The Honest Broker

The Honest Broker

Home
The Vault
Archive
Leaderboard
About

In 1970, Alvin Toffler Predicted the Rise of Future Shock—But the Exact Opposite Happened

And it's much, much worse

Ted Gioia's avatar
Ted Gioia
May 28, 2023
∙ Paid
552
154
49
Share
Cross-posted by The Honest Broker
"Nobody is “invaded by the future.” The citizenry is entirely absorbed by the present moment—to the exclusion of everything else. Just watch them on the street or subway with their devices, and see that empty look on their faces. Like zombies in those horror films, they might have had a real life once, long ago, but they’ve forgotten what it’s like."
-
robpreuss

Back in 1970, Alvin Toffler predicted the future. It was a disturbing forecast, and everybody paid attention.

People saw his book Future Shock everywhere. I was just a freshman in high school, but even I bought a copy (the purple version). And clearly I wasn’t alone—Clark Drugstore in my hometown had them piled high in the front of the store.


Subscribe to The Honest Broker to continue reading

Visit the author’s Substack to subscribe and read more.
552
154
49
Share

No posts

© 2025 Ted Gioia
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture