Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

Page 13 text:

For years we denied that our industrial base was eroding steadily, even though it was happening right before our eyes. Our inability to see, however, and our penchant for denying even what we saw, were only natural, for the truth was too painful, too threatening. Because our industrial economy had served us so long, its demise was - for many of us - unthinkable, says John Naisbitt. While no one can predict the shape of the new world of high technology, Mr. Naisbitt, the author of Megatrends , says, The most reliable way to anticipate the future is by understanding the present. ' That a new world is coming, Mr. Naisbitt is sure. In fact he says the most important and critical megatrend or restructuring of society to come, is the movement away from an industrial economy and the movement toward an information-electronics economy. As more technology is introduced into society people will want to be with other people more. Shopping malls, for example, are now the third most frequented space in our lives, following home and the workplace, Mr. Naisbitt says. High tech high touch as a principle, he says, symbolizes the need for balance between our physical and spiritual realities. The number of universities offering some type of futures-oriented degree has increased from two in 1969 to over 45 in 1978, Mr. Naisbitt says. He lists some information occupations one can prepare for, including: programmers, teachers, c lerks, librarians, secretaries, accountants and stock brokers. Also managers, insurance people, bureaucrats, lawyers, bankers and technicians. About computers, Mr. Naisbitt says, It is important to think about the computer as a tool that manages complexity because just as surely as highways only encourage more cars, having a tool that manages complexity invites more and more complexity into society. Computer graphic by Kent McGowan Left: Trends show you the directions in which this country is moving, just as this laser swirls in many directions. Above: A high-tech look at SFA ' s Steen Hall. Megatrends - 9

Page 15 text:

Political decisions will be made more often at the grassroots level. Churches, schools and family structures will be changed. Govern- ments will have to adapt to societies made up of minorities of all kinds. Electronics and com- puters will create a new sphere of information in homes and businesses with more people working at home. The key political unit of the past, the nation-state will be modified. Instantaneous global communication will be a way of life. The media will appeal more to in- dividual ' s special interests than to the masses. New industries in computer and data processing, aerospace, petrochemicals, advanced communication and others will replace old industries in oil, coal, tex- tiles, steel, auto, rubber and machine tool manufacture. These are part of Alvin Toffler ' s vision of the future which he presents in The Third Wave . Society is a product of three great waves of changes, according to Mr. Toffler. The first wave descended upon the world when agricultural societies began around 10,000 years ago. About 300 years ago the industrial revolution formed a second wave of changes that permeated the world. Today, society is facing a third wave of perva sive technological changes that is in conflict with the second wave because the changes are happening very quickly. Old ways of thinking, old formulas, dogmas and ideologies, no matter how cherished or how useful in the past, no longer fit the facts, Toffler says. We cannot cram the embryonic new world of tomorrow into yesterday ' s conventional cubbyholes. Toffler uses waves as metaphors for change We cannot cram the embryonic new world of tomorrow into yesterday ' s conventional cubbyholes. because waves are strong forces which man cannot stop but which can be put to positive use. No metaphor tells the whole story from all sides, and hence, no vision of the present, let alone the future can be complete and final. The author concludes, In a time of exploding change - with personal lives being torn apart, the ex- isting social order crumbling, and a fantastic new way of life emerging on the horizon - asking the very largest of questions about the future is not merely a matter of intellectual curiosity. It is a matter of survival. Mr. Toffler says that the long-range view of the third wave should invoke optimism even though the transitional years ahead are likely to be stormy and crisis ridden. When I say something ' will ' happen, he says, I assume the reader will make appropriate discount for uncertainty. Southwestern Bell ' s communication tower is pictured on the left. When American Telephone Telegraph broke up into eight separate companies in 1984, Toffler ' s prediction of the disintegration of large corporations seemed to be fulfilled, at least in part. Opposite Page: As individuals assume larger roles in a diverse society, one is likely to see more people using automatic teller machines like this one in the University Center. Photos by Lauren Davit