<p>The birth of social media and (in particular) enterprise social technologies means that we are now in the "third age" of data, software and computing devices at a wider level.</p><p>This is the view of IBM's Mike Rhodin, the firm's senior VP of software solutions. Speaking at the Connect 2013 Lotusphere conference this January, Rhodin explained that we have so far existed with three identifiable ages of technology.</p><p># 1 - Machines that basically counted things -- and these typified all the first wave of electronically enabled computing devices i.e. a computer was a data workhorse or some embedded system that could digitise upon demand and perform its basic function.</p><p># 2 - Machines that could compute and analyse -- i.e. the laptops, tablets and smartphones (and of course the desktops too) that we know today.</p><p><a href="http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/cwdn/2013/01/ibms-three-ages-of-data-leading-to-social.html">Keep reading...</a></p>