bit [bit] noun 1. A single, basic unit of information, used in connection with computers and information theory. A binary digit.

Modern society is ruled, dominated, and slavishly beholden to one of mankind’s most simple machinations: The binary digit. Whether it is a flash of light, surge of electrons, or rug held over a smoky fire, the bit merely represents on or off, and yet it underpins almost every facet of human life. Without bits and bytes, almost anything that is more complex than opening a window or taking the trash out would be impossible.

Without bits, your computer would not work. Heck, without bits the equipment used to make your computer wouldn’t work — your computer would simply cease to exist. Without bits, you wouldn’t be able to make telephone calls, or surf the web on your phone. Without bits your house’s heating system wouldn’t work (and neither would the timer on your oven, or your Tivo DVR). Bits and bytes are the basis for modern banking, the stock markets, television, and of course the internet.

Binary is the underlying language by which modern humans interact with the world. We might use higher-level languages such as English or Chinese or C++, but when it eventually comes down to transmission across a network or controlling a machine, it’s all binary. When you IM a friend, your words are encoded into bits, squirted across a network, and then decoded back into words. Ditto telephone calls, SMS, and email. When you tap the brake or accelerator in your car, your foot’s movement is translated into a stream of binary bits that control an array of motors, pumps, and actuators. When you click Print in Word, your document — words, images, formatting and all — is rastered as a dumb bitmap and sent to your printer.

Perhaps more chillingly, binary is also the language by which computers and machines communicate, often autonomously. Many robots, such as the pork ham deboner or Petman, are primarily governed by sensory feedback, which always boils down to bits and bytes. To take a more common example, even your home computer has a huge number of system processes that constantly communicate using binary, often without any human interaction. Stuxnet, the virus that reportedly damaged Iran’s uranium enrichment program, was only possible because most of the world’s industrial machines are controlled by SCADA computer systems, which of course solely operate and communicate using bits.

Our reliance on bits grows every day. It was only a few years ago that TV (and cinema!) was predominantly analog, and now it’s almost entirely digital: Free-to-air digital TV, DVDs, Netflix, Hulu, Tivo, cable, satellite, 5K Red cameras; it’s all digital. Radio is moving slower, but eventually it too will make the jump. Even the printed word — the technology that bootstrapped this scientific, high-tech world that we live in — is going digital, thanks to the Kindle and iPad.

Your household probably still has a lot of analog equipment — taps, door locks, toasters — but with digital thermostats, smart appliances, automation, multi-room sound systems, and blanket WiFi, digital is definitely making inroads. Homes aren’t rebuilt very often, so it will take time for digital bits to fully usurp their clunky, rusted, whirring, analog ancestors, but eventually your house will just be another node on the internet. If you look at offices, shops, and other commercial spaces that are constantly rejuvenated, you can already see automatic faucets, automatic doors, digital displays and billboards, and myriad other binary-powered devices.

Next page: The king of bits