Here at Mi liberty this week we spotted a video on YouTube, which shows 29 year old Sloan Churman, who’s been profoundly deaf her whole life, hear her voice for the very first time thanks to an innovative new technology from Envoy Medical. The video is truly moving and we defy any of you not to feel emotional when watching it.

The video is the perfect example of how important technology innovation is to our day-to-day lives – touching every aspect of everything we do. Often as a PR person you get asked who you PR. People often assume you’ll say you look after a well-known celebrity or in fashion, but as soon as you mention you work in technology you are usually greeted by a vacant stare and then a typical response of “oh, that must be, um…interesting”. It’s so hard to convince people that it really is interesting. In fact, we’re often left awestruck by the futuristic products and services our clients keep bringing to the marketplace and how they affect and influence individuals, businesses and indeed governments to change the way they view and engage with technology and each other.

Technology is no longer for the geeks – it’s a lifestyle. Think about all the technology innovations that have touched your life since you were born. Could you live without any of them now? We seriously doubt it. Here are some examples of technologies we all take for granted that were developed by unknown individuals and companies, quietly beavering away behind the scenes to change our lives forever. Here goes…

1. The internet – the world before the internet was much smaller. Now, there’s email, online banking, blogging, shopping, social networking, amazon.com, eBay…the list goes on and on…
2. The mobile – seriously, what did we ever do before the mobile phone was invented? Remember actually having to rush home to make a call or find a pay phone? Thank goodness those days are over! Now though, the mobile phone means much more to us than just a phone to make voice calls on. We can email, check in for flights, text, play games, watch TV and soon we’ll be able to use it as our electronic wallet and just swipe it at a till. Amazing!
3. The iPod – can you believe the iPod is going to be 10 years old this month? It feels as though it’s existed forever. CD players and the Sony Walkman were cool, but the iPod changed how we listen to music forever – you can even watch TV and movies on them now too.
4. GPS –long gone are the days when we would shout at each other in the car for getting lost and not being able to read a map. Now, we just shout at our satnav, stuck defenceless on our windscreens. Usually though all we need to do is pop in an address and we find our way from A to B without bloodshed. So not only has GPS probably saved thousands of marriages, but it makes life easier for everyone. Plus, now you can use GPS technology on your mobile so you don’t even have to invest in a portable GPS if you don’t want to.
5. Cable/satellite TV – terrestrial TV gives us five channels, on average. Where’s the fun in that when you could have 400 to choose from? There’s so much choice now we complain that there’s too much. Our TVs are more advanced than anyone could have imagined – Hi Def and 3D TVs have set our expectations of the viewing experience at a whole new level. When will smellovision happen, we wonder?
6. The digital camera – thank goodness for no more disappointing holiday snaps. We point, shoot and download our photos and within minutes they’re on Facebook or prints are ordered online. We carry them with us everywhere, whether it’s an actual digital camera or on the digital camera on your mobile phone. We still love a good Polaroid here at Mi liberty though.  
7. The remote control – does anyone even know how to change the channel or volume on their TV set anymore? Isn’t it the worst thing when you’ve lost your remote, or when someone takes control of your remote without your permission? It may make us couch potatoes, but we love it.
8. The computer – we think this one speaks for itself really. It’s simply baffling how one computer used to take up an entire room, but now even more powerful devices are almost as thin as paper and can sit on your lap. The mind boggles.

These are just a few light-hearted examples, but they really depict how fast our world moves and how technology is the fuel for this.

If one tiny piece of technology can help a woman hear her own voice for the first time in nearly 30 years, what other miracles created by technology might we see in our lifetime?

Technology is truly amazing and inspiring. If you’re a PR in technology and get asked who you do PR for, be loud and proud about it. We’re supporting one of the most exciting industries there is.

By Rachael Parker