The current waves of technological changes

The current technological waves have swept the globe, leaving both positive and harmful effects behind as well as observable changes in social lives inside civilization (Gill, 2015). To start off this conversation, this paper defines technology and social transformation. The remainder of this essay goes on to discuss how using personal computers, the internet, and cell phones has affected society. In order to understand the digital divide, equilibrium model, and cultural lag as well as how they relate to technology and social change, the study will concentrate on sociological viewpoints. Impacts of technology on social epidemiology, health and the environment are then outlined followed by an exploration of a recent emerging trend in technology as well as its positive and negative impacts on the society. The paper then ends by a summary of the key points discussed in the conclusion part.

To begin with, technology in this context is defined as the use of scientific skills and tools, processing of information and development of machinery among other complex tools that are meant to simplify the practical aspects, including both software and the hardware applications in service delivery and product production (Chew, 2015). Social change is defined as the new attitude, perception, thinking and reasoning observed in individuals after exposure to a specific object under study or whose impacts are being observed. This change is also viewed in terms of the people’s feelings and actions (Li, 2016). In this paper, social changes as a result of technological advancements are discussed. The two, technology and social change, are related. The traditional perception in determination of the relationship between the two variables argues that social changes in a society served as necessities to technological innovation.

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The belief that people’s ways of thinking, actions and feelings changes the technology is opposed. This is so on a reasoning that the tools created by human reasoning and actions as well as feelings have greater impacts and are reasons for more change than the change the people have on the tools. This has more support in consideration of particular examples of technological tools such as computers whose impacts have resulted into remarkable social changes as the society is adapting to its impacts and conforming to the ways the computers have changed the lives (Chew, 2015). This theory is majorly supported by technological determinants.

Impacts of Personal computer, cellular phones, and the Internet on Society

Personal Computers

Computers have impacted both positively and negatively on the society. Among the benefits is enhanced privacy of confidential documents among other information. This has prevented premature access to confidential information, a case that was never before. Computers have also been applied in different fields such as military, medicine, business world and education fields. In military, it has been used to design and launch missiles, it has been also used to design and develop essential tools such as drones to monitor threats to security (Florya, 2016).

Surgical operations among other medical procedures such as magnetic Resonance Imaging, X-Rays, Computed Tomography in medical diagnoses have been made possible by computers. Businesses can effectively monitor the trends in their performance as well as those of their potential competitors.

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Computers have replaced the traditional methods of learning in which bulky books were used in teaching. Currently, softcopies of large documents are available and are used in teaching in almost all schools and institutions of higher learning.

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Cellular Phones

These have made it easy to make and receive calls as well as sending messages. Cellular phones,just like computers, have transformed the world into a smaller globe in which communications has been made easier (Rorbs&Fanuel, 2014). Amidst its numerous benefits, it has become an addiction to most of the population within a society resulting into time wastage.

Internet

Acquisition of information has been made easier. Internet has made it easier for one to access any information they are interested in wherever they are given internet access is possible. Data and relevant information can be retrieved. Internet has however been criticized as it has availed information that could be used by terror groups to hack important information and gain access into confidential servers of important institutions. Cyber crimes are on the rise and this could jeopardize operations of businesses as internet could be used to damage organizations’ data and render them vulnerable to cyber terrorism (Sociological Perspective Reviewers, 2013).

Use of sociological perspectives to describe the equilibrium model, the digital divide, and cultural lag and their relation to technology and social change

The three main sociological perspectives are symbolic interactionism which outlines how different elements and symbols in the society are essential to the humans. It also focuses on how the available symbols affects interaction between human beings. The other perspective, conflict theory, is a negative perception of the society. It states how conflicts can occur within human beings (Chew, 2015). The existence of the conflict in terms of classes within the society is viewed as well as the oppression of the lower classes by the middle and upper classes. The last of the three perspectives is the functionalism which is a positive view of the society withelaborations of how various aspects of the society depend on each other. It presents a situation that maintains a status quo and does not tend to alter the existence in the society.

Equilibrium Model

This focuses on the shift of the checks and balances of the society. It is therefore closely related to functionalism perspective that aims at maintaining the statusquo within a society. It illustrates how a change in an aspect of the society should be adjusted and accommodated to maintain equilibrium in the balance (Florya, 2016). Without this adjustment, the change in the specific part of the society would render it prone which might pave way to challenges. The technological as well as social change implications of this means that if a given part of the society has an access to technological advancement than the other regions, these well served regions will have better opportunities as relates the benefits of technology ranging from easier application to opportunities availed by these trends (Li, 2016). The other regions would therefore lag behind in terms of opportunities available with embracing technology.

Digital divide

This characterizes variation that is witnessed with disparities in internet access, regions that use computers, people who use cellular phones as well as those who have advanced technological tools. This creates classes in the society with those with better technological advancements at the top of the class with the rest of the population at the low class. This is closely related to the conflict theory with cultural lags.

Cultural Lag

As an extension of the discussion on the digital divide, symbolic interaction has a role in the society. The symbols in this context refer to the technological advancement tools which include computers, mobile phones internet access among others. Disparity in their availability results into a society with regions that are better of as those without are left lagging behind.

Impacts of technology on social epidemiology, health and the environment

Initially, the doctors among other health practitioners attended to the history of presenting illness without focusing on the epidemiological studies of the patients even after frequent presentation with the similar symptoms. The period that marked the beginning of practicing community health, medical epidemiology as well as biostatical evaluation of the disease spread, causes and the impacts and distribution within the society has received a major boost as technology provides for easier and faster access to these information as well as creation of statistics about new diseases (Sociological Perspective Reviewers, 2013).

Technology has boosted the field of medicine and other health related courses by enabling a more definitive means of diagnoses such as CT scan, MRI, X-Rays, mobile phones with an ability for one to determine their weight, temperature, blood pressure, height, BMI among other functions.

Technology has replaced the environmentally hazardous products that resulted into environmental degradation with environmentally friendly applications these includes carbon-free energy such as solar energy among others.

Exploration of a recent form of technology and its impacts on the society

Among the emerging current trends in technology that this paper would stress on is automation of enterprises. This is on the rise with its main application in the production industry, financial market as well as the business field and extends to the construction industry. Its positive impacts are reduction of costs spent on sustaining labor force, efficiency and timely production. It has limited and reduced errors. It has been effectively implemented in banking services, refilling stations, as well as shopping malls (Li, 2016).

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It has negatively impacted on the society by replacing the personnel that were undertaking these tasks;it also requires more skilled personnel to run its operations.

Conclusion

Technology has impacted on the society both positively and negatively resulting into social changes. Technological products such as mobile phones, computers and internet have resulted into social changes with benefits outweighing the negative implications. The digital divide, Equilibrium model and cultural lag are closely related with the sociological perspectives such as functionalism, conflict theory as well as cultural lag respectively (Sociological Perspective Reviewers, 2013). Major impacts of technology in social epidemiology, health and the environment are evident with resultant easier means of performance and availing better solutions to long time puzzles in these fields. Among the current trends in technology is automation which has reduced the cost of production among other benefits but has also contributed to unemployment.

References

Chew, R. (2015). Technology: Rebooting Technology for Society. The World that Changes the World, 289-304. doi:10.1002/9781119199427.ch17

Florya, V. (2016).Methodology of Researching Social Changes.Contemporary problems of social work, 2(3 (7)), 20-27.doi:10.17922/2412-5466-2016-2-3-20-27

Gill T. L Hall. (2015, July 14)Technology and societies.New York Times.

Li, P. (2016). Social Attitude Changes and Social Governance System Innovation. Great Changes and Social Governance in Contemporary China, 141-162. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-45734-4_6

Rorbs,&Fanuel. (2014, February 3). Sociological changes,.New York Times.

Sociological Perspectives Reviewers. (2013). Sociological Perspectives, 56(4), 677-678. doi:10.1525/sop.2013.56.4.677