Porat, Bell, and the information society reconsidered: The growth of information work in the early twentieth century

摘要

In this article the author analyzes the growth of U.S. information work in order to test Bell and Porat's view of the information society as post-industrial. The findings presented here indicate that the information work sector grew significantly in the 1920s, rather than in the 1950s, due to the expansion of American corporate bureaucracies. Contrary to post-industrial explanations, it is concluded that any theory of the information society must construct a single explanation for the rise of early 20th century information work, as well as for growth after World War II.