15 Trivia Facts About Technology That Will Shock You

If you’re feeling inquisitive and thinking about what else there is to know about technology, rest assured that there are many things that even the most obsessed tech geeks don’t know about.

What's more, there are some fun things, too.

Do you know what Google has to do with goats?

Or what the first computer mouse looked like?

Our roster of facts about technology is sure to fascinate you.

Hyped up already?

Let’s get down to business and see some stats.

Amusing Facts About Technology

• The US tech industry accounts for more than one-third of the world market.
• The technology industry will generate the world economy more than $5.3 trillion in 2022.
• Statistics on technology usage show that every day 500,000 new users swell the internet legions.
• Registering a domain was free until 1995.
• The most expensive domain name (CarInsurance.com) costs $49.7 million.
• Google rents goats to mow its headquarters' lawn.
• 40% of Americans found their romantic partner online.

The Coolest Technology Statistics in 2022

It’s kind of obvious that technology is taking over the world, but do you know how fast it’s doing so?

Or what percentage of the world the internet has conquered already? 

Yeah, probably not, so let’s figure that out first before we dive into the quirky facts.

1. 52% of people in the US say that technology brings something positive to their lives.

(Source: Pew Research)

We admit that the rapid advancement of technology might not always be good. It impacts people’s mental health,  the environment, and so on. 

But there are obviously some positive facts about the technology.

It boosts businesses, gives everyone quick access to information, and simply makes things easier. The medical field, in particular, has benefitted massively from technological advancement.

More than 20% of people have noted improvements to the health industry and medical research thanks to tech. Overall, though, more than half of people in the US see technology as a positive thing.

2. The technology industry will rise to over $5.3 trillion in 2022.

(Source: CompTIA)

Flash news, everyone:

After the tech drop in 2020, the tech industry is getting back to its previous CAGR of 5%-6%. This translates to a projection of about $5.3 trillion in 2022.

The US is the leading contributor to that number. It accounts for 33% of the whole tech market, which comes down to $1.8 trillion. For comparison, China claims 14% of the market, whereas the whole of Europe accounts for 19%.

Fun facts about IT: There are more than half a million tech companies in the country, but it only takes four of them—Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook—to reach a combined $4 trillion in market value in 2022.

3. The US’ internet penetration rate will reach 94.2% in 2025.

(Source: Zippia)

Imagine a world in which the chance that someone uses the internet is only 60%. In other words, imagine having a 40% chance of not having access to something that’s so fundamental nowadays.

Now drop the “imagine” because that’s actually the current state of affairs.

Granted, those chances can improve depending on which country you live in. In the US, for instance, the penetration rate is currently at 90.8%.

For comparison, in Northern Europe, where technology penetration is highest, 97% of the population accesses the internet. (Well done, super cold countries.)

Fun fact: Just a half (52%) of US adults accessed the internet in 2000.

4. On average, there are 500,000 new internet users a day.

(Source: Datareportal)

With a total of five billion users today, the internet has conquered a big chunk of the globe. Just in the span of a year (April 2021-April 2022), it acquired 196 million new users. If you do the math, that’s over half a million new users daily. 

The annual rate of computer advancement—or what we call “the speed of the internet’s invasion over the world”—is 4.1% on average. However, this is a lot higher in developing countries.

Interesting fact: If you add together each user’s daily time spent on the internet, you’ll get more than 1.4 billion years of combined online presence.

5. About 350,000 new viruses and hostile programs emerge daily.

(Source: Tech 21 Century)

What we got about tech for you today isn’t all sunshine and roses.

According to the AV-TEST Institute, 350,000 malware, unwanted applications, and viruses are detected each day. In 2021, the total surpassed 1.19 billion.

The truth is that creating a virus nowadays is easy enough. The bad news? It can take months for antivirus software to detect and kill them.

A mind-blowing computer fact: Statistics suggest that 70% of all hackers actually have a work contract with an organization to write viruses. So, if you’re ready to take the unethical route... Just kidding, don’t do crime, folks.

Crazy Statistics of Technology Use

Percentage signs, billion this, trillion that…

Good thing that we’re now moving on to the exciting section and will explore some fun stats about technology and people’s experience with it.

Let the entertaining facts about technology begin.

6. You can now listen to music with invisible headphones.

(Source: The Indian Express)

If nothing has shocked you so far, Noveto’s N1 magic headphones certainly will.

No more annoying earbuds since these invisible headphones look like a mini soundbar laying flat on your desk. The N1 emits audio straight to your ears, and you’re the only one who can hear it. For those around you, it will be as loud as a whisper.

Basically, the N1 comes with a camera and 3D sensor that work together to determine the position of your head at all times, projecting the acoustic waves directly (and exclusively) to your ears.

It shouldn’t be strange that Noveto’s invisible headphones are the first on our crazy new technology list.

7. MIT developed computers for fake smile detection.

(Source: MIT News)

Do you smile when you’re frustrated? That tight pull of your lips that says “Please, please let this be over soon"?

Even if you say you don’t, chances are you do. Seriously, 90% of the people who participated in the MIT’s experiment smiled when frustrated.

But, as you know, a happy smile looks different than a frustrated smile—and now, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a computer that’s able to tell the difference, too.

MIT researchers came up with the fake smile detector back in 2012, aiming to help people with autism recognize these social cues and interpret them accordingly.

What can we say? The fact that there’s minority-conscious technology in the world put smiles on our faces.

8. 97% of people type words in Google to spell-check.

(Source: The Fact Site)

You’ve been in that situation, right?

(We certainly were while preparing this article.)

Of course, nowadays, there are plenty of solutions to help you with grammar, spelling, and all things writing-related, but there’s nothing quite like googling your word, is there?

Fun fact: The first word to be autocorrected was “teh.” Yeah, whoever wrote it clearly meant “the.”

9. Google hires goats.

(Source: Smithsonian Magazine)

This isn’t really one of the funny facts about technology; it’s more of a fun fact about something a technological company uses. (Po-ta-to, po-tah-to.) Still, we thought it was too ludicrous to pass up.

In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, Google signed a contract with the goat herding company, California Grazing, in 2009. Since then, every year, a herd of 200 goats munches the grass and the bushes growing outside the Mountain View headquarters.

It turns out to be no more expensive than hiring lawnmowers but much more planet-conscious.

10. Modern technology trivia: What’s tech’s success rate when it comes to helping people find love?

(Source: The Fact Site)

Back in the day, people usually started dating someone they met through friends, but this practice has declined by 13% since 1995.

The most common way of meeting that special someone nowadays is, well, online. It could be dating apps, it could be social media, or maybe even emails. The fact is that 40% of people in the US claim to have found their romantic partner online.

Now, different sites have different success rates. For instance, 25% of Bumble’s matches go on dates, and 44% of Tinder users got into a serious relationship with someone they swiped right on.

Historically Cool Facts About Technology

Honestly, how do you expect to win the trivia you’re playing tonight if you don’t know when the computer mouse became a thing?

It’s time to brush up on your Computer History 101.

Read on to beat all your opponents.

11. The first computer took up around 1,800 ft2.

(Source: 365 Technology Inc.)

Yeah, cool, everyone has heard that the first computer was basically one big calculator, but can you picture how big it actually was?

The original computer system was called Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, but it went by ENIAC.

So, cool facts about computers:

Back then—in the 40s, that is—it was perfectly alright for computers to weigh some 27 tons, though we all prefer lighter models nowadays.

Jokes aside, ENIAC was so big that you’d need two entire apartments to fit it in. The system occupied 1,800 ft2, whereas the average US apartment is 882 ft2.

12. Doug Engelbart invented the first computer mouse.

(Source: Computing History)

There’s no way you could’ve aced your computer history facts quiz if we hadn’t told you this one.

It was quite a while before people stopped typing commands on the keyboard and began using a computer mouse. Engelbart’s 1964 design isn’t too different from the one we know and love now.

It was still fit for the size of a human hand and had wheels to move it around—it was made of wood, though, and it certainly wasn’t as ergonomic as what we’re used to today.

13. You could register a domain name for free until 1995.

(Source: The Fact Site)

Honestly, the history of the domain industry is fascinating throughout, but let’s stick to the basics for now with these information technology facts.

It all started in 1986 when the domain name registration went public. Obviously, this prompted exponential growth, and someone had to organize the internet. That was InterNIC in 1993.

To meet the demand of constantly registering new domains, the  National Science Foundation allowed Network Solutions Inc. to begin charging fees in September 1995. A one-year subscription cost $50.

Fun fact about the internet: By 1997 all possible combinations of three-letter domain names ending in .com were already taken.

14. The domain name “unlock.com” sold for $1,228,220.

(Source: GoDaddy)

Yeah, the good days for buying a domain are way behind us, but don’t worry—the expensive domains are only the “second-hand” ones. That is, the ones that have a high demand.

For instance, 2022 began with the sale of unlock.com, which was on the market for $1,228,220.

And if you still think the Web isn’t making people go crazy, just wait till you read these tech fun facts:

Someone paid $49.7 million for the domain name “CarInsurance.com.” The second most expensive deal was for “Insurance.com,” which sold for $35.6 million.

15. Silicon Valley used to be called the Valley of Death.

(Source: TheRichest)

Ironically enough, technology’s advancement rate and technophobia’s growth seem to be following the same upward trend.

Ever since the industrial revolution (or perhaps even earlier), many people started fearing all these new, unbelievable technologies would put them out of work and make everyone jobless and poor. Correspondingly, Silicon Valley, which is pretty much the epicenter of technology, earned itself the nickname Valley of Death.

Anyway, technophobia has evolved with time. Now, it’s not only the possibility of unemployment that haunts people every time they look up technological growth statistics; there’s also cyberterrorism, data-tracking, identity theft… should we go on?

And, to be fair, it’s not like any of these possibilities are far-fetched. If the statistics are anything to go by, we should all sign up for some ID theft protection and read up on phishing scams—stat.

Wrap Up

Technology is awesome.

Occasionally, it may be scary, and it can certainly be used for evil, but there are numerous undeniable benefits to it.

For instance, a benefit it gives us at Web Tribunal is that we research many awesome facts about technology.

Interested in nerdy stats, history facts, or curious things to know about tech?

We’ve got you covered.