3rd+WAVE+CHARACTERISTICS

Information Age: The third wave is called the Information Age and is composed of post-industrial societies. It started around 1955 and continues today. After WWII, the number of white-collar workers outnumbered blue-collar workers. New innovations and technologies control how we do things. The invention of the television, radios, cellular phones, computers, and the internet have changed how businesses, society, and educational realms function. Mass production that controlled second wave societies, now gave way to demassification. Technologies give people a choice to specify or decide what they want to learn, listen to, watch, and do. New exploration techniques began to occur as well. Humans had almost explored and discovered all aspects of the globe, but they still yearned to know what was in space and under the oceans. The possibilities of energy, power, and recognition were endless in these new environments. New technologies also changed how businesses view their workers. Computers, cell phones, the internet, email, instant messages and podcasts allow employees to work from home and still communicate over long distances. Flexible schedules and increased night work allow for people to work when they can. The breakdown of synchronization changed how families operate in society. Nuclear families are not the norm anymore. Families are composed of divorced, remarried, single parents, and even modified extended units. New technologies also affected how educational systems are viewed. More and more educational technologies are incorporated into our curriculum to meet individual student’s needs. After the effects of big production in second wave societies, third wave societies are working on ways for alternative energy sources. The new theme is going “green” in order to protect our planet.