Future Shock (1972)

“Our modern technology has achieved a degree of sophistication beyond our wildest dreams. But this technology has exacted a pretty heavy price. We live in an age of anxiety, a time of stress. And with all our sophistication we are in fact, the victims of our own technological strength. We are the victims of shock … of future shock.” No, this isn’t a quote from a Huffington Post column on the Facebookization of modern communication. Nor is it pulled from an academic treatise on the phenomenologies of post-industrial existence. This statement was made by Orson Welles in the 1972 futurist documentary Future Shock, and, unlike some of the more dated elements of 1970s educational films, Future Shock remains shockingly current in verbalizing the concerns and anxieties that come along with rapid societal and technological change. (Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive)

Intro
Future Shock is a 1972 documentary directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on Alvin Toffler's 1970 book of the exact same name. The film examines Toffler's forecasts and alerts about the potential unfavorable results of excessive change in a brief amount of time, a concept typically described as "Future Shock".

Idea and Examination
Toffler's Future Shock theory centers on the facility that the speeding up rate of technological and way of life modifications are creating an unmatched mental tension condition, leading to disorientation and confusion. The film expertly explores this concept and the impacts it can have on the human mind and society as a whole. It channels Toffler's belief that technology is driving humanity to a state of constant change where we are becoming complete strangers in our world.

Social and Technological Developments
The documentary navigates the fast social and technological advancements of the 70s, including advancements in automation, transportation, communication, and hereditary sciences. It details how this breakneck speed of change, when it overtakes human's capability to adapt, leads to a disconnection from conventional worths and standards. The film recommends that these conditions can lead to a sense of rootlessness, stress and anxiety, and alienation.

Cultural Impact
Future Shock explores how this chaos of fast-paced change effects people and society in different ways, from relationships and family structures to education and work. It looks into the cultural implications of our expedited progress, highlighting the loss of familiar structures and custom-mades and the creation of a different social atmosphere, resulting in a shift of worths and norms.

Accompanying Interviews
Future Shock functions interviews with specialists, futurists, and scholars who discuss the different elements of the concerns brought up by the concept of Future Shock. These interviews assist to highlight different point of views on the problems and potential options, adding depth to the exploration of the subject.

Conclusion
The primary thesis of the movie is the fundamental need for society to adapt to these changes to avoid psychological distress and social disarray by slowing down or managing the pace of modification. Future Shock, as a film, helped to popularize these ideas and brought Toffler's theories to a larger audience. The principles it attends to about the rapidity of modification and its effects on society, people, and culture stay relevant in today's digital age.

Top Cast

Orson Welles

Narrator
James McGaugh

Himself
Alvin Toffler

Himself