The first wave-a civilization based on agriculture and handwork-was a comparatively primitive stage that began as civilizations formed and lasted for thousands of years.
The second wave of change-the industrial revolution-overlapped with the first wave. The industrial revolution began in Great Britain toward the end of the eighteenth century and continued over the next 150 years, moving society from a predominantly agrarian culture to the urbanized machine age. Steel mills, textile factories, and eventually automobile assembly lines replaced farming and handwork as the principal source of family income. As the industrial revolution progressed, not only did occupations change to accommodate the mechanized society, but so did educational, business, social, and religious institutions. On an individual level, punctuality, obedience, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks became qualities to be instilled and valued in children in public schools and, ultimately, in workers.
In a much shorter period of time than it took for civilization to progress past the first wave, societies worldwide moved from the machine age into the information age-a period of change Toffler has dubbed the "third wave." As the third wave gained speed, information became the currency of the realm and a tremendous acceleration occurred in the amount and kind of information available to populations. Now knowledge could be imparted in written form and sometimes came from distant locations. Information could be saved, absorbed, debated, and written about in publications, thus adding to the exploding data pool.
Save a GPA. Donate your notes with us.
