The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma

To show how a wave of technology spreads, Suleyman describes the history of the engine. In the early 1800s, the spread of railways demonstrated the power of steam engines. Inventors tried to use these steam engines to create portable vehicles—precursors to cars—but the engines were heavy, and the vehicles had only limited speeds. In the late 1800s, the first functional internal combustion engine was produced, paving the way for the creation of the first proper car. However, these cars were prohibitively expensive. It wasn’t until Henry Ford revolutionized the car industry with the invention of the moving assembly line that car prices became more accessible, facilitating the rapid adoption of cars throughout the United States and, eventually, the world.

Suleyman asserts that technology inevitably spreads in waves. A wave is a “set of technologies coming together around the same time, powered by one or several new general-purpose technologies with profound societal implications” (40). He defines general-purpose technologies as those that empower massive advances in human capabilities.

As science leads to new discoveries, people apply these discoveries to improve quality of life through new technologies. Demand for these technologies grows, creating competition. This competition leads to improvements in the technology and reduction in costs.