About
Alvin Toffler (1928-2016) was an American writer and futurist, renowned for his works on social and technological impact. After studying at New York University, he worked as a journalist for Fortune and later as a consultant for IBM, Xerox, and AT&T. His book 'Future Shock' (1970), an international bestseller, popularized the concepts of 'future shock' and 'information overload'. He continued with 'The Third Wave' (1980) and 'Powershift' (1990), forming a trilogy on societal transformations. With his wife Heidi, he co-founded Toffler Associates in 1996. His work influenced leaders such as Gorbachev and Zhao Ziyang, and he was recognized in France as an Officer of Arts and Letters.
* 1928-10-04 — † 2016-06-27
Major works
- Future Shock (1970)non-fiction
- The Third Wave (1980)non-fiction
- Powershift (1990)non-fiction
Key milestones
- 1970Publication of 'Future Shock', an international bestseller that sold over 6 million copies.
- 1996Co-founded Toffler Associates, a global forecasting and management consulting firm.
- 2006China's People's Daily listed him among the 50 foreigners who shaped modern China.
Themes
future shockinformation societyimpact of technologysocial changeforesight
Sources: id.loc.gov · nytimes.com · theguardian.com