This has led some to suggest that information and communication technologies are forming the corner store of the new economy. Not only that, but they are seen as fundamental ‘agents of change’ in the resulting restructuring of society, infrastructure and the economic landscape. Toffler developed a model whereby he believed that society is seen to advance or progress through a series of technological ‘waves’. The first ‘wave’ was the agricultural revolution, allowing increased agricultural production, stimulating economic growth and increasing the ability to support a large population. The second ‘wave’ was the industrial revolution, leading to increased and more diversified production and consumption, and the development of both capitalist and democratic structures. The third ‘wave’ represents a shift from the industrial era to the postindustrial era. Just as manufacturing replaced agriculture as the dominant economic basis of society, service industries are becoming the dominant basis of economics, replacing manufacturing.