Technology plays an integral part in the current society. It has a significant influence on the society, and its advancement can cause social change. Technology is defined as “the application of scientific knowledge to the making of tools to solve specific problems” (Moseley, 2012). On the other hand, social change is defined as “the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure, characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social organizations, or value systems” (Abrams, 2013). Technology influences social change. The society is significantly impacted by the technological advancement even though it plays a significant role in enhancing these technological advancements. The primary interest of the author is to address the impact of the personal computer, the internet and the cell phone to the society. The author will further use the three sociological perspectives to explore equilibrium model, cultural lag, and digital divide and further explore how the three are related or affect technology and social change.
The use of personal computers has increasingly become irresistible. Its usage has changed people's lives over the years and how activities are perceived and done. A computer is a very complex tool; however, it is instrumental in the society. It has different functions which it plays in the society. It is a sauce of entertainment at home and many other places. Also, it is a tool for communication. It can be used to keep in touch with distant friends and relatives. A computer is also a useful device in the field of research. It aids in scientific research in many fields in the world. In the education sector, a computer is very paramount. It aids in assignment completion, it also aids in online learning, it aid in documenting assignments and much more. With increasing diversity in every field in most of the activities done, a computer will still be a very valuable device in the community.
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The internet has brought together the use of personal computer and the smart phones, and through this link, it has become phenomenal in the modern society. The internet has gain popularity because it can be used to do anything that the users wish. Many people especially the youth spent a lot of their time surfing the internet. The existence of internet has made it possible for the use of social media platforms such as the Facebook, twitter and much more. It has also done the online business, online education and online dating possible and this has revolutionized the society (Moseley, 2012). It has brought the global resources lose and also reduce the geographical distance which used to exist between the contents. This has made it a phenomenal tool in the current society.
It is also worthy to note that there is the negative side of the internet, and it has contributed in eroding the culture and impacting negatively to the society. The use of internet has contributed to making the young individual in the society very lazy and time wasters. The use of computers and Smartphone has brought a culture where many people are unable to use their brain to do simples things which matter in life for instance calculation. They prefer using many other devices which come with the computers and Smartphone such as calculator applications. Further, the internet is also being misused by ill-willed people, and they take advantage of it to post videos which enhances sexuality and political violence. These have made the youth even aggressive and have contributed in creating civil wars in many countries in the world. Smartphone has also contributed positively to the community by enhancing communication among people. However, it has also had some negative impact on the current community. It disrupts work mostly in the working environment such as the offices as people receive calls from their phones and many others. The new issues such as cyberbullying are possible because of the cell phones existence and much more.
The equilibrium model is very critical as it explores the changes which take place in the society and the kind of adjustments which are necessary and need to be done in different parts of the society. The society equilibrium can be subjected to vulnerability, and there is likeliness of problem arising if necessities of this equilibrium are not met. The equilibrium issue in the society is closely related to the functionalist perspective in the sociology. Functionalist recognizes the fact that society consists of those who have and those who have not. The fact is that those who have internet access or those who are in a position where they are capable of affording the expenses which come with the use of the internet have many social advantages as compared to those who have not. Currently, not many businesses accept cash payment, and some prestigious universities prefer online educations. These can only be accessed by those who are capable of accessing the internet. This brings about inequity in the society since the have-nots are isolated from some essential social events due to lack of specific technologies. This makes it even challenging to achieve social equilibrium in the society.
The conflict perspective claims that the only way to correct the social injustices and social inequalities in the society is through change and this makes a change in the society more important. Due to the culture lag, there are those who feel that the use of the internet, Smartphone, and the personal computer ought to be regulated. Culture lag is defined by Crossman (2015) as a term which is used to "describe what happens in a social system when the cultural ideas used to regulate social life do not keep pace with other social changes." It is worthy to note that both culture lag and digital divide claim that the use of technology and internet in the populace create inequity in the society as some part of the population being isolated since they can’t afford specific but important events where technology is involved. The digital divide is a term used to describe the increasing gap between the unfortunate members of the society and those who are stable economically (Moseley, 2012). The marginalized population and the have-nots cannot afford the internet and computers which are used by the wealthy community, and this brings about inequity in the society.
The evolutionary theory has it that society should be progressive. The technology users such as the internet users are increasing by the day. The rate at which the users of technology increases are very high, and there is a possibility in the near future, more and more people will embrace technology, and it means that the society shall have progressed. According to evolutionary theory, it is just a matter of time before the society acquires resources to get technology and the society will progress.
Technology has influenced the youths; this is the part of the populace which has been intoxicated with technology. It has impacted their education through online education and also their financial status through online jobs. It also has intoxicated youths through sharing of dirty videos and many others. This has been tied to some health effects among them. Cyberbullying is also tied to health effects among the victims. Technology has an impact on the environment. It causes pollution such noise pollution and many other.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Technology has both negative and positive impact on social change. It has made life very easy and complicated at the same time. However, it causes a lot of inequity in the society.
References
Abrams, L. (2013, January 10). Study: A 3 Second Interruption Doubles Your Odds of Messing Up. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/study-a-3-second-interruption-doubles-your-odds-of-messing-up/267008/
Crossman, A. (2015). Cultural lag. Retrieved from: http://sociology.about.com/od/C_Index/g/Cultural-Lag.htm
Moseley, E. (2012). Social media and its effect on adolescent communication skills within families (Order No. 1535519). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (1347388318). Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1347388318?accountid=458
