Why did the Computer become so Important?

In my life, this happened in 1980, when we weren't sure what it was, so we called in High Tech.

The technical reasons behind this were the discoveries of Solid State Physics that made the vacuum tube obsolete. It was replaced with the Transistor, and then ever more complicated Integrated Circuits. All this was happening extremely rapidly. We didn't have the time to consider what was going on.

The move from Analog to Digital processing, was just as important - but something no one took seriously. This change was so profound, we may never understand it.

Most importantly to me, was the simple fact, that this was where the jobs were. I did not ask myself, why this was where the jobs were - I just followed the money, as it went there.

Someday, historians will analyze this huge shift, but right now it is unexamined - and causes intense confusion. Confusion so intense, people don't want to know that it exists.

A fundamental change in the economy, is the most traumatic event, any people can live through. And Americans were soon asking themselves about the Economy (with a capital E). That they were poorly equipped to understand.