Technology History: How Consumer Electronics Began and Where It Went

What kicked off the consumer electronics boom? Most tech historians point to the radio. By the 1920s, broadcast radios were the first mass-produced electronic devices that brought news and entertainment into living rooms. Inventors like Guglielmo Marconi proved wireless communication around the turn of the century, but it was the 1920s and 1930s that turned radio into a household staple.

Key milestones

After radio came television. Early inventors such as John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth pushed TV from experiment to reality in the 1920s and 1930s, and commercial TV took off after World War II. Computers followed a different path: ENIAC appeared in the 1940s as a huge machine used by governments and labs, while personal computing didn’t arrive until the 1970s with machines like the Altair and the Apple II in 1977.

The internet started as ARPANET in 1969, a research project linking a few universities. That network grew, and Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web in 1990 made the internet easy to use for everyone. Mobile phones then shrank computing power into our pockets—Motorola’s DynaTAC appeared in 1983, and the smartphone revolution truly accelerated with Apple’s iPhone in 2007.

Why these shifts matter

Each new technology changed how people get information and make choices. Radio created national conversations; TV added visuals and stage-managed messages; the internet gave anyone a voice and a research tool; smartphones made all of that constant and personal. Those shifts also changed politics and elections—campaigns moved from speeches to broadcasts to targeted online ads and social platforms.

Consumer electronics also changed business models. Mass production made devices cheaper and more accessible. Software and services later became a bigger part of value than the hardware itself. Think of how apps and streaming subscriptions now matter more than the device you use.

On this Technology History page you’ll find concise analyses, timelines, and posts that focus on moments that reshaped everyday life. Expect clear explanations of who did what, when, and why it mattered—no heavy jargon, just useful context you can apply when reading tech news or understanding political communication.

Curious about the roots of a specific gadget or how a tech shift affected elections in India or worldwide? Browse our posts for focused stories—like how the radio started the consumer electronics market, or how data and social media changed recent campaigns. Each piece breaks down events, highlights key figures and dates, and shows practical impact.

If you want quick takeaways: remember the pattern—innovation often begins in labs or military projects, moves into commercial products, and then reshapes culture and politics once it becomes affordable and widespread. That pattern repeats from radio to AI, and watching it helps you spot the next wave.