What are the most advanced countries in information technology?
Information technology runs the world and probably the better part of your life right now. People knew we would hit that point a long time before we even started imagining the things people use on the regular today. However, the probably didn’t imagine how far the 10 most advanced countries in information technology would get by now. They can compare in importance with the 10 most advanced countries in agriculture because even the raw produce, taken from the ground and handled by hard-working people eventually has to pass through some sort of smart device which will record some of its qualities or its quantity. Everything from our food to the way we eat it is becoming more and more dependent on technology. However, things were completely different not so long ago.
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Let’s take a trip back to the 60s. A time of psychedelic rock, free love, short skirts and long hair. People had to use a phone as a phone and clocks and watches were the only way to tell the time. Netflix sounded like a villain from some crazy comic book and people had to walk up to you with a turntable or a tape recorder so you could listen to their new mixtape. Then, in the year of 1965, a small Italian company called Olivetti dropped what became known as the Programma 101 on the market and set the beginning of a new era that will either end in making us god-like or killing us. This was the era of the PC or as some of us still call it – the Personal Computer. This one came at the humble price of over three thousand dollars but played its important role in the Apollo 11 mission, the Vietnam War and across many hospitals and schools in the developed world. Thus, the world of technology set off on the long, winding road to putting the hardware capabilities of a single early personal computer in a device that fits on your wrist.
The forefathers of the laptop that I am typing this article on were known as microcomputers. Today you would expect to see a credit card-sized fully capable computer but then people expected something that did not take a whole room. These new microcomputers were far too expensive to be sold in quantities and usually came in a kit which had to be assembled with no interchangeable parts. The first breakthrough in hobbyist/home computers came in the late 70s with the Commodore PET, followed by the Apple II (which was surprisingly very reasonably priced).
According to Moore’s law, which still stands correct, computing power roughly doubles every two years. To save you a long history lesson, just imagine the mind-blowing development that put the computing power that directed wars, decided fates and put a man on the moon in the palm of your hands and amplified it over a thousand times. Nowadays, we’re in the feet of the Internet of Things era where everything around us is “intelligent” and connected. Let’s take a look at the countries which brought us here – the 10 most advanced countries in information technology ranked by their Network Readiness Index, which was reported in 2014 as a part of a survey carried out by INSEAD, the World Economic Forum and Cornell University.
10. The Republic of Korea
The Republic of Korea (the South one for those of you who are confused), has undergone a considerable growth spurt in its economic and technological status in recent years.
9. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has deep roots in information technology and is one of the moving forces behind the global development of technology so you should not be surprised by its appearance on this list at all.
8. Hong Kong
Just like our tenth contender, Hong Kong has undergone massive development in all its industries, in its infrastructure and technological status, as reflected by it taking the eighth place.
7. United States
Some of you may think that the US should be a lot farther down this list but in reality, talking strictly about informational technologies and how far they are implemented in every single activity, the US still lacks.
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6. Switzerland
Switzerland has been handling the surge of technological advances quite well, putting it in the sixth spot among the 10 most advanced countries in information technology.
5. Norway
Norway has recently showed its brilliance in IT by making a huge shift towards cyber-based currency and significantly reducing the amount of paper bills in circulation in the country.
4. The Netherlands
The Netherlands does not get enough credit for its technological background as a country. Everyone is too stuck on its colors and liberal attitudes to see just how much hard work there is behind them.
3. Sweden
Sweden, just like its neighbor, has been making huge shifts towards basing many services online or on computer-controlled platforms that allow better quality and control.
2. Singapore
After having been given independence against their will, the people of Singapore have been seemingly making China sorry for backing out of the deal by becoming one of the most advanced countries in regard to pretty much anything.
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1. Finland
The winner in the list of the 10 most advanced countries in information technology is, once again, Finland, where society has been widely accepting of the shift towards cyber-based social services.
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