The Third Wave Presentation
The Third Wave, written by the North American futurist Alvin Tofler in 1980, describes a new world order: post-industrial society, to which Tofler called the “Third Wave”, which emerges after the industrial society (the “Second Wave”), which had been preceded by the agriculture society (the “First Wave”). The great news of the “Third Wave” is the appearance of a massive customization opposing to massive production which characterized the “Second Wave”. In the “Third Wave” the essence of industrial production relies on the short term of products partially or completely personalized, adequate to the needs and preferences of the specific consumer. On the other hand, the consumer and producer stop being separate to become almost indistinct – the consumer begins to be integrated in the production process, expressing his choices and preferences. Tofler actually invents a word to designate this new consumer, who simultaneously becomes a producer: the “prosumer”. Another characteristic of the “Third Wave” expected by Tofler was work flexibility in terms of timetables and in terms of work place: employees would no longer be stuck to strict timetables and to be the advent of work from home.
