutions are like tides that affect humanity as a whole, marking crucial moments that transcend geographical boundaries.
Innovating to survive: the monumental advance of the Palaeolithic
In the Palaeolithic era, we experienced a significant revolution when we developed, for the first time, the technology to modify nature in order to survive. The transformation of a simple stone into an arrowhead may seem basic now, but at the time it was a monumental achievement. This advance in hunting from a distance not only marked an improvement in the survival of the species, but also gave rise to specialisation in work.
Until then, survival was mainly linked to the ability to hunt and be strong. However, with the introduction of this technology, it became possible for people with different skills to contribute to the group. For example, someone with physical difficulties could find their place by becoming an expert in making arrowheads, allowing someone else to specialise in hunting using those arrowheads. Thus, collaboration and the distribution of tasks became key to survival and progress in this crucial phase of human history.
Neolithic innovation: transforming spaces and creating communities
In the Palaeolithic era, we altered our connection with nature, but in the Neolithic era, we reconfigured our relationship with the space we inhabit.
In the past, we were nomads, chasing herds for food; however, suddenly, with the introduction of technologies such as agriculture and livestock farming, we learned that we could domesticate species, and the transition from nomadic to sedentary life took place. These practices became key technologies. Now, not only do we share tasks, but we also divide space, and the concept of private property emerges.
During the Neolithic period, humans experienced for the first time the need to establish agreements on the organisation of space. For example, in a village, who would the largest, most central hut, lit by the sun, belong to? In some more cooperative societies, it was decided that this central space would be communal for everyone. However, in other more authoritarian societies, the central hut was assigned to the leader, giving rise to authoritarian models of organisation.
This social discussion about how to distribute space led to different human groups organising themselves in unique ways. Thus, in the Palaeolithic era, technology changed our relationship with nature and group dynamics, while in the Neolithic era, technology changed our interactions with space, once again impacting group relationships.
Towards the future: innovation in labour relations
With the Industrial Revolution came industrialisation and the phenomenon of cities, rural exodus and all that this entails. New technologies emerged, such as steam, electricity, railways, the telegraph and the internal combustion engine.
Suddenly, society was structured around work, leaving behind the space-based organisation that characterised the Neolithic era. We entered the industrial society and built a new contract centred on work.
Work became massified; now twenty thousand, thirty thousand people could work in the same company, in contrast to the previous era, where barely five craftsmen worked in a workshop. Companies with tens of thousands of employees appeared, and the need to industrialise labour relations arose. This chapter in labour relations had not been previously agreed or consensual in the same way as in the Neolithic era.
During the Industrial Revolution, there was a need to discuss issues such as working hours, the right to sick leave, protection against unfair dismissal, the right to retirement, decent working conditions, the eradication of child labour and equal pay for women and men. The length of the working day and other aspects were not established and had to be negotiated, often through conflict. It was a period in which workers, for the first time, took to the streets in strikes to demand shorter working hours, days off and holiday periods.
This trend is repeated in human revolutions: a conflict arises, a struggle that changes the social contract. The result is a transformation of the social contract. Today, the social passport is the employment contract. When asked about your life, you talk about your job; when introducing yourself, you mention your occupation. Even when applying for a loan or renting a place, an employment contract is sought as a guarantee. From the Industrial Revolution to the present day, the employment contract has been the force that has ordered our lives.
Building the future: innovation and challenges in the digital society
This preamble serves to tell you that we are immersed in one of those revolutions that mark human history: the digital technology revolution.
As has happened throughout history, this change in digital technology is impacting not only the way we work and produce, but also social models, labour distribution methods, business models, the definition of profit and loss, the concept of margin and the need to redesign processes. All of this will undergo a profound transformation. It is not just anecdotes such as Facebook or TikTok; digital technology is here to transform many aspects of our lives.
Two-way innovation: transforming the production and transmission of knowledge
There is another very important feature to consider. Until now, throughout human history, a second line of evolutionary development has coexisted: technology linked to knowledge transmission systems. This line began with hieroglyphics, continued with writing, advanced with the invention of the printing press, gave way to audio transmission, and expanded with the advent of film and video.
This history of knowledge transmission systems has undergone a profound transformation thanks to digital technology. The digital age has not only impacted the production system, but has also significantly altered the ways in which knowledge is transmitted. This is the first time in history that the same technology has simultaneously affected the two fundamental lines of human production: production systems and knowledge transmission systems.
We are facing a radical change. Everything will be different. The digital society is a historic moment that is changing the transmission of knowledge, the production system and society.
Digital transformation: from industry to service
The emergence of the Internet has marked a milestone in our interactions with brands, companies and services. Far from being ephemeral, this change is here to stay, generating a comprehensive transformation of all our processes and demanding a radical redesign that will impact our production system.
Digitalisation in two stages
Digitalisation is like a dish served in two courses: the first is cooked by industry. The transition from analogue to digital does not arise from public demand, but rather from industry, which is mainly motivated by the search for efficiency and cost reduction.
Transformation from product to service
When the entire value chain undergoes digitisation, a transformation arises that was not anticipated by the industry: the shift from products to services. In the music industry, the industry initially digitised the production chain, but consumers opted for services such as Spotify instead of buying individual songs. This change, which was not desired by the industry, will also affect the publishing world, where offering access to information services will be crucial in the digital age.
Examples of transformation
The business will no longer focus solely on selling books or records; instead, it will move towards providing services that meet the changing needs of consumers. A prime example is the Kindle, Amazon’s best-selling product, and e-books in general. Given the inevitability of digitisation, when will the model shift towards a flat fee that allows us to read a wide variety of content for a monthly subscription?
The publishing industry faces a crucial challenge: understanding that, after the digital revolution, selling traditional books will not be enough. Successful reconversion involves offering information access services that adapt to new consumer expectations. Those who fail to understand this change risk being left behind in this new digital age.
Navigating innovation: history, changes and future
The Internet has gone through three stages, two and a half to be precise. In the first, known as the business Internet, which began around 1995, individuals in the UK were able to connect for the first time in 1994.
From 1995 to 2005, the Internet was mainly a technical space, dominated by companies, corporations and institutions. Although there were websites for newspapers, town councils and companies, the Internet was largely controlled by businesses. Back then, if you wanted to create a website, you were directed to the IT department.
Around 2004/2005, the phenomenon of blogs and Web 2.0 emerged, marking the arrival of the Internet of people, the social Internet, where the network was filled with people commenting and expressing their opinions, which changed the conditions and context.
Now we are facing the Internet of Things, which will materialise when everyday objects are connected to the network. The magnitude of this change is clear: billions of homes connected to the network, 4.6 billion people with access and only 1.4 billion everyday objects connected. According to Telefónica, by 2025, these figures will increase significantly.
Digital generation: 30 years of transformation, 70 years ahead
If industrial society took 250 years to develop, being the most recent and fastest in history, how long will it take for digital society to develop? Theory suggests that if digital society is the most rapid development in human history, it could take as little as 100 years to consolidate. However, we still have 70 years to go, as it has only been 30 years since we started in 1993. The digital society has just begun; we are still building the first infrastructures, placing sensors on things, discovering new capabilities for generating data and installing the wiring for what a digital society should be.
We have only been in this fairly accelerated process for 20-25 years, but we still have 70-75 years to go. We are the first generation of the digital revolution. At 23 years old, you will not live long enough to see this digital society fully developed. You will witness the transition to a digital society and you have a crucial role to play in influencing and contributing to how this change will take shape.
