西北大学的罗伯特·戈登（Robert Gordon）指出，信息技术和互联网引领的创新，如自动化高速数据处理和电子商务等，与包括蒸汽机、电力和自来水的工业革命相比根本不值一提。
Northwestern University’s Robert Gordon has argued that IT- and Internet-led innovations like automated high-speed data processing and e-commerce pale in comparison to the breakthroughs of the Industrial Revolution, including the steam engine, electricity, and indoor plumbing.