This document compares and contrasts the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution to determine which had a bigger impact. The Industrial Revolution occurred from 1760-1840 and transformed manufacturing with steam power. The Digital Revolution began in 1980 with the development of computers and the internet. While both improved lives through new technologies, the Industrial Revolution had wider effects through innovations in transportation, communication, and labor. It established the foundation for the Digital Revolution to emerge through continued technological progress. Overall, the essay concludes that the Industrial Revolution had a greater historical impact than the Digital Revolution.

1. Mong Lau The Industrial and Digital Revolution
The Effects on Which Revolution Had the Biggest Impact
The task is to create an essay comparing and contrasting the industrial revolution and the
digital revolution. By comparing and contrasting, this will be able to help me determine which
revolution would have the biggest impact between them.
What is the Industrial Revolution? The Industrial revolution occurred during 1760 – 1840-60.
It is a fundamental change in the way goods were produced from human labor to machinery. It
started in Britain and soon expanded to Western Europe and the United States. This development
included changes from hand productions methods to chemical productions including steam power
and water efficiency.
What is the Digital Revolution? The Digital Revolution also sometimes referred as the third
industrial revolution is the development of electronic technology to digital technology. It started in
1980 and continues to this very day.
Similarities and Differences? Some basic similarities are that they both had inventions which
made people’s lives easier. A difference between them was the time period that they started in. The
Industrial Revolution started in 1760. The Digital Revolution started in 1980.
By knowing the following information above, I will be able to prove and come to a
conclusion on which Revolution has the biggest impact than the other and how? Maybe you will also
feel the same way I would later on in this essay.
The Industrial Revolution had a very huge impact on the society. The Industrial Revolution
affected the society in many ways. It had negative impacts but positive impacts as well. Indentured
labor started to grow and replace slavery, the owners would start paying for foods on their trip and
their housing and supplies while in return for labor. Life changing inventions such as the steam
engine starting to be developed more. People moved from rural areas to cities so they could work.

2. Mong Lau The Industrial and Digital Revolution
Women were asked to work because they were willing to do it for a lower wage, whilst other was
not.
It also affected the society by creating more products cheaper; the lower classes had more
access to goods and things they never had before. For example, it really helped the gun owners
because guns were able to be made from interchangeable parts. We did not need any more
gunsmiths because we were able to buy parts and fix our own guns. This was a great deal for gun
owners but not so much for gunsmiths.
As you can see, with all these facts and information about Industrial Revolution, you will
have an immediate idea of what the Industrial Revolution is mainly about, it could give you some
idea and thoughts on which Revolution is starting to have a bigger impact on.
One of the area which has impacted the Digital Revolution would be the Technology area.
When you think about digital revolution, first thing that comes to mind would be technology or
computer or internet. But beyond that, there is much more that you did not know about it. The
digital revolution also impacted the media and we have science to thank for this. In order to know
how much the Digital Revolution impacted our lives and other people’s lives, simply think about the
technology back then and how it was used and now look at the technology around you and how it is
being used today. It’s very simple, what you have now did not exist or has not existed yet back then.
How did all this happen? It is because of the Industrial Revolution. People developed new
things and by that, the result turned out to be good therefore they developed it even more and now
we have the most reliable resources which we use in our daily lives. After one product was created,
people thought it was a good invention so the inventor decided to create more products of the same
thing until one day it was getting old, so they decided to make a new generation of it. A perfect
example would be the iPhone. We now have five different generations of the iPhone and it is only
2013. What happens when it is 2020?

3. Mong Lau The Industrial and Digital Revolution
Now that you have an idea of what how Digital Revolution started and what Digital
Revolution is, you cans start to understand how these two revolutions are connected but if not, I will
be talking about the similarities and differences next therefore you can have a better understanding.
The Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution have a lot in common, yet there are
differences as well. Starting with differences, the Digital revolution started in 1980 and has not end
yet. Meanwhile the Industrial revolution started from 1760 – 1820-40. It started in Britain. The
Digital was mainly on technology and how it had developed over the years until now. The Industrial
was about everything, transportation, communication, working styles (assembly lines), inventions
and etc.
Moving onto similarities, the Industrial Revolution invented things to help make people’s
lives easier such as factories, machines and more. The Digital Revolution also invented things to help
make people’s lives easier such as the e-mail, computer and more. All these inventions helped
people and each other in a different way.
Not only were things invented but it helped the people who were using the inventions. It
helped people that worked in factories because for example, the assembly line was created
therefore work was brought to the worker. Now you have iPhones, you can access the internet on
your phone; you would not have to go to a computer to do so.
The Industrial Revolution had a much bigger impact than the Digital Revolution. The digital
would not have started without the Industrial Revolution. The Digital Revolution is also called the
Third Industrial Revolution, which would mean it came after the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial
Revolution started everything, it developed transportation by changing ships from wood to steel, it
developed communication by inventing the telephone for people to hear human speech across
continents, and it had radio so you could have messages sent across the world.

4. Mong Lau The Industrial and Digital Revolution
Having the Industrial Revolution developing the communication area brings me to my next
point. Communication would and could not have been what it is today. We need technology in order
to have communication. Right now, everyone sends e-mails each other by the internet. If not e-mails,
they would send text messages or have phone calls; hardly anyone still sends mail to each other by
the post office. They figure if they have access to internet, why would they need to go all the way to
the post office and send an envelope containing a piece of paper? It is because of things like this, we
sometimes forget how this all started, we are too distracted by our surroundings; therefore we
forget what made this all start. It is good in a way because it is very simple and easy, but on the
other hand, we will get distracted.
Yes, the Industrial Revolution has a bigger impact than the Digital Revolution but that does
not mean that one is better or more advance than the other. It only means that there is another
revolution which is worth paying attention too as it grows and develops even further. Without these
revolutions, we would not be where and who we are today. It will not be easy for revolutions to
develop quickly as it already has but with help and time, it is to be of better quality in the upcoming
years. The main thing is to not forget whatever happened before our generation. When we use a
technology or equipment, it would be nice to take a second to think how and why was this invented?
If so, who invented it?
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5. Mong Lau The Industrial and Digital Revolution
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