The Shifting Sands of the Information Industry
John J. Regazzi · IGI Global eBooks · 2018
This chapter examines the shift from the industrial age to the current “information age” by looking closely at the history of the electronic information industry since the 1970s, with special focus on key individuals and companies. Early pioneers developed remotely accessible database search systems and marketed them commercially. The advent of high-capacity storage media and personal computers in the 1980s made it possible for individual consumers to use databases, and in the 1990s, networking capabilities further supported the emergence of the Internet. Web portals developed, and a handful of companies successfully commoditized Web content. The 2000s were dominated by a move from general search engines to value-added “apps,” as well as by social networking, multimedia technology, and mobile consumer electronics. Throughout, the chapter highlights commonalities among the successful companies that have contributed to the strong and rapid growth of the industry as a whole.