Shock of the new

18 August 2010In the National Times, Rodney Tiffen discusses why voters want life to be simpler

A KEY to understanding much of the current election campaign is in a book published 40 years ago. Alvin Toffler's Future Shock sold more than 6 million copies but, more importantly, the concept became part of popular culture. For Toffler, future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that individuals suffer when they experience too much change in too short a time.

Earlier futurists had concentrated on technology but Toffler was the first to focus on the psychological aspects of change. He realised even positive changes, such as a promotion at work, moving house or a new relationship, brought a degree of stress.

For Toffler, incessant change is the central feature of our age, driven especially by technology but pervasive in all aspects of life. Future shock and its manifestations of disorientation and disconnectedness follow. Constant novelty means…

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Photo of Alvin Toffler: Clp1917

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