The 1990s were revolutionary decade for digital technology. Cell phones of the early 1990s were used by only a few percent of the population of even the wealthiest nations. Only a few million people used online services in 1990, and the World Wide Web had only just been invented. By 2001, more than 50% of some Western countries had Internet access, and more than 25% had cell phone access.
E-mail becomes popular; as a result Microsoft acquires the popular Hotmail webmail service. Advancements in computer modems, cable modems, and DSL lead to faster connection to the Internet.

The 1990s began with recession that dampened car sales. General Motors continued to suffer huge losses thanks to an inefficient structure and stale designs. Sales improved with the economy by the mid-’90s, but GM’s US market share gradually declined to less than 40%. Cars in the 1990s had a rounder shape than those of the 1970s and 1980s