Black Contribution to the Tech We Use Today

Time flies. Now that we’re in the month of February, it’s essential to commemorate Black History Month. And with the rising popularity of a virtual lifestyle, we should discuss the prevalent Black innovators that have made a lasting impact on the tech we use today.

Our technological advancements have accelerated to high speed as new products are sold on the market like hotcakes. This is entirely accredited to the tech world’s ever changing evolution. Transitioning into this new digital age, we’ve inched closer and closer to a virtual world that has impacted the way we interact, think, behave and perform.

No matter where you are on the map, all you’ve got to do is log into the world wide web and you’re bound to watch AI robots on talk shows, fall into the trap of TikTok filters or even witness a heated debate on your workgroup chat over NFT investments.

Last year, we highlighted 6 inspirational and contemporary Black figures in an ode to the 2020 Black Matters Movement. In 2022, we bring you a selection of 6 brilliant pioneers of the digital age as we know it.

1. Lisa Gelobter, Animated GIFs

When we think of full graphics interchange formats (GIFs), it’s probably related to your daily comedy relief to an otherwise boring subject. They add interest to a bland webpage or even liven up a text conversation.
An ingenious GIF can serve as anything. Lisa Gelobter, computer scientist extraordinaire, first coined this invention. She developed animation into moving image files, so it’s safe to say she walked so Tenor could run.

Gelobter, working in the digital space for over 2 decades, is also the first to develop video technology such as Joost, Hulu, Shockwave, and other streaming platforms.

Although graphics interchange format (GIF) or JIF is credited as being developed by a team of scientists at CompuServe […] led by Steve Wilhite, Gelobter laid the early groundwork for the program by developing the animation used to produce GIF images.”
Farida Dawkins – Face 2 Face Africa

2. Dr. Mark E. Dean, Colour Screens

Televisions weren’t the only screens first viewed in black and white.

Dr. Mark E. Dean co-invented the first colour IBM PC monitor and gigahertz chip. He also holds major significance behind 3 out of 9 of IBM’s original patents at the start of IBM’s development. With his contributions, a vibrancy in technology arose for tech users.

Watch the video clip below, where Dean guides an interviewer through the IBM Silicon Valley innovation lab. He talks about the inner machinations of the tech lab and its endless possibilities.

According to Dr. Dean, an open and forward-thinking mindset is the key to innovation. The possibilities are all right under our noses, especially with the sensory overload of your VI games.

3. Dr. James West, Microphones & Podcasting

We’ve got a lot on our minds nowadays. The solution? Simple: just grab a mic and start a conversation. Microphones are so accessible that damn near everyone’s got their podcast, Youtube channel, or archives of your foreign uncle’s WhatsApp voice memos.

Dr. James West invented this type of electret transducer technology, commonly known as the modern microphones. He started working at Bell Labs in the late 1950s, eventually creating a simplified microphone. He wanted to invent a more inexpensive and portable tool, yet still, maintain its velocity and amplitude.

Only a few years later, he successfully developed the closest microphone to what we use in our everyday tech devices. Now, there are over 250 patents tied to his invention.

4. Gladys West, GPS

Let’s face it, most of us are lost without a GPS. We’ve become so reliant on our smartphones to get around, the concept of having an internal compass is left far behind us.

Global positioning system technology (GPS) is widely associated with physicist Albert Einstein. Contrary to popular belief, he isn’t the only person behind your Instagram location tags.

Mathematician Gladys West helped develop computer systems for the Navy during the 1950s, later working as a computer programmer. As a project manager for Seasat, she was behind the first satellite that carried remote sensing of Earth’s gravitational pulls.

Simply put, West’s contribution led to GPS accuracy and data measurements. So, keep her in mind when you make your next food delivery order, ‘cause she’s the blueprint for UberEats.

5. Dr. Marian Croak, VOIP/Voice Calls

Our long-distance connections, be it through business Skype meetings or Facebook Messenger audio calls from friends overseas, would cease to be without the Vice President of Google Engineering, Dr. Marian Croak.

A former AT&T Bell Labs engineer, her research transformed into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), used in an array of different social applications as the primary source of voice communication.

“And so we tried experimenting with packetizing voice and treating it just like it was data and running it over an IP connection, and it worked.”

With over 200 VOIP patents, her contribution doesn’t end there. She’s also the pioneer of text-to-vote campaigns, a nostalgic little moment in early 2000s history when you had to dish out a few coins to vote for your favourite American Idol contestant.

6. Mary W. Jackson, Aerodynamics

Mary W. Jackson, the icon herself, is no stranger to Wunderland. Our previous Black History blog post features Jackson as an honourable mention. Even the biopic Hidden Figures (2016), a film directed by Theodore Melfi, depicts Jackson’s inspiring life story.

That said, a lot has happened with aerodynamic advancements—Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are planning on taking a silly little race in outer space. One could argue that such a phenomenon is now as casual as taking a trip to the grocery store.

Jackson was no CEO of a large enterprise, but she was one of the only Black female aerospace engineers hired by NACA.

Black scientists have more space to thrive due to the footprint she’s left behind. Not to mention that without her innovations, man on the moon would remain a fairytale.

Trending topics are rolling in left, right and center–and with a surplus of products surrounding us daily, the constant evolution of digital technology is impossible to ignore.

All that to say, it’s easy to lose sight of the progress we’ve made in history.

Here at Third Wunder, we acknowledge how imperative it is that we don’t lose sight of the inspiring Black figures who have paved the way for an ever-growing space in our tech world. And this goes beyond the month of February.