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The History of Digital Content (Infographic) How did we get to where we are today?

By Rose Leadem

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Geber86 | Getty Images

From YouTube videos to Instagram posts to the article you're reading now, we live in a content-fueled world.

Ninety percent of digital data that exists today was created within the last two years, according to data compiled by MerlinOne, a digital asset management platform. In fact, 2.5 quintillion bytes of digital data are created every day -- that's equivalent to the storage capacity of 36 million iPads. And that's thanks to advancements in technology and the rise of social media, digital advertising and online publishing.

Related: 10 Proven Ways to Make Millions on Social Media

An important milestone in digital content creation was in 1994 when Amazon was founded. Another important milestone was in 2007 when the first iPhone was released. This monumental event not only marked the beginning of the life-changing smartphone frenzy, but paved the way for more major digital content opportunities including social media and mobile apps. With Netflix's streaming launch in 2007, the birth of Bitcoin in 2009 and the release of Google Drive collaboration software, the aughts set the stage for a digital content revolution.

Related: 25 Digital-Marketing and Social-Media Experts to Follow on Twitter

Fast-forward to today and more than half of the world's population, 4 billion people, is connected to the internet. Technology and digital data has seeped into nearly every aspects of our daily lives including finance, news and music.

To learn more, check out MerlinOne's infographic below.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

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