The term post-industrialism was first used by
Arthur J. Penty in
1914. Since then many different approaches have been brought to bear upon the nature, meaning and effects of
post-industrial society.
"The concept of the post-industrial society deals primarily with changes in the
social structure, the way in which the
economy is being transformed and the occupational system reworked, and with the new relations between
theory and
empiricism, particularly science and technology."
- Daniel Bell, The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, A Venture in Social Forecasting
"The US is not shifting from
industry to services but from one kind of industrial economy to another."
- Cohen & Zysman, "The Myth of a Post-Industrial Economy"
"Society is currently experiencing a revolutionary
transformation on a global scale ... a revolution in
societal control."
- James R. Beniger, The Control Revolution
Although
scholars disagree about what "post-industrial" actually means, there seem to be three main areas about which there is little dispute:
Centrality of Theoretical Information
Information and Services as Linkages
The Control Revolution