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'Post-industrial society' is the name used to describe an economy that has transitioned from an industrialist economic model through a specific series of changes resulting in a new social structure (Webster, 2004, p.30). Industrialism, originally proposed as an economic model in the eighteenth century, relies on human labour to transform raw materials into products for consumption and circulation (Barney, 2004, p.5). As commercial industrialism began to develop, change, and ultimately, give way, academics began to describe the definitive shift in industrial activities (Barney, 2004, p.6).
This new industrial paradigm, the 'post-industrial' society, was originally conceptualized by Daniel Bell, who first coined the phrase in the 1950s (Webster, 1995, p.30). The construction is characterized by a move away form the industrial, manufacturing markets of old, and instead a reliance on service driven, information-based industries. A post-industrial society is "based on services... what counts is not raw muscle power or energy, but information" (Bell, 1973, p.127). As the focus of transactions and commerce transitioned from manufactured goods to informational flow, so too did the accompanying power structures change. No longer was power simply in the control or ownership of the means of production, but rather in the control of systemic knowledge and information (Barney, 2004, p.6).
In 1976, Bell declared that "the post-industrial society is an Information Society" (p.467)He further stated that a post-industrial society is not just the shift from tangible property and goods to knowledge as a commodity, but "the character of knowledge itself". Indeed in his later works, Bell used the words 'post-industrial society' and 'information society' interchangeably.
Early post-industrialist theories were infused with optimism (barney, 2004, p.6). Academics, including Bell, saw the new social structure as having the potential to overcome the unjust, unbalanced and degrading aspects of industrialism (Bell, 1973, p.168). The advent of post-industrialism was envisaged as establishing "a more educated, leisured and engaged citizenry, a levelling of economic inequality, a thriving global economy, scientific advance immune to ideology, and rational management of public affairs" (Barney, 2004, p.6). Other theorists rejected these notions, and instead anticipated post-industrialism creating a 'programmed', 'one-dimensional' society (Touraine, 1971, p.141) that promoted unchecked capitalist ideals and irrational exploitation (Barney, 2004, p.6).
Since these early theories, many criticisms have been made of the notion of post-industrialism. Many authors contend that the conception is ideological, not a sociological economic reality (Cohen and Zysman, 1987; Woodward, 1980; Barney, 2004, p.7), with some stating outright "there is no such thing as a post-industrial economy" (Cohen and Zysman, 1987, p.261). These critics instead suggested that the socio-economic changes which had taken place were simply a transition "from one kind of industrial society to another" (Cohen and Zysman, 1987, p.260).
In contemporary society, with many economic models seeking to restore industrial development, 'post-industrial' is often used as a derogatory term (Webster, 1995, 46).
Barney, D. (2004) The Network Society, Great Britain: Polity Press. ISBN 0745626688
Bell, D. (1973) The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, Harmondsworth: Penguin. ISBN 0465097138
Cohen, S. and Zysman, J. (1987) Manufacturing Matters: The Myth of the Post-Industrial Economy, London: Basic Books. ISBN 0465043852
Webster, F. (1995) The Information Society Reader, London: Routeledge. ISBN 0415319285
--Jessica Larsen 20:10, 10 Oct 2005 (EST)
