In sociology, industrial society refers to a society with a modern societal structure. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the industrial revolution. Pre-modern, or Pre-industrial society are also called agrarian societies. Industrial societies are generally mass societies. Social interactions and their consequences are the subject of sociology. ... Modernity is a term used to describe the condition of being modern. Since the term modern is used to describe a wide range of periods, modernity must be taken in context. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... In an historical context, Premodernity is the period in Western civilization that came after Ancient history and before Modernity, which is usually recognized to have begun in the mid-1400s, marked by the invention of movable type and the printing press. ... Pre-industrial society refers to specific social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of Capitalism. ... An agrarian society is one that is based on agriculture as its prime means for support and sustenance. ... Mass society is a society in which the concerns of the majority – the lower social classes – play a prominent role, characterized by extension of voting rights, an improved standard of living for the lower classes and mass education. ...

Some theoreticians -- namely Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens and Manuel Castells -- argue that we are located in the middle of a transformation or transition from industrial societies to post-modern societies. The triggering technology for the change from an agricultural to an industrial organisation was steam power, allowing mass production and reducing the agricultural work necessary. Thus many industrial cities are built around rivers. Identified as catalyst or trigger for the transition to post-modern or informational society is global information technology. Ulrich Beck Dr. Ulrich Beck (b. ... Anthony Giddens in 2000. ... Manuel Castells (b. ... In telecommunication, a transition is the change from one signal state to another signal state. ... Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century... A steam engine is a heat engine that makes use of the potential energy that exists as pressure in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... In sociology, informational society refers to a post-modern type of society. ... Information Technology (IT)[1] is a broad subject concerned with the use of technology in managing and processing information, especially in large organizations. ...

129.174.176.4 04:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)Bob Weir