future shock

American  

noun

1. physical and psychological disturbance caused by a person's inability to cope with very rapid social and technological change.

2. any overload of a person's or an organization's capacity for adaptation or decision-making.

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future shock Cultural  

1. A sense of insecurity and disorientation often felt by people whose societies are undergoing rapid change.

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Etymology

Origin of future shock

On the model of culture shock; popularized by a book of the same title (1970) by Alvin Toffler (1928–2016), U.S. journalist

Example Sentences

"Everyone is living in Alvin Toffler's world of future shock. Everyone is living in a world where they correctly perceive that they are part of a system which is no longer able to handle the information or handle the complexity that it has created."

From Salon

My diagnosis of the last 10 years in politics is that everyone is living in Alvin Toffler's world of future shock.

From Salon

That was a way to simplify the world for top decision-makers who faced what Alvin Toffler described as "Future Shock."

From Salon

And the man who once released an album called Future Shock, has some simple advice for us all.

From BBC

Deep in a bunker, a family keeps on singing in the year’s most nightmarish piece of future shock.

From Los Angeles Times