than observing, though he does extrapolate from
his knowledge of contemporary cultures at the dawn
of the 1980’s.
What will the world look like after this global revo-
lution is complete? New ways of life will exist, fueled
by diversified, renewable energy sources. The cus-
tomized production and distribution of goods and
services will replace assembly lines and corporate
control of marketing. Communications will be
“demassified” and replaced by person-to-person con-
tacts via computers. The nuclear family will be en-
hanced by a kaleidoscopic variety of new and differ-
ent interpersonal relationships. Even human identity
will change, for Third Wave societies will be more het-
erogeneous than Second Wave societies, with many
varying racial, ethnic, and religious subgroupings.
People who readily adapt to changes will prosper in
Third Wave economies. New forms of political orga-
nization will arise that transcend the traditional
nation-state. Finally, monetary wealth will be super-
seded by knowledge as the determinant of power,
and this theme would be extensively developed in
the last book of Toffler’s trilogy.
Impact Unlike many social critics and science-
fiction writers, Toffler was optimistic that accelerat-
ing scientific, technological, economic, and cultural
changes would, on the whole, be liberating and
beneficial for humanity, and he was
prescient about the role that knowl-
edge would play in a future informa-
tion age. LikeFuture Shock,The Third
Wavewas a worldwide best seller and
influenced many people and orga-
nizations. For example, the book
had a direct influence on such Amer-
ican politicians as Newt Gingrich
and on American military leaders
who embraced such Third Wave doc-
trines as flexibility and decentral-
ization. The book also influenced
liberation movements in Poland and
China. Toffler’s book also affected
analysts who were hypothesizing
a “Fourth Wave” associated either
with “ecoglobalism” or the human
conquest of outer space, but he him-
self stated that his trilogy was com-
plete, with no Fourth Wave analysis
to come.
Further Reading
Toffler, Alvin.Future Shock.New York: Random
House, 1970.
_______.Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Violence at
the Edge of the Twenty-First Centur y.New York: Ban-
tam Books, 1990.
Toffler, Alvin, and Heidi Toffler.Creating a New Civili-
zation: The Politics of the Third Wave.Atlanta:
Turner, 1995.
Robert J. ParadowskiSee also Agriculture in the United States; Alterna-
tive medicine; Business and the economy in the
United States; Computers; Education in the United
States; Europe and North America; Genetics re-
search; Information age; Inventions; Science and
technology.thirtysomething
Identification American television drama
Date Aired from 1987 to 1991
With its sensitive writing and introspective performances,
thirtysomethingfocused on a group of baby boomers as
they dealt with issues intrinsic to growing up. Considered
overindulgent by some and groundbreakingly honest by oth-
ers, the show was the first television drama of its kind.966 thirtysomething The Eighties in America
Married actors Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig, whose characters are married to other
characters onthirtysomething,arrive at the 1988 Emmy Awards, where Wettig won
an Emmy as Best Supporting Actress in a drama series for her work on the show.(AP/
Wide World Photos)