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Year 9 NSW
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Australia's social and cultural history in the post-war period
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The impact of changing technology on everyday life
Topic : The impact of changing technology on everyday life
In this topic you will learn...
Chapter 1 :
Home appliances
Australians in the 1950s had more buying power to purchase the new domestic appliances that were released onto the market. Advertising helped create demand for these products.
These new appliances reduced the amount of time spent on household chores. Many women now had more time for leisure or paid work outside the home.
Home appliances became status symbols, and manufacturers began to focus on attractive product design as well as practicality.
Home appliances evolved in the 1980s and 1990s to meet consumer and government demands for greater energy efficiency
During the 1990s, continual technological improvements meant that home appliances became outdated quickly. This led to environmental waste problems.
Research suggests that by the 1990s, the time-saving benefits of home appliances may have been negated by the increased quantity and quality of household chores.
Chapter 2 :
Housing
Australia experienced a housing boom in the decades following the end of World War II.
Supply for housing could not keep up with demand, so new, cheap building materials like fibro and cement were developed.
As car ownership increased, garages were added to many home designs. Suburbs were built further away from transport links
The global energy crisis of the 1970s prompted an interest in environmentally friendly housing design
The 1980s saw a return to city living, with people moving back to the cities to renovate older houses
In the 1990s, many social problems were attributed to massive urban sprawl. These include car dependence, social isolation, pollution and strain on public infrastructure.
Chapter 3 :
Transport: 1950s - 1960s
An effective and affordable transport system is crucial to daily life in Australia
Transport can have many negative social, environmental and health consequences.
The widespread use of the motor car in the 1950s altered the way Australians lived. They became more mobile, and the look of suburbs and houses changed.
Air travel became more popular in the 1960s. It helped bridge the gap between Australia and the world.
Long-distance rail travel was common in the 1950s and 1960s, and steam trains were slowly replaced by diesel and electric trains.
Sea travel suffered at the hands of rail and air transport, and markedly declined in popularity.
Chapter 4 :
Transport: 1970s - 1990s
In the 1970s, new jumbo jets brought much of the world within one day's travel time from Australia.
The environmental impact of modern aircraft became a concern during the 1990s.
Interstate rail travel suffered a marked decline throughout the 1970s and 1980s, due to faster, cheaper air travel.
Many new roads and bridges were constructed in Australia during the 1970s, providing physical, economic and social links between different areas.
Cars were an essential part of everyday life by the 1990s, but had created many social, health and environmental problems.
Chapter 5 :
Communications 1950s - 1960s
Television was introduced to Australia in 1956. It changed the way we received information and experienced the world.
In the 1960s, satellite technology helped bridge Australia's geographical isolation.
The power of television was fully realised by the broadcast of the first moon landing in 1969, and the shaping of public opinion during the Vietnam War.
The transistor made a radio more convenient, portable medium, although its sound quality was lower than that of traditional radio.
Advancing forms of communications provided new avenues for advertising to deliver its message to Australians.
Chapter 6 :
Communications 1970s - 1990s
In the mid 1970s, colour television and FM radio made their respective debuts.
The first mobile phones appeared in the mid-1980s. By the late 1990s they were indispensable to many Australians.
During the 1980s, computers became a more common fixture in Australian schools, workplaces, and homes.
In the 1990s, the internet made it possible for millions of people to access and share large amounts of information, and perform daily activities from the comfort of their own home.
Despite its benefits, the internet created a 'digital divide,' disadvantaging people in society who did not have computer access.
Chapter 7 :
Entertainment
Television transformed the Australian home into the primary site for entertainment.
Radio made it possible for American rock 'n' roll culture to spread quickly throughout Australia.
Cinema used technicolour, surround sound and wider screens to entice audiences away from television.
In the 1960s, videotape and satellite technology revolutionised news production.
In the 1990s, the personal computer became a major source of home entertainment via computer games and the internet.
The negative impact of television, computer games and the internet on public health and interpersonal relations is a major concern to many people.
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