21 The New Age of Home Computers

 21.1 Introduction

Home computers were a thing of the future when they were first developing; they shifted the country into a culture built around technology and provided a massive new economic sector. Computers are electronic devices for storing and processing data, according to instructions given to it. While the first computers were being created in the early 1800s, the concept of a personal computer wasn’t even heard of until around the 1980s(Randell, B., 1976). Before this computers were seen as something only companies or some of the wealthiest individuals could own, but following the invention of better materials and cheaper assembly, computers started to become much more affordable to the everyday family. With the cheaper prices and a growing economy in the United States, home computers started to become a much more common sight in middle-class households.

With the growing popularity of these computers, questions began to arise about the effects of these new devices on the children of this time. Millennials were the first generation to grow up in a technology centered world, and the effects of this can be seen in many different ways. The emergence of home computers played an integral role in millennials’ adolescent years through the tools it provided, long term effects on mindsets, and impact on social interaction. While all of these topics have positives and negatives to them, one thing is for sure, home computers drastically changed the world.

21.2 What Are Home Computers

21.2.1 Defining Home Computers

A home computer is simply a computer that is used at home. For many years computers had been used in commercial and scientific uses, but the home computer brought this device to a consumer level to be used for many different purposes. This catered to all ages due to the variety of uses available, such as gaming, interacting, and learning.

21.2.2 Playing Games

Children interacted with computers in multiple different ways, one of the most prevalent around the 1990s was playing games. Children were amazed at the possibilities of having a game normally found in an arcade available to play in their homes. As computer games began to develop more and more, children and teenagers began to play them at a rate that alarmed some parents. While some articles were drawing comparisons between computer games and gambling(Griffiths, M., 1997), others articles show parents calling doctors about unexplained symptoms, likely attributing them to increased time spent at the computer, rather than out in the sun(Tazawa, et al.,1997). The growing abilities of computers to function as entertainment devices just added to their popularity in the eyes of the growing youth.

21.2.3 A New Way to Interact

Children and teenagers growing up with these new devices experience a new way of interacting with each other. Sites such as Youtube, Myspace, and Facebook were introducing a new way to interact beyond face to face. These sites offered a way for users to post videos, chat with other users privately, and much more. This offers a completely new experience with human interaction where users can be much less accountable for their actions, but can interact with people they have never met in real life or friends they can’t see as often in person as they might like. Computers grew into an integral part of communication in society and likely took over many interactions that would have otherwise occurred in person.

21.2.4 Learning Opportunities

Learning is an aspect of computers that was often overlooked at this time. With the invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 followed by the development of Google in 1998, computers were a growing resource in a world rapidly increasing in discovery. Articles were being increasingly computerized and especially in colleges, computers were being used at growing rates. Between learning games for younger children and research opportunities for teenagers and young adults, computers offered many different additions to the world of education to students of all ages.

“Macintosh Set Photo” by Museums Victoria is in under an Unsplash license

21.3 History of the Home Computer

21.3.1 The Origin of Computers

Computers started as a concept of a device that could calculate math problems, not necessarily because it would help humans, but because the idea of math was a simple concept that could be built upon. In the 1800s, multiple devices, almost exclusively centered around math, were developed and improved upon, but were mainly mechanical and very different from the modern idea of computing. In 1821 Charles Babbage, sometimes referred to as “The Father of Computing”, proposed the idea of a difference machine to calculate math problems. Along with this he designed a system that was able to store data and calculate multiple different kinds of problems along with giving a result. Following his theoretical design, progress was slow with the idea of computers, but nevertheless was advancing. As time progressed these devices were becoming less mechanical and more centered around electronics. While multiple calculators and other simple devices were made before this, the first electronic digital computers were developed in the 1940s(Randell, B., 1976).

21.3.2 Electronic Computing

Electronic digital devices changed the discussion when it came to computers. This meant a complete shift away from any mechanical parts and a great decrease in physical complexity. This allowed for much greater ability of computers than before and rapid increase in the field. Over the next years, these math machines transformed from the size of a room into much smaller and easier to understand devices. Machines that were previously accessible only to massive organizations such as NASA or the military became more accessible for companies around the country. As the field of computers progressed, more companies implemented them into their everyday processes.

21.3.3 Consumer Product

The 1980s marks a switch of the computer industry from a strictly business centered concept to a consumer product. Computers started to become much cheaper and software, the programs and other operating information used by a computer, was increasing at an astounding rate. As the demand for computers grew, companies began to spring up centered not only around the production of these computers, but around the development of software to be used on these computers. In the years following the advent of home computers, these devices turned into somewhat of a need for the everyday family if they want to keep up with the culture of the United States. News and entertainment shifted to a more computer centered system along with video games being increasingly developed for these devices rather than arcade games. This shift of many industries into the digital world just brought more demand for computers in turn causing more demand for computer centered industries. As this circle repeated, the country along with the people living in it became almost dependent on the usage and interaction that computers provided for them.

“Computers, chips, circuits, motherboard, silicosis, personal, computer” by Jon Sullivan is in the Public Domain

21.4 Impact of the Home Computers on the Millennial Generation

21.4.1 Why Computers Changed Society

When home computers were introduced, society changed in a way that it could never go back from. While there is much debate about the pros and cons of computers and home computers, there are valid arguments on each side. The reason society has changed so drastically is because computers offered something that was much less common before this time, instant gratification, the ability to instantly satisfy a want at any time(Griffiths, M. D., & Hunt, N., 1998). With a combination of the broad abilities of computers and bringing them into many homes in the country, one could sit at a computer and choose from hundreds of thousands of options to interact with. Whether it be games, videos, chatting, or something else, home computers offered children instant access to so many different options.

21.4.2 Impact on Interaction

Home computers changed interaction in two main ways. The first is due to the availability of new interaction through online messaging and social media. These platforms allowed people of all ages to interact online with an entire new group of people. A child could connect with school friends who lived far away without having to go to their house or use a phone. Another option would be interacting with people across the country. This changed interaction because it broadened the groups of people available to interact with from usually schoolmates or neighbors, to nearly anyone somebody could think of. The second is due to the amount of time that was taken up in children’s life following the development of home computers. While this doesn’t directly change how communication is carried out, children spending an increased amount of time inside had a significant impact on social lives. Messaging took the place of small conversations. Hanging with friends changed from playing out in the yard to taking turns playing the newest released game on the home computer. The home computer made interaction much more disconnected and greatly decreased how children’s growing years were spent with their peers.

21.4.3 Impact on Mindset

Instant gratification played a big role in the changing of mindset in the generation growing up around computers. One lesson that people learn growing up is the idea that you can’t always do exactly what you want. Computers made this statement much less accurate. Computers let children access exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it. While not always true, many children growing up in an environment learned to be more entitled and focused on getting what they wanted fast. Due to the fact that this generation was much more able to always do what they wanted, they struggled more to adapt to scenarios that didn’t go their way. Instant gratification also had a strong effect on the attention span of this generation(Landerholm, E., 1995). Anytime they were unhappy with what they were watching or interacting with, they could immediately switch to something else. This is one of the possible factors of the rate of ADHD in more recent years spiking to new levels. Due to no fault of their own, the mindset of this Millennial generation growing up with computers consisted of a less patient and slightly more entitled generation than the ones preceding it.

21.5 Impact of the Home Computers on the Millennial Generation

21.5.1 Invention of the Laptop Computer

As the years went on the computer industry was completely changed with the invention of the laptop computer, a computer that is portable and suitable for use while traveling. While there had been portable computers that were able to be packed up and moved. The laptop provided a device that could fit in a bag and function for a significant amount of time without being plugged in. This invention revolutionized computers because it allowed for the combination of work computers and home computers.

21.5.2 Computers in the Workspace

Due to the invention of the laptop computer, an employee of a company could do their job at an office on a laptop and at the end of the day, they were able to take it home and use it as a personal computer. This development blurred the lines between a home computer and a work computer. This leads to an even further increase in computers in the workplace and household meaning people will be surrounded with technology more than ever before.

21.5.3 Computers in Schools

With the Millennial Generation being the first to grow up with computers in their households, computer literacy, an understanding of how to operate a computer at a moderate level, was much more prevalent in this generation. With this newfound understanding of the technology by younger children and the realization of what computers can accomplish, many schools in the United States started to adopt computers into their classrooms. Starting at a college level, due to more mature students, computers were being used at an increasing rate to distribute research, complete assignments, and participate in classes. Following the success of this, high schools and middle schools across the country started to do the same, with many public schools even distributing computers to every student for use during the school year.

“Person Using MacBook Pro” by Campaign Creators is under an Unsplash license

Chapter Summary

Home Computers were a drastic change in the lives of the families and children that first experienced them. These computers offered an opportunity to play games, communicate with others, watch videos, and more. While computers started as just simple math machines, they evolved over time making a massive jump when the electronic digital computer was invented. After computers being around for years, they were transformed from a strictly corporate tool to a consumer product marketed towards middle to upper-class families.

These home computers greatly changed the way of life for the children growing up when they became popular, the millennials. Some of the main changes made in their lives were the effects on attention span, interaction with peers, and impact on the way of thinking. As these computers have evolved, they have become much more compact making the idea of a home computer less significant due to the fact that computers can be taken wherever needed. Schools and companies around the country have been increasingly implementing computers over the last years, creating a more computerized country than ever before. Home computers were the first step in the idea of consumer computers that has evolved over the years to become an integral part of society.

References

Strauss, W. A., & Howe, N. (1994). Society: The Millennial Generation. Building a Community of Citizens: Civil Society in the 21st Century, 39.

Landerholm, E. (1995). Early childhood teachers’ computer attitudes, knowledge, and practices. Early Child Development and Care, 109(1), 43-60.

Subrahmanyam, K., Kraut, R. E., Greenfield, P. M., & Gross, E. F. (2000). The impact of home computer use on children’s activities and development. The future of children, 123-144.

Tazawa, Soukalo, A. V., Okada, K., & Takada, G. (1997). Excessive playing of home computer games by children presenting unexplained symptoms. The Journal of Pediatrics, 130(6), 1010–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(97)70298-1

Battle, P. A. J. (1999). Home computers and school performance. The information society, 15(1), 1-10.

Comber, Colley, A., Hargreaves, D. J., & Dorn, L. (1997). The effects of age, gender and computer experience upon computer attitudes. Educational Research (Windsor), 39(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188970390201

Griffiths, M. D., & Hunt, N. (1998). Dependence on computer games by adolescents. Psychological reports, 82(2), 475-480.

Griffiths, M. (1997). Computer game playing in early adolescence. Youth & Society, 29(2), 223-237.

Randell, B. (1976). The history of digital computers. Bulletin of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.