ABSTRACT
TheInsidiousRevolution Weareintheearlythroesofarevolution.Manycommentatorsagreethatthecoming ofthemicrochipbringscheapcomputingtothemassesandsignalsthebeginningof the'informationrevolution'.Inaninfluentialbook,Toffier(1980)callsit'TheThird Wave'followingtheagriculturalandindustrialrevolutionsasmajorforcesshapingthe wayinwhichweliveinthecivilisedworld.Thisrevolutionisoccurringbecause microelectronicsoffersusawayofstoring,processingandcommunicatingvast amountsofinformationquicklyandcheaply.Italsoprovidesawayofintegrating whathavepreviouslybeenseparatewaysofhandlinginformation;dataprocessingon largemainframecomputers,textontypewriters,photocopiersandprintingmachines, andcommunicationsviathetelephone,radioandtelevision.Theintegrationofthese separatetechnologiesprovidestheopportunityforasingle'information'technology.
