Ithiel de Sola Pool was a revolutionary figure in the field of social sciences. Pool led groundbreaking research on technology and its effects on society. He coined the term "convergence" to describe the effect of various scientific innovations on society in a futuristic world. In the course of his career, he would make startlingly accurate predictions about technology and society. In Pool's 1983 book, Technologies of Freedom he described the modes of technology. Digital electronics present convergence between historically separated modes of communication. Theater, news events, and speaking are all increasingly delivered electronically. These modes of communicating ideas are becoming one single grand system. Wikipedia
“The Telephone will democratize hierarchic relations.”
Forecasting the Telephone: A Retrospective Technology Assessment. (1983), MIT Press, p. 61
