Editing Information Age (section)

== Rise in digital technology use of computers ==
{{further|History of the Internet}}In the late 1980s, less than 1% of the world's technologically stored information was in digital format, while it was 94% in 2007, with more than 99% by 2014.<ref name="HilbertLopez2011" />

It is estimated that the world's capacity to store information has increased from 2.6 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 1986, to some 5,000 [[exabytes]] in 2014 (5 [[zettabytes]]).<ref name="HilbertLopez2011"/><ref name="InfoBiosphere2016" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+Number of cell phone subscribers and internet users
!Year
!Cell phone subscribers (% of world {{Abbr|pop.|population}})
!Internet users (% of world pop.)
|-
|1990
|12.5&nbsp;million (0.25%)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=333|title=Worldmapper: The world as you've never seen it before – Cellular Subscribers 1990|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>
|2.8&nbsp;million (0.05%)<ref name="worldmapper.org">{{cite web|url=http://archive.worldmapper.org/textindex/text_communication.html|title=Worldmapper: The world as you've never seen it before – Communication Maps|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>
|-
|2002
|1.5&nbsp;billion (19%)<ref name="worldmapper.org"/>
|631&nbsp;million (11%)<ref name="worldmapper.org"/>
|-
|2010
|4 billion (68%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.computeruser.com/articles/cell-phone-dangers-protecting-our-homes-from-cell-phone-radiation.html|title=Cell Phone Dangers – Protecting Our Homes From Cell Phone Radiation|last=Arms|first=Michael|date=2013|website=Computer User|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329191616/http://www.computeruser.com/articles/cell-phone-dangers-protecting-our-homes-from-cell-phone-radiation.html|archive-date=29 March 2014}}</ref>
|1.8&nbsp;billion (26.6%)<ref name="auto"/>
|-
|2020
|4.78&nbsp;billion (62%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/274774/forecast-of-mobile-phone-users-worldwide/|title=Number of mobile phone users worldwide 2015–2020|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=2020-02-19}}</ref>
|4.54&nbsp;billion (59%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/|title=Global digital population 2020|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=2020-02-19}}</ref>
|-
|2023
|6.31&nbsp;billion (78%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2023/10/10/ff23-mobile-phone-ownership/|title=Fact and Figure 2023 – Mobile phone ownership|website=[[International Telecommunication Union]]|language=en|access-date=2024-09-10}}</ref>
|5.4&nbsp;billion (67%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2023/10/10/ff23-internet-use/|title=Facts and Figures 2023 – Internet Use|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=2024-09-10}}</ref>
|}

[[File:Computer lab showing desktop PCs warwick.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A university [[computer lab]] containing many desktop PCs]]