How much of the global information and communication explosion is driven by more, and how much by better technology?

Technological change in the digital age is a combination of both, more and better technology. The article quantifies how much of the technologically-mediated information and communication explosion during the period of digitization (1986 – 2007) was driven by the deployment of additional technological devices, and how much by technological progress in hardware and software. We find that technological progress has contributed between two to six times more than additional technological infrastructure. While infrastructure seems to reach a certain level of saturation at roughly 20 storage devices per capita and 2-3 telecommunication subscriptions per capita, informational capacities are still exploding. Besides progress in better hardware, software for information compression turns out to be an important and often neglected driver of the global growth of technologically mediated information and communication capacities.