Ten technologies killed off by the internet

It’s an inevitable aspect of progress that the new becomes old, and the futuristic becomes retro.

Forty years ago, having a home computer seemed exotic until the Sinclair Spectrum and its 8-bit brothers democratised coding and gaming.

Today, we have computers in our pockets, on our TVs, in our handbags – and sometimes even on computer desks.

Thirty years ago, Sir Tim Berners-Lee began distributing the technology behind his new World Wide Web.

Today, the internet has created an ever-growing list of obsolete technology, as we embrace the potential of online services.

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Obsolete technology in the internet age

It’s interesting to consider the number of offline products and analogue staples of recent history which have become largely obsolete in today’s always-connected society.

From phone boxes and the Phone Book to printed encyclopaedias and record stores, our consumption of information has evolved beyond recognition in a generation.

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With an estimated 2.5 quintillion (2.5 million trillion) bytes of data being created online every day in 2020, the internet is a resource of unprecedented and unparalleled depth.

It’ll be fascinating to see which of today’s products and services ultimately become obsolete technology as the internet continues to encroach into every aspect of modern living.