"We Built This Digital World": The Boomer & Gen X Technology Legacy

"You're scrolling on that smartphone? We built the cell networks it runs on."

As Boomers and Gen X, we didn't just witness the digital revolution—we created it step by step:

We Connected the World:

• We laid the physical internet backbone cables across oceans in the 1970s-90s
• Our teams developed TCP/IP, DNS, and HTTP protocols powering today's web
• We built the first email systems when communication meant physical mail
• We created ARPANET and early BBS communities that evolved into social media

We Transformed Entertainment:

• We shifted music from vinyl records to cassettes to CDs to MP3s
• We developed the first handheld gaming devices like Game Boy
• Our programming teams created Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Tetris
• We built the Atari 2600, NES, and PlayStation that started gaming culture

We Revolutionized Computing:

• We designed the GUI interfaces you take for granted today
• We wrote the early programming languages still powering modern systems
• We built the first laptops when "portable" meant 20-pound briefcases
• Our teams created MS-DOS, Windows, and Mac OS—foundations of modern computing

We Changed Communication:

• We developed SMS text messaging protocols in the 1980s
• We designed early mobile phones that evolved into smartphones
• We created the first digital cameras that transformed photography
• Our teams built the first satellite TV networks changing how media reaches homes

Every time you stream music, send a text, use GPS navigation, or play a video game—you're benefiting from systems we conceptualized, built, and refined decades ago. We're not technophobes; we're the architects watching how our blueprints transformed the world.