Book Review: Creating a New Civilization - The Politics of The Third Wave

Introduction

I just finished reading “Creating a New Civilization - The Politics of the Third Wave” by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. I just found it in the bookstore last week, and I think it just came out. It has a foreword by Newt Gingrich, who has been waving it in front of the U.S. Congress, insisting that everybody read it, from what I understand, which in itself should be about enough to make it a bestseller. I am not exactly a Republican and didn’t have any favorable impression of Newt Gingrich, but this forces me to reevaluate my opinion a bit. This is quite a subversive and revolutionary book, actually, predicting a total change in society as we have known it, and the breakdown of most traditional power structures, to be replaced by something new (Toffler & Toffler, 1995).

The Concept of the Third Wave

Toffler has written about what he calls the “Third Wave” before, and this is, for that matter, merely a further elaboration. But it is putting it in a context that makes it hit home very well. The First Wave was the agricultural society. The Second Wave was the industrial revolution. The Third Wave is the information society. The Second Wave is symbolized by the factory model. Everything is mass-produced by centralized, hierarchical, bureaucratic institutions. Most of our known ways of manufacturing things, of education, of finance, and of government, are based on Second Wave principles. We have centralized governments that try to make rules for everything and run things from one place. We send our kids to learning factories where they are all treated the same and spit out as standardized products.

The Emergence of the Third Wave

The Third Wave is unavoidably upon us. It is driven in part by the increased speed of everything, the increased interconnectedness, and vast amounts of information. Information is increasingly becoming more important than physical goods. Second Wave institutions are failing to keep up with Third Wave society. Governments, centralized mega-corporations, educational institutions, and mass media are largely unable to keep up with the speed at which things are developing. And to that degree, they are failing.

Characteristics of the Third Wave

The Third Wave is represented by smaller teams, flexibility, and the ability to change, reduction of overhead, and just-in-time principles. Second Wave institutions will not voluntarily give up control, even when they are failing to deliver what is needed. There is, therefore, a struggle between Second and Third Wave institutions, which the Third Wave will unescapably win in the end.

Political and Social Transformations

In Second Wave politics, there was the idea of the “majority.” If we let most people choose some representatives and we let them make rules that apply to most people, then things will stay pretty well organized and acceptable. In the Third Wave, there is no longer any meaningful “majority.” Society is increasingly divided into special interest groups. There is a large number of minorities rather than one majority. And hardly anybody really likes what the governments are doing. Second Wave politicians try to undo the change and turn the clock back. If we can just all have good, decent family values, and we can protect the production facilities of the country, and we spend more money on education, then everything will be alright. Mass media are increasingly unable to show what is really going on. They will mostly give the Second Wave story, showing us what the centralized power figures are doing and saying. But that is no longer what matters the most.

The Decline of Traditional Political Structures

It is no longer possible to uphold the illusion of political parties having clear agendas you can count on. The divisions between political parties, what is left and right, and so forth no longer make much sense. In the former Soviet Union, the Communists are now called “conservatives.” We can no longer classify things in the usual simplistic ways. Second Wave economy was based on finite exhaustible outputs. We were talking about physical goods that took raw materials to make and that had a tangible permanence to them. Information, which is the lifeblood of the Third Wave, doesn’t work by the same rules. You can use one piece of information any number of times without depreciating its value. You cannot treat it the same as a tangible product from a factory.

The Collision of the Waves

The Third Wave and the Second Wave are colliding right now. That creates a considerable amount of chaos and uncertainty and trauma. But there is no doubt that the Third Wave will win. Many people still operate by Second Wave principles in their own lives. If you expect that you can just get a good secure job, a nice middle-class house and car, send your kids to college, and just settle back and wait for retirement, that ain’t gonna work very well anymore.

Adapting to the Third Wave

In the Third Wave, you need to be flexible, ready for change, always learning, developing your abilities, and continuously creating your own opportunities. You cannot expect that some centralized institution is going to do it for you. You will need to keep up to date with what is going on. It is of great value to be able to recognize the difference between Second and Third Wave, to know what horse to bet on. Simply put, if it looks like a factory, it is Second Wave, and it is on its way out. If the solutions proposed are about the “masses,” if they put all eggs in one basket, if they are vertically, hierarchically controlled, then they are Second Wave, and they are going to lose out. Third Wave solutions are decentralized, demassified, diversified, virtual organizations with distributed decision-making.

The Re-Empowerment of the Home

Also, Third Wave organization re-empowers the home. The idea of us all driving off to centralized locations to work, be educated, etc., is Second Wave. The Third Wave is more about working and learning where it makes the most sense or where you are most comfortable or productive. There will often be more reason to stay home than to drive off to work.

Conclusion

Anyway, enough said, I recommend reading this book. It is small and easily read. The insights provided by Alvin and Heidi Toffler are both enlightening and challenging, offering a vision of the future that requires deep consideration and understanding (Toffler & Toffler, 1995).

References:

• Toffler, A., & Toffler, H. (1995). Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave. Turner Publishing.