Let me begin this post by saying I’ve never really been a fan of Law & Order. I understand it’s one of the longest-running TV shows in America, but it never really got my attention. That didn’t stop me from clicking on an article about the use of computers on the show, and I’m certainly happy I did.
Quiz question: How many scenes in Law & Order have included computers of any kind?
I bet you didn’t guess anywhere close to the actual number…over 11,000.
A man named Jeff Thompson catalogued over 11,000 images of computers from the show, which you can access on his Tumblr page here. The first images are from Season 1, Episode 15, when a detective uses the technology to gather information on a case. Later in the series, computers become more popular and are used in day to day activities. At this point, the actors are almost always pictured with a computer when they’re working on a case.
By looking at this compilation of images, I observed two things. It’s obvious that computers have changed over the years in a big way. They aren’t as clunky and they’re far more portable now. We have individual laptops and “mini computers,” like iPhones that make it easier to communicate and breakdown information. Through the images, I also realized something else; computers are no longer an option for most people. In the first images, the detective is the person using technology to access data. By the end of the series, computers are a necessary part of everyone’s jobs. Over the years, computers have made their way into our lives, and I would argue they’re now a permanent fixture.