Basic similarities in the communication industry of 75 years ago and that of today suggest that much will not change in communication in the next 75 years. Future thinkers such as J. Naisbitt and A. Toffler, however, believe that major economic and technological changes will place a high priority on effective communication. Information, Toffler suggests, will be the basic raw material and will have a significant impact on education, scientific research, and the communication media. In addition to anticipating important changes in the corporate structure, a re-emergence of the family, and a shift away from the protestant work ethic, Toffler expects new developments in the American personality: ability to adapt to changed circumstances, awareness of how jobs interact, and sensitivity to fellow workers. T. Peters's and R. Waterman's characterization of superior companies in their book, "In Search of Excellence," points out the centrality of the spoken word. In the future, effective communication will become not simply a survival skill, but a frontier creating skill. Two factors influencing education in the next 75 years are the decay of the infrastructure, requiring massive reinvestment and limiting funds for higher education, and the Northeast's gradual reassumption of intellectual and financial leadership in the United States. (Demographic data indicating important population trends are appended.) (MM)