The "Third Wave" is the economic and social revolution which will take place (some would argue is taking place) at the turn of the century. It involves a demassification of the economy, a move towards a world nation/economy, a shift towards individualism, away from nationalism, a view of workers as intelligent beings, not just hands, and a general move away from the cities. Each of these is a topic for an essay in itself, so I will attempt to briefly clarify cause and effect for each development listed here.

The first and possibly most significant change will be the "demassification" of the economy. Today, the assembly line caters to the good of most people, not to the individual needs and wants of the person at large. In the "Third Wave," products will no longer be marketed to the "masses" but to smaller, more specific groups. The term "micro-markets" has been used to describe this phenomenon. As people are able to communicate more effectively with each other through the "information highway," marketing companies will be able to more effectively pinpoint their advertisements to the targeted group. Due to this facility of advertising, people will join together and create much smaller interest groups (e.g. people who like pre-1980 brown Ford Mercury sedans etc.). This will create marketing venues unfathomable to current corporations. If a company can direct its publicity directly to the people who are most likely to become customers, then smaller markets can be accommodated (e.g. pre-1980 Ford Mercury sedan shows).

In the past, if your interests weren�t shared by a certain number of people in your immediate community, you had no one to talk to about or share your activity with. Therefore closer communication between people with similar interests will allow people to really be themselves. Individualism will grow out of the ability to find others who are like oneself, even if one does not have typical 1996 interests. Even now, specialty newsgroups and chatlines, as well as World Wide Web information pages, are commonplace. On today�s Internet, (which is the predecessor to the eventual "Information Highway") to a certain degree one can meet and converse with those of similar interests. Personally, I�ve been in touch with other people who speak Hebrew so I could practice my language. I�ve done nearly all the research for my upcoming era presentation on-line. As people and information become more available to all, people will be able to more freely pursue their own interests.

There are obviously serious economic repercussions of this potential "information overload." People will be able to immediately compare a company�s prices and benefits/problems with its competitor. This close competition is what Adam Smith originally imagined when he wrote "The Wealth of Nations" outlining capitalism. However, companies today are going to have to seriously rethink their strategies and goals to attaining success. A company that does not make a smooth transition to the "Third Wave" will die a horrible, but unnoticed death. In simple terms what does this mean? A company that fails to understand and adapt to its surroundings is sure to fail. The economy will become more world-wide, as price-shoppers will be able to "cross-border" shop with the click of a button. Agreements like the NAFTA bill will be commonplace and eventually the world economy will merge.

The merging of the world economy along with people being able to communicate with those far away who share similar interests will slowly make the current "nation-state" obsolete. Nationalism, a key principle of the "Second Wave," will be meaningless to people of the "Third Wave." People will form allegiances with those who are similar (or different) from themselves solely on the basis of common interest. People will be "groupists," finding pride in world-wide organizations to which they belong , not where they geographically live. The information age will make the world a much smaller, closer-knit place to live.

One other critical issue is that of the common worker. As computers become exponentially more sophisticated, and mechanical extensions of computers (robots) are more frequently used, the drone worker of the "Second Wave" will be a thing of the past. To succeed in the world-wide economy of the "Third Wave," one will have to be intelligent and self-sufficient. If one merely waits to receive instructions from a superior instead of pursuing excellence, one is doomed to be left behind. The assembly line is a manifestation of the first incarnation of capitalism, the "Second Wave." There may be assembly lines of the future, but as in much of the auto-industry, they will be computer-dominated.

In retrospect, it�s strange to think of a world without such strong geographical borders. Communication has made the world a smaller place. The telephone, automobile, satellite, personal computer, and television have all worked together to reduce the geographical restrictions on the human pursuit of knowledge. What we are seeing today is just a foreshadowing of the feats to come. It is kind of strange to think that the true incarnation of Smith�s capitalism is yet to come. Smith had the insight and foresight to see and prepare for the future. If we are not able to do so, we are going to be run over by the speeding Information Highway. The seed has been planted; the outcome is now inevitable.