Lewis Mumford’s The Pentagon Of Power: The Myth Of The Machine and Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock Take Pessimistic View on Technology

These two books had a significant impact on views towards technology in the 1970s, challenging prevailing notions that technological progress was inherently positive and beneficial. The books encouraged a reevaluation of the relationship between humans and technology. The books marked a shift in the optimism that the art world felt in the ’60s about the future potential of art and technology. Indicative of the ’60s optimism were shows such as Cybernetic Serendipity and The Machine. With public sentiment turning against technology, the art world turned with it, and Conceptualism moved further away from the machine, as the show Information demonstrated.