--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Second Wave Society is industrial and…" description: "\"The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, mass education, mass media, mass recreation, m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/alvin-toffler-7657_bureaucracy_the-second-wave-society-is-industrial-an_1696573.jpg" --- # The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass… ![“The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, mass education, mass media, mass recreation, mass entertainment, and weapons of mass destruction. You combine those things with standardization, centralization, concentration, and…” quote by Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/alvin-toffler-7657_bureaucracy_the-second-wave-society-is-industrial-an_1696573.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/alvin-toffler-7657_bureaucracy_the-second-wave-society-is-industrial-an_1696573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/alvin-toffler-7657_bureaucracy_the-second-wave-society-is-industrial-an_1696573.jpg) > “The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, mass education, mass media, mass recreation, mass entertainment, and weapons of mass destruction. You combine those things with standardization, centralization, concentration, and synchronization, and you wind up with a style of organization we call bureaucracy.” [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how mass‑scale industrial processes and centralized control create bureaucratic systems. **In simple terms:** Mass production and central control lead to bureaucracy. Key Takeaway Recognize and simplify overly centralized structures. Themes industrialization bureaucracy mass culture centralization standardization Mood critical analytical Type descriptive analytical When to use this quote - government agencies - large corporations - media conglomerates - education systems - military institutions Key Concepts systems theory social organization economics Questions to Reflect On - How does centralization affect creativity? - What can be done to reduce bureaucratic inertia? A Different Perspective Bureaucracy can stifle innovation and individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Centralization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centralization/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Distribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distribution/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-consumption/) [Mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-destruction/) [Mass media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-media/) [Mass production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-production/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Recreation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recreation/) [Second Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-wave-1108184/) [Society Industrial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-industrial-1108185/) [Standardization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standardization/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Wave Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave-society-1108186/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [Weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“I was planning to sort my comic books based on level of second wave feminist influence.” “As opposed to first wave?” “Yes, well, Susan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/i-was-planning-to-sort-my-comic-books-based-on-level-of-second-wave/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [The problem with feminism in the second wave was that we fought so much among ourselves, and I think we did so much damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-problem-with-feminism-in-the-second-wave-was-that-we-fought-so/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“For those of you who skipped their women's studies classes, first-wave feminism got women the vote; second-wave got them employed and divorced; third-wave is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/for-those-of-you-who-skipped-their-women-s-studies-classes-first-wave/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [“The wave had not yet reached its lowest ebb when suddenly it began to rise again. Swaying, it rose higher than the first, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/the-wave-had-not-yet-reached-its-lowest-ebb-when-suddenly-it-began-to/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [I love Japanese design and fabrics. I also love people who make clothes for mass consumption but do it well and cleverly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-love-japanese-design-and-fabrics-i-also-love-people-who-make/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Today, when death and old age are increasingly concealed behind euphemisms and comforting baby talk, and life is threatened with being smothered in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-esslin/today-when-death-and-old-age-are-increasingly-concealed-behind/) [Martin Esslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-esslin/) > [“...mass market consumption offers the facade of social equality without forcing society to go through the hard work of redistributing wealth. Low prices lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ruppel-shell/mass-market-consumption-offers-the-facade-of-social-equality-without/) [Ellen Ruppel Shell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ruppel-shell/) > [Mass consumption, advertising, and mass art are a corporate Frankenstein; while they reinforce the system, they also undermine it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/mass-consumption-advertising-and-mass-art-are-a-corporate-2/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Art has a smaller audience than, say, movies or other forms of mass consumption. But that doesn't mean the work doesn't have an impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-solondz/art-has-a-smaller-audience-than-say-movies-or-other-forms-of-mass/) [Todd Solondz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-solondz/) > [Even the bands I dig don't have a history of attaining mass consumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dando/even-the-bands-i-dig-don-t-have-a-history-of-attaining-mass/) [Evan Dando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dando/) > [As mass production has to be accompanied by mass consumption, mass consumption, in turn, implies a distribution of wealth ... to provide men with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marriner-stoddard-eccles/as-mass-production-has-to-be-accompanied-by-mass-consumption-mass/) [Marriner Stoddard Eccles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marriner-stoddard-eccles/) > [Mass consumption, advertising, and mass art are a corporate Frankenstein; while they reinforce the system, they also undermine it. By continually pushing the message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/mass-consumption-advertising-and-mass-art-are-a-corporate/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I think that if you, as a comedian, are trying to be in people's face, then you've got to come up with new stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keenen-ivory-wayans/i-think-that-if-you-as-a-comedian-are-trying-to-be-in-people-s-face/) [Keenen Ivory Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keenen-ivory-wayans/) > [The model of ownership, in a society organized round mass consumption, is addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/the-model-of-ownership-in-a-society-organized-round-mass-consumption/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [I made songs really for myself - I didn't ever expect to put it out there and make this a record for mass consumption,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/i-made-songs-really-for-myself-i-didn-t-ever-expect-to-put-it-out-2/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) ## More by Alvin Toffler > [“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” - Chinese proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/i-hear-and-i-forget-i-see-and-i-remember-i-do-and-i-understand/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/future-shock-is-the-shattering-stress-and-disorientation-that-we/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [A new civilization is emerging in our lives, and blind men everywhere are trying to suppress it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/a-new-civilization-is-emerging-in-our-lives-and-blind-men-everywhere/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [We will only keep people from fleeing the countryside into urban favelas, villas miseries, shantytowns and squatter villages when the productivity gap is closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/we-will-only-keep-people-from-fleeing-the-countryside-into-urban/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Designer's derive their rewards from 'inner standards of excellence, from the intrinsic satisfaction of their tasks. They are committed to the task, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/designer-s-derive-their-rewards-from-inner-standards-of-excellence/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Most managers were trained to be the thing they most despise - bureaucrats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/most-managers-were-trained-to-be-the-thing-they-most-despise/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Each new machine or technique, in a sense, changes all existing machines and techniques, by permitting us to put them together into new combinations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/each-new-machine-or-technique-in-a-sense-changes-all-existing/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Never in history has distance meant less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/never-in-history-has-distance-meant-less/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [“A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.” - Chinese proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/a-single-conversation-with-a-wise-man-is-better-than-ten-years-of/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Human beings were held accountable long before there were corporate bureaucracies. If the knight didn't deliver, the king cut off his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/human-beings-were-held-accountable-long-before-there-were-corporate/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [If we do not learn from history, we shall be compelled to relive it. True. But if we do not change the future, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/if-we-do-not-learn-from-history-we-shall-be-compelled-to-relive-it/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/to-survive-to-avert-what-we-have-termed-future-shock-the-individual/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [In describing today's accelerating changes, the media fire blips of unrelated information at us. Experts bury us under mountains of narrowly specialized monographs. Popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/in-describing-today-s-accelerating-changes-the-media-fire-blips-of/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Much education springs from some image of the future. If the image of the future held by a society is grossly inaccurate, its education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/much-education-springs-from-some-image-of-the-future-if-the-image-of/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Humanity faces a quantum leap forward. It faces the deepest social upheaval and creative restructuring of all time. Without clearly recognizing it, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/humanity-faces-a-quantum-leap-forward-it-faces-the-deepest-social/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) [Explore all 88 Alvin Toffler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) ## More Bureaucracy quotes > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/) [Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [Trump conducts meetings and actually tries to get something done rather than just have the meeting and rather than just announce a framework and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/trump-conducts-meetings-and-actually-tries-to-get-something-done/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [So many signatures for such a small heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/so-many-signatures-for-such-a-small-heart/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Uniformity in the common law, consisting of broad principles like the "reasonable person" standard, generally permits adjustment for the circumstances. This type of uniform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/uniformity-in-the-common-law-consisting-of-broad-principles-like-the/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Bureaucracy will be the deity of the twentieth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-ter-esterh-zy/bureaucracy-will-be-the-deity-of-the-twentieth-century/) [Péter Esterházy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-ter-esterh-zy/) > [the greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greater-the-bureaucratization-of-public-life-the-greater-will-be/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) [Browse all 636 Bureaucracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, mass education, mass media, mass recreation, mass entertainment, and weapons of mass destruction. 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