Major Social Trends
William G. Huitt, Ph.D.
Valdosta State
University
Last revised: August 2000
Major Social Trends
Powerful economic and social forces are pushing
and prodding us to change if we want to be
successful in the 21st century.
Our schools are not making corresponding
modifications (e.g., Robinson, 1992)
We made our past; we have made our present.
If we want to have some control in our lives 10
or 15 years from now, we need to make some
changes today.
Robinson, M. (1992). Mastery learning in public schools: Some areas of
restructuring. Education, 113(1), 121-126.
Major Social Trends
There is a new paradigm for success (Baker,
1992).
A paradigm is "a set of rules and regulations
(either written or unwritten) that does two
things:
1) it establishes or defines boundaries and,
2) it tells you how to behave inside the
boundaries in order to be successful."
Baker, J. (1992). Paradigm: The business of discovering the future. New York:
HarperBusiness.
Major Social Trends
The new paradigm is founded on a few social
trends that are impacting every aspect of our lives.
Most of these trends are related to the movement
to the information age from the agriculture and
industrial ages of the 18th and 19th centuries
Movement to the Information Age
Movement to the Information Age
Toffler (1990) believes the individual, group,
community, society, or nation that has access
to information and the ability to process it
will be most successful in the information
age.
There is a major power struggle between
the 2nd wave (industrial) and 3rd wave
(information) for influence on social and
economic change.
Toffler, A. (1990). Powershift. New York: Bantam Books.
Movement to the Information Age
In the 1930's some 30 million people were
involved in farming. They grew enough food to
feed about 150 million people (Pilzer, 1990).
Today only about 3 million people are involved
in farming (a number declining every year).
This much smaller number of farmers grow
enough food to feed a population of 250 million
in the U.S. and export enough to feed another
100 million.
Pilzer, P. (1990). Unlimited wealth. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
Movement to the Information Age
In 1990, the U.S. economy produced about 3
times the amount of goods produced just after
World War II with about the same number of
workers (Pilzer, 1990).
Only about 10% of the workforce is now
involved in manufacturing.
Pilzer, P. (1990). Unlimited wealth. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
Technology & The Speed of Change
Internet and World Wide Web--from less than
a million users in the early 1990s to 30m in
1998 to more than 330m in 2000 to 2b in 2010;
30% of retailing on the net in industrial
countries by 2010
Need for constant innovation--complacency is
the enemy of survival; good enough is not
High tech / High touch--technology speeds up
processing, but people want to associate with
people
Global Economy
Movement from local to regional to national
to multinational to global
Capitalism won
• Institutional-help to self-help
• Entrepreneurship
Workforce Changes
Needs are different (importance of different
sectors)--increased importance of information
and technology workers
Distribution--accounts for 70% to 90% of cost
Transformation of work--from low-skilled,
interchangeable to highly-skilled, critical
Dejobbing--more temporary full-time and
permanent part-time
Shrinking workforce--fewer workers needed
Other
Decentralization--decision-making at point of
implementation
Multiple options--from “either/or” to “and”
Customized economy--just-in-time, on-demand,
personalized
Change is dynamic, not linear--small actions can
bring about large results; importance of
minorities
Re-emergence of importance of family--more
work, education, and entertainment at home
Conclusion
Look at the needs of the times in which you
live and make a contribution.
Looking only at the past for ideas about
what to do now is like driving a speeding
car down the highway while looking in the
rearview mirror.
We must look ahead and take into account
a changing environmental context.
The End