The Information Society (1980)

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The Information Society (1980)

The Documentary That Saw Our Digital Future "Information Age" Coming

My subscribers who have been enjoying “outtake” clips from 1979 have been asking me to present the entire film of "intakes".

The film is called The Information Society and it ran on PBS in the prime time in 1980. My colleague and friend Marc Porat made this film with me based in part on his doctoral thesis which explored the transition from an industrial-based economy to one centered on information. The ideas presented in it and shown on national television were new to almost everyone at that time.

The film explores the transition of the American workforce from traditional manufacturing and agriculture to an economy dominated by the exchange of information. It introduces concepts that were revolutionary at the time, such as electronic mail, home shopping, and the ability to access vast amounts of data from a personal computer

The term "The Information Society" refers to a society where the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. In the film, this is described as a workforce shift where more people began working in information-related jobs than in manufacturing or agriculture.

the "Information Society" was preceded by The Industrial Society. This era was characterized by a workforce primarily engaged in manufacturing and the production of physical goods. Before the industrial revolution, most of the workforce was involved in farming and land-based labor. The film highlights that by 1980, the United States was moving away from these traditional models toward an era defined by electronic communication and data.

The documentary delves into the potential social changes and legal challenges of this new era, including concerns about privacy, the digital divide, and how the "information explosion" would change the way people interact with one another. It touches upon how education might be transformed by technology, allowing for more personalized and accessible learning through computers

PBS America

british television channel