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Alvin Toffler

Future Shock Mass Market Paperback – June 1 1984

by Alvin Toffler (Author)

751 ratings

3.8 on Goodreads

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The classic work that predicted the anxieties of a world upended by rapidly emerging technologies--and now provides a road map to solving many of our most pressing crises.

"Explosive . . . brilliantly formulated." --The Wall Street Journal

Future Shock is the classic that changed our view of tomorrow. Its startling insights into accelerating change led a president to ask his advisers for a special report, inspired composers to write symphonies and rock music, gave a powerful new concept to social science, and added a phrase to our language. Published in over fifty countries, Future Shock is the most important study of change and adaptation in our time.

In many ways, Future Shock is about the present. It is about what is happening today to people and groups who are overwhelmed by change. Change affects our products, communities, organizations--even our patterns of friendship and love.

But Future Shock also illuminates the world of tomorrow by exploding countless clichés about today. It vividly describes the emerging global civilization: the rise of new businesses, subcultures, lifestyles, and human relationships--all of them temporary.

Future Shock will intrigue, provoke, frighten, encourage, and, above all, change everyone who reads it.

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Print length

576 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bantam
Publication date

June 1 1984
Dimensions

10.8 x 2.54 x 17.78 cm
ISBN-10

9780553277371
ISBN-13

978-0553277371
Lexile measure

1290

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Review

"Revealing, exciting, encouraging, brilliant."--The Christian Science Monitor

"In the risky business of social and cultural criticism, there appears an occasional book that manages . . . to shape our perceptions of its times. Alvin Toffler's immensely readable yet disquieting study may service the same purpose for our own increasingly volatile world."--Newsweek

"Alvin Toffler has sent something of a shock-wave through Western society."--Daily Express (London)

"To the elite . . . who often get committed to age-old institutions or material goals alone, let Toffler's Future Shock be a lesson and a warning."--The Time of India

About the Author

Alvin Toffler (1928-2016) was an American writer and futurist whose list of bestselling books includes Future Shock, The Third Wave, and Powershift. He was a cofounder of Toffler Associates, a consulting firm for companies and governments worldwide on advances in economics, technology, and social change. In France, where his work won the prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize), Alvin was named an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0553277375
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1 1984
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reissue
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780553277371
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553277371
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.8 x 2.54 x 17.78 cm
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1290
�鶹�� Rank: #28,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in Future of Computing
- #9 in Sociology of Culture
- #9 in Futurology
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751 ratings

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upswing2
Brilliant
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2025
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Brilliant

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Don
Great read
Reviewed in Canada on November 17, 2024
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Everyone should read this book...very enlightening!!

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�鶹�� Customer
He knew more
Reviewed in Canada on November 26, 2022
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he was knowledgeable.

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Jeffrey Leach
Shock This!!
Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2001
Alvin Toffler is one crackerjack sociologist. He wrote a series of books concerning the direction of society, the first being this book, Future Shock. Future Shock was written in 1970, and it must have caused a sensation at the time. Toffler examines so many sociological issues that the mere scope of this book is mind-boggling. Toffler went on to write The Third Wave and Powershift, both of which I have not read. While some of Toffler's theories in this book did not pan out, most the observations he makes are eerily true.
Toffler's main argument is that humanity, as of 1970, is in the midst of an enormous shift from an industrial society to a super-industrial society. This new society will be characterized by such things as an acceleration of images, words, ideas, and technologies that could possibly overwhelm mankind (Sound familiar? Watch the news tonight and see how many graphics float by on the screen). Mankind will suffer a serious disconnect when these new ideas reach their fruition (if not well before then). This disconnect is "future shock," an inability to process the enormous amounts of information and change associated with the super-industrial revolution. Toffler likens future shock to the same sort of disorientation that a person experiences when he moves to a new area, or a new country, and suffers a severing of all he has known. While some people can adjust with seeming ease to this kind of dislocation, most of us suffer various maladies from this "shock." Toffler ends up attributing most of societies ills to this jarring social shock. Crime, drug use, the disintegration of society, the burgeoning of quasi-religious movements: all of these are symptoms of a society that can no longer cope with the vast amounts of information and change that technology is bringing about.
These changes involve education, work, government and other dimensions of life. Toffler believes that we should not be afraid to scrap massive sections of any of these areas if doing so can improve our chances of adjusting and functioning within the new society. Toffler proposes forming numerous groups that would deal exclusively with trying to take charge of the situation so that a safer, slower future will come about. Toffler even supports oversight of technology so that any new products or ideas can be examined to determine their effects on society at large (a big no-no to big business).
Some of Toffler's visions are pretty impressive. Toffler predicts that work will increasingly be made up of short-range ad hoc committees that would tackle specific problems within a company. This is certainly true today, although the hierarchy is still alive and well in the business community. Toffler also saw the explosion in the entertainment industry, even though some of his ideas are pretty weird and have yet to be realized. Such ideas as genetic engineering and cloning are still in the formative stages, but Toffler mentions them here as well. One of the more interesting observations in this book concerns the structure of the family. Toffler sees divorce as a problem, and he proposes the idea of short-term contractual marriages as a possible solution. I whole-heartedly support this idea if it doesn't involve alimony payments! He also believes that children could be farmed out to families whose sole purpose in society would be to take care of kids. Kind of like daycare, except the little rugrats won't come home at the end of the day.
There really isn't any reason to read this book today unless you're a sociologist, interested in seeing the same old day-to-day stuff in a new way, or just interested in seeing how freaky some of Toffler's ideas are. Mr. Toffler does come off as a huge socialist, and that's a bit scary. Still, this is an intelligent book written in an easy style. You could do a lot worse than reading this one.

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�鶹�� Customer
Still holds up
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2021
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written in the '70s, remove some of the date references and it is as valid today as 40+ years ago

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Doug Jones
It is the sign of the times.
Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2020
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The culture that was predicted in 1971 has come true and it's only going to get worse.
Great book!

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Jennifer Combs
Valuable scientific purpose
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2002
The book "Future Shock" was written by Alvin Toffler in 1970 to stress the way the increased rate of change will affect people's lives and society in general. We will determine this book's value based on five criteria for scientific books. The criteria includes: scientific terminology is explained or clarified; the work is relevant and appeals to a wide audience; the significance and human value is evident; it is reliable, believable, and accurate; and it is organized logically with connection between ideas.
No scientific background is necessary in comprehending a valuable scientific book, nor does it contain a lot of unexplained terminology. This book does not include a lot of scientific terms, but it does include some phraseology and some big words. An example of phraseology seen in this book is, "The only way to maintain any semblance of equilibrium during the super-industrial revolution will be to . . . design new personal and social change-regulators." This sentence shows how the author uses phraseology (change-regulators) and big words (semblance). These words are not explained so this may confuse the reader and result in a lack of understanding for the author's point.
All important works are relevant and appeal to a wide audience. "Future Shock" meets this standard because it's relevance and appeal are obvious. This book's relevance is that all people are affected by change, whether they know it or not. The wide audience appeal comes from Toffler's prediction of what the future holds for society. These characteristics are vital to the value of this book.
In order for this book to be valuable, the significance and human value must be evident. This book's significance is that Alvin Toffler is the first to make people aware that the rate of change is increasing at such a phenomenal rate that it is changing people's lives and the structure of society. The human value is obviously that by becoming aware of this accelerated rate of change we can decide how this pace will affect us individually and as a society.
Another way to determine if a book possesses value is if it's reliable, believable, and accurate. "Future Shock" makes references to other scientists and researchers throughout the book to explain where certain facts and opinions emerged. By doing this, Toffler makes his research reliable, believable, and even accurate.
A book that is organized logically with connection between ideas is considered to be valuable. This book is organized into six parts with several chapters in each part. Each chapter is broken up into subheadings and categories. Each category leads to the next category; each chapter leads to the next chapter; and each part leads to the next part. This method of organization and connecting ideas is a valuable way to clarify ideas.
Alvin Toffler's book, "Future Shock" is a valuable scientific book that appeals to a wide audience. Although some parts may be filled with phraseology and unexplained scientific terminology, this book is organized logically to provide understanding for the reader. Toffler's ideas are considered to be significant because his information and research is reliable, believable, and accurate.

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K. Huibers
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2018
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he was ahead ot his time

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Marcelo A. Costa
Uma Visão Assustadoramente Correta
Reviewed in Brazil on July 19, 2022
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Future Shock foi escrito em 1970 com um ambicioso objetivo de tentar projetar as tendências que se consolidariam ao longo do tempo. Ao ler o livro em 2022, é possível constatar o quão assustadoramente acuradas foram suas previsões (por exemplo, o modus operandi de aulas online). Lógico, nem todas as previsões se realizaram, mas a taxa de acerto é alta. O grande mérito do autor foi captar a mudanças em curso ao longo da década de 1960 e verificar quais se firmariam, substituindo padrões anteriores, e as implicações de padrões tecnológicos sobre as relações humanas. Uma leitura necessária para economistas (mudanças nas relações econômicas), sociólogos (impactos sobre a sociedade) e psicólogos (impactos sobre a psiquê humana)

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Bryan J Aldridge
A real 'futurist' writes a classic - something everyone should read at least once in their life
Reviewed in Australia on August 1, 2018
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When I first read this book in 1971 it change my life, setting me on a career in IT that has now lasted over 40 years. I read it again recently and was both surprised and please to note how many of Professor Toffler's predictions about the following decades have proven correct and are still relevant today. A classic for all those interested not only in where we have been but also where we are going. After becoming depressed reading Sapiens this insightful and positive publication was a delight.

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Jean-paul Lacharme
Excès d'optimisme dans une société optimiste
Reviewed in France on August 29, 2019
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Le travail du futurologue est toujours risqué. La confrontation entre le futur prédit et le présent accompli peut être dévastatrice. Pour autant, cet ouvrage d’Alvin Toffler demeure encore lisible 50 ans après sa publication.
L’auteur le rédige à l’apogée de la civilisation américaine. Le rêve américain brille alors comme un soleil. La saga lunaire a fait oublier les horreurs du Vietnam, le dollar est encore accroché à l’or et les trente glorieuses en ont pour trois ans à vivre. La Chine est un grand pays sous-développé ravagé par la révolution culturelle, l’URSS est rongée par le cancer bureaucratique.
Toffler caractérise la société d’alors par trois facteurs : précarité (non pérennité), nouveauté, diversité. Les premiers chapitres du livre (3/5) dépeignent le rôle de ces facteurs dans tous les domaines : la famille, le milieu professionnel, la mobilité géographique, la production de biens consommables, l’éducation, les relations humaines, les structures, les modes de vie, la guerre, etc. Même les religions sont bousculées. Rien n’échappe à ce mouvement turbulent. Pour l’auteur, c’est signe d’une société libre et évoluée qui s’oppose à la société archaïque paternaliste cyclique et rigide. C’est un bien absolu.

Toffler est cependant lucide qu’une mutation générant un volume important de stimuli chez les individus peut être pathogène. Jugements et décisions ne doivent subir aucun délais. Les problèmes environnementaux sont effleurés pour être oubliés. C’est ce qu’il appelle le choc du futur. Cette partie de l’ouvrage n’est pas particulièrement futuriste : l’auteur anticipe simplement que les choses vont continuer ainsi en s’accélérant. Il préconise ou prévoit que pour se maintenir, la société devra mettre en place d’une part des lieux protégés de ce changement (comme le territoire des Amish), sortes de chambres de décompression, et d’autre part des structures éducatives préparant intensément la population à un futur qui devra être systématiquement magnifié par rapport au passé. Trente ans plus tard Internet ne bousculera pas trop ce schéma.

On atteint ici les limites de la perspicacité et de la lucidité de l’auteur. Il ne nous a pas expliqué d’où venait le caractère précaire, novateur et diversifié de la société américaine, le mot ‘capitalisme’ est d’ailleurs presque absent dans son vocabulaire. Ses préconisations permettant d’adoucir le choc de ce futur n’ont jamais été mises en place. Le système évolue par sa dynamique propre quoi qu'on fasse : seule une catastrophe pourra l'arrêter.
Depuis 1973, la dette -privée et publique- gonfle partout comme un cancer, les inégalités croissantes paupérisent une partie des classes moyennes alors que la Chine fait sortir des centaines de millions de gens de la pauvreté selon un schéma différent, enfin et surtout, à moyen terme, les enjeux climatiques laissent prévoir un arrêt définitif à tout développement exponentiel de la production de biens matériels. La croissance mondiale réelle ralentit de façon drastique. Le système bancaire est sous perfusion. ‘Game Over’ ! Toffler qui n’a pas anticipé cette inflexion bien marquée a péché par un excès d’optimisme exprimé dans une époque optimiste. En outre, sa vision du temps est incomplète : ainsi, par exemple, la lecture de son livre demandera toujours entre 14 et 18 heures (1,5 à 2 min par page). La pertinence de son modèle touche à sa fin sans qu’on voit encore ce qui pourra le remplacer.

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Edward B. Crutchley
A book of a lifetime
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2017
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It’s easy to forget how much the sixties were seen at the time to be an era of rapidly accelerating change. The throw-away, transient world of short-span attention and slackening of morals had arrived. There was an explosion of mass media, of scientific and technological innovation, of job mobility and migration, first signs of over-choice and a super-industrial ephemeral society. The author takes no prisoners as he inundates his arguments with gee whiz facts, most of which would by themselves make good conversation pieces. Several predictions may have proved to be off the mark, but the raw fact is that the rate of acceleration has dramatically increased ever since. So when the author talks of a left-behind segment of society, people overwhelmed by the rate of change to become Deniers and Revisionists, this is even more relevant today. The resurgence of populist politics, the Tea Party, Brexit, and all the other current reactionary movements seem to have been predicted. This is a book of a lifetime, even better after nearly 50 years.

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Shrikant Shringarputale
The leader is one who ushers in CHANGE in a smooth manner.
Reviewed in India on June 6, 2021
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That's the book that deeply impressed me as a youth in 1970. I wish all the researchers emulate Toffler. It shaped the philosophy of my life, and made me adapt to the inevitable changes coming my way without a shock.
We are lucky to have Modiji amongst us as our leader ushering in the change in the most acceptable manner, making India resilient.
Toffler certainly has immensely contributed in the progress of humanity in the 20th and the 21st Century.
As predicted by him the pace of change now is very high and, now in my seventies, I appreciate the nature in restricting the longevity of all living beings. Yes, the change is imminent and must be maneuvered by the leader to be smooth, and the society should be systematically transformed into a resilient society.

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