These are all agents of change but an Industrial Revolution is a quite different phenomenon than particular communication tools in a time of massive change in communication driven, in part, by the computerization/digitization of everything.

We’ve always been social creatures and tool makers but we haven’t always had machines or computers.

So, at a certain point, a statement saying social media is the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution starts to sound like the kind of hype that confuses people and leads to bad decision making regarding social media in library settings.

It’s like comparing apples and oranges except that apples and oranges are way more similar phenomenon than are the Industrial Revolution and social media.

To me its the potential for change to society on a huge scale that makes them similar.

I’m glad to see these folks have updated their video and the stats are pretty amazing but the equivalent to the Industrial Revolution would be something more like the Computer Revolution.

This is like saying that automobiles are the biggest shift since before whatever preceded the Industrial Revolution because the IR is what enabled them just as the CR is what enabled online social media.

I hate to visit your blog and make negative sounding comments but it’s this kind of hype that undermines understanding rather than facilitating it. IMHO.