Fifty Years of Future Shock

Fifty years ago, I had the life changing experience of being introduced to Future Shock, Alvin and Heidi Toffler’s pivotal 1970 book. Putting forth the premise that too much change was happening in too short a time, Future Shock explored the psychological and societal impacts of continuous and disruptive progress. It was a view I’d never been exposed to and it made quite an impact on my then-preteen mind.

 

Which is just one of the reasons why the publication of After Shock: The World’s Foremost Futurists Reflect on 50 Years of Future Shock—and Look Ahead to the Next 50 is so exciting to me. Not only do I get to revisit the Tofflers’ original ideas, but to also gain insights into the many influences it had on futurists all over the world, including many of my friends and colleagues. That I was invited to write one of the chapters is icing on the cake! I hope you enjoy this insightful collection of essays.