Technological Transformations Throughout history: impact and future perspectives

Abstract

This article presents a bibliographic review regarding the impacts of some fundamental technological innovations throughout history, ranging from rudimentary tools from prehistory to sophisticated contemporary digital technologies. In this sense, it highlights the crucial role of certain technologies in social evolution, capable of shaping the structures and dynamics of societies. This analysis goes through the Cognitive Revolution, which marked the development of language and cooperation between Homo sapiens, the Agricultural Revolution, fundamental to the development of societies, and the Industrial Revolution, which

brought unprecedented mass production, powered by the steam engine. . The digital era and Information Technology are discussed as the most recent transformation in history, once again redefining relations of power, work and privacy. Issues such as automation, artificial intelligence and their socioeconomic implications are at the center of this reflection, highlighting the opportunities, as well as the challenges that these technologies offer for the future of humanity. What can be observed, at the end of this study, is that as humanity progresses, ethical responsibility, transparency and social care become even more essential to ensure that technologies continue to serve the good of humanity, promoting social and economic progress in a sustainable, critical and transparent manner.