Editing Alvin Toffler (section)

==Influences and popular culture==

Toffler often visited with dignitaries in Asia, including China's [[Zhao Ziyang]], Singapore's [[Lee Kuan Yew]] and South Korea's [[Kim Dae Jung]], all of whom were influenced by his views as Asia's emerging markets increased in global significance during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name=Denver/> Although they had originally censored some of his books and ideas, China's government cited him along with [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and [[Bill Gates]] as being among the Westerners who had most influenced their country.<ref name=USNews/> ''The Third Wave'' along with a video documentary based on it became best-sellers in China and were widely distributed to schools.<ref name=Denver/> The video's success inspired the marketing of videos on related themes in the late 1990s by [[Infowars]], whose name is derived from the term coined by Toffler in the book. Toffler's influence on Asian thinkers was summed up in an article in [[Daedalus (journal)|''Daedalus'']], published by the [[American Academy of Arts & Sciences]]:
{{blockquote|Where an earlier generation of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese revolutionaries wanted to re-enact the [[Paris Commune]] as imagined by [[Karl Marx]], their post-revolutionary successors now want to re-enact [[Silicon Valley]] as imagined by Alvin Toffler.<ref name=Denver/>}}

U.S. House Speaker [[Newt Gingrich]] publicly lauded his ideas about the future, and urged members of Congress to read Toffler's book, ''Creating a New Civilization'' (1995).<ref name=Denver/> Others, such as AOL founder [[Steve Case]], cited Toffler's ''The Third Wave'' as a formative influence on his thinking,<ref name=USNews/> which inspired him to write ''The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future'' in 2016. Case said that Toffler was a "real pioneer in helping people, companies and even countries lean into the future."<ref name=CBC>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/alvin-toffler-author-obit-1.3659263 "Alvin Toffler, Future Shock and Third Wave author, dead at 87"], ''CBC News'', June 29, 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.multichannel.com/blog/i-was-saying/remembering-aols-deal-century/403835 "Remembering AOL's 'Deal of the Century'"], ''Multichannel'', April 4, 2016</ref>

In 1980, [[Ted Turner]] founded [[CNN]], which he said was inspired by Toffler's forecasting the end of the dominance of the three main television networks.<ref>[https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/17276 "Future Speak"], ''Entrepreneur'', March 1, 1999</ref><ref name=NPR>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/30/484161975/future-shock-author-alvin-toffler-dies-at-87 "'Future Shock' Author Alvin Toffler Dies at 87"], ''NPR'', June 30, 2016</ref> Turner's company, Turner Broadcasting, published Toffler's ''Creating a New Civilization'' in 1995. Shortly after the book was released, the former Soviet president [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] hosted the Global Governance Conference in San Francisco with the theme, ''Toward a New Civilization'', which was attended by dozens of world figures, including the Tofflers, [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Carl Sagan]], [[Abba Eban]] and Turner with his then-wife, actress [[Jane Fonda]].<ref>Abramson, Lee. ''Ezekial'', iUniverse (2007) p. 14</ref>

Mexican billionaire [[Carlos Slim]] was influenced by his works, and became a friend of the writer.<ref name=Denver/> Global marketer [[J.D. Power III|J.D. Power]] also said he was inspired by Toffler's works.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/03/16/j-d-power-ten-things-ive-learned-in-business/#12754ac61aee "J.D. Power: Ten Things I've Learned In Business"], ''Forbes'', March 16, 2014</ref>

Since the 1960s, people had tried to make sense out of the effect of new technologies and social change, a problem which made Toffler's writings widely influential beyond the confines of scientific, economic, and public policy. His works and ideas have been subject to various criticisms, usually with the same argumentation used against [[futurology]]: that foreseeing the future is nigh impossible.<ref name=USNews/>

[[Techno music]] pioneer [[Juan Atkins]] cites Toffler's phrase "techno rebels" in ''The Third Wave'' as inspiring him to use the word "techno" to describe the [[musical genre|musical style]] he helped to create<ref>{{cite news|last=Ferguson|first=Benjamin|title=Label of love: Metroplex|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jun/15/label-love-metroplex|newspaper=The Guardian|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Club Toffler in Rotterdam.jpg|alt="The great growling engine of change - technology"|thumb|A quote of Alvin Toffler at the entrance of the club named after him in Rotterdam, the Netherlands]]
Musician [[Curtis Mayfield]] released a disco song called "Future Shock," later covered in an electro version by [[Herbie Hancock]].<ref name=USNews/> Science fiction author [[John Brunner (novelist)|John Brunner]] wrote "The Shockwave Rider," from the concept of "future shock."<ref name=USNews/>

The nightclub Toffler, in [[Rotterdam]], is named after him.

In the song "Victoria" by [[The Exponents]], the protagonist's daily routine and cultural interests are described: "She's up in time to watch the soap operas, reads Cosmopolitan and Alvin Toffler".