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SOCIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY–
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON
SOCIETY
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Table of Contents
Impact of Technology Change on Society.................................................................................4
Culture and Technology...............................................................................................................5
Technology and Industrialization:...............................................................................................6
Technology and Urbanization:.....................................................................................................7
Technology and Modernization:..................................................................................................7
Development of the means of transport and communication:.....................................................8
Transformation in the economy and the evolution of the new social classes:.............................8
Technology and Unemployment:.................................................................................................8
Technology and war:....................................................................................................................9
Changes in social institutions:......................................................................................................9
Technology Has Mechanized Agriculture.............................................................................11
Technology Has Improved Transportation..........................................................................11
Technology Has Improved Communication..............................................................................11
Technology Has Improved Education And Learning Process...................................................11
Negative Impacts of Technology on Society.............................................................................12
Resource Depletion................................................................................................................12
Increased Population..............................................................................................................12
Increased Pollution.................................................................................................................12
Conclusion: The impact of technology on social change: a sociological perspective...............14
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SOCIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY – IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON SOCIETY

Technology and human life cannot be separated. Technology involves the use of
techniques, processes, and material objects to produce goods, provide services, and
connect people. Sociologists study the social interactions that result and how they are
impacted by different technologies. Research questions include how organizations use
technology to achieve their goals, how individuals use technologies to relate to one
another and to organizations, and how computing affects the ways individuals,
organizations, and societies obtain information, communicate, and surveil each other.
Sociology also measures the uneven use of technology among social groups.

Sociologists study how technology affects cultures, social organizations, and social
relationships, but also how individuals, groups, and organizations use and modify
technologies for their own purposes.

Humans use technology to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live

in comfort.

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to the making of tools to solve

specific problems. Technological advances such as automobiles, airplanes, radio,
television, cellular phones, computers, modems, and fax machines have brought major
advances and changes to the world.

Indeed, 20th century technology has completely—and irreversibly—changed the way

people meet, interact, learn, work, play, travel, worship, and do business.

Improvements in technology lead to increases in knowledge and information and, thus,

to uncovering the means to create better technology.

Consequently, sociologists are concerned with how technological societies will be

forced to adapt to the social changes that improvements in technology will continue to
bring.
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Impact of Technology Change on Society

Science and technology are essential ingredients of modern life. They touch lives of
everyone.

Evolution of mankind can be seen in terms of technological evolution as well. Invention

of fire and wheel changed the face of mankind.

“Various historical ages - hunter-gatherers, agrarian society and industrialist

society are distinguished from each other in term of technological advancement.”

The technological factors represent the conditions created by men that have a profound
influence on his life.
Technology is product of civilization. According to Karl Marx even the formation of
social relations and mental conceptions and attitudes are dependent upon
technology.

Veblen has regarded technology as the sole explanation of social change.

W.F Ogburn says technology changes society by changing our environments to
which we in turn adapt.

This change is usually in the material environment and the adjustment that we make
with these changes often modifies customs and social institutions.
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Culture and Technology

Technology determines how much a culture is influenced by its physical environment.
For example, people of different climatic regions use different clothes, live indifferent
types of houses arid use different material and food according to their seasons.

When technology increases in efficiency, and cultures are raised above subsistence level,
then

1. a greater division of labor and more job specialization occurs

2. the people become more and more separated from means of production. For
example, the people making baskets, forget how to raise food
3. greater inequalities in economic possessions are possible; and
4. the people separated from the means of production are in a position to be
exploited .by those who command production

Change in type and magnitude of technology is observed easily

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Aspects of culture like belief system influence what elements of technology will be

accepted.
According to Ogbun hypothesis, technology of a culture changes more rapidly than
other aspects of the culture producing cultural lag. The idea is more Western, Certain
East African tribes most readily accept changes in their religious beliefs.

Technology and Industrialization:

 Technology has contributed to the growth of industries or to the process of
industrialization.
 Industrialization is a term covering in general terms the growth in a society
previously mainly agrarian of modern industry with all its circumstances and
problems, economic and social.
 It describes in general term the growth of a society in which a major role is
played by manufacturing industry.
 The Industrial Revolution of 18th century led to the unprecedented growth of
industries.
 Industrialization is associated with the factory system of production. The family
has lost its economic importance.
 The factories have brought down the prices of commodities, improved their
quality and maximized their output. The whole process of production is
mechanized.
 Consequently the traditional skills have declined and good number of artisans
has lost their work. Huge factories could provide employment opportunities to
thousands of people. Hence men have become workers in a very large number.
 The process of industrialization has affected the nature, character and the growth
of economy. It has contributed to the growth of cities or to the process of
urbanization.

Technology and Urbanization:

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 In many countries the growth of industries has contributed to the growth of cities
/ urbanization.
 Urbanization denotes a diffusion of the influence of urban centers to a rural
hinterland.
 Urbanization can be described as a process of becoming urban moving to cities
changing from agriculture to other pursuits common to cities and corresponding
change of behavior patterns.
 Hence only when a large proportion of inhabitants in an area come to cities
urbanization is said to occur.
 Urbanization has become a world phenomenon today.
 An unprecedented growth has taken place not only in the number of great cities
but also in their size.
 As a result of industrialization people have started moving towards the industrial
areas in search of employment. Due to this the industrial areas developed into
towns and cities.

Technology and Modernization:

 Modernization is a process that indicates the adoption of the modern ways of life
and values.
 It refers to an attempt on the part of the people particularly those who are
custom-bound to adapt themselves to the present-time, conditions, needs, styles
and ways in general.
 It indicates a change in people's food habits, dress habits, speaking styles, tastes,
choices, preferences, ideas, values, recreational activities and so on.
 People in the process of getting modernized give more importance to science
and technology.
 The scientific and technological inventions have modernized societies in various
countries. They have brought about remarkable changes in the whole system of
social relationship and installed new ideologies in the place of traditional ones.
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Development of the means of transport and communication:

 Development of transport and communication has led to the national and
international trade on a large scale.
 The road transport, the train service, the ships and the airplanes have eased the
movement of men and material goods.
 Post and telegraph, radio and television, newspapers and magazines, telephone
and wireless and the like have developed a great deal.
 They have helped the people belonging to different corners of the nation or the
world to have regular contacts.

Transformation in the economy and the evolution of the new

social classes:
 The introduction of the factory system of production has turned the agricultural
economy into industrial economy.
 The industrial or the capitalist economy has divided the social organization into
two predominant classes-the capitalist class and the working class.
 These two classes are always at conflict due to mutually opposite interest.
 In the course of time an intermediary class called the middle class has evolved.

Technology and Unemployment:

 The problem of unemployment is a associated feature of the rapid technological
advancement.
 Machines not only provide employment opportunities for men but they also take
away the jobs of men through labor saving devices. This results in technological
unemployment.
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Technology and war:

 The dangerous effect of technology is evident through the modern mode of
warfare.
 The weaponry has brought fears and anxieties to the mankind. They can easily
destroy the entire human race reveal how technology could be misused.
 Thus greater the technological advancement the more risk for the mankind.

Changes in social institutions:

 Technology has profoundly altered our modes of life.
 Technology has not spared the social institutions of its effects.
 The institutions of family, religion, morality, marriage, state, property have been
altered.
 Modern technology in taking away industry from the household has radically
changed the family organization.
o Many functions of the family have been taken away by other agencies.
o Marriage is losing its sanctity.
o It is treated as a civil contract than a sacred bond.
o Marriages are becoming more and more unstable.
o Instances of divorce, desertion and separation are increasing.
 Technology has elevated the status of women but it has also contributed to the
stresses and strains in the relations between men and women at home.
 Religion is losing hold over the members. People are becoming more secular,
rational and scientific but less religious in their outlook.
 Inventions and discoveries in science have shaken the foundations of religion.
 The function of the state or the field of state activity has been widened. Modern
technology has made the states to perform such functions as -the protection of
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the aged, the weaker section and the minorities making provision for education,
health care etc.
 Transportation and communication inventions are leading to a shift of functions
from local government to the central government of the whole state.
 The modern inventions have also strengthened nationalism. The modern
governments that rule through the bureaucracy have further impersonalized the
human relations.
 The most striking change in modern times is the change in economic
organization. Industry has been taken away from the household and new types of
economic organizations have been set up such as factories, stores, banks,
corporations etc.
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Technology Has Mechanized Agriculture

Technology has mechanized agriculture: Modern agricultural technology allows a small

number of people to grow vast quantities of food in a short period of time with less
input which results into high yields and RIO ”return on investment”. Through
government subsidies, small and medium-sized farmers have managed to acquire
plowing, sowing, watering and harvesting machines.

Technology Has Improved Transportation

Technology has improved transportation:   Technology has helped in advancing all the
four types of transportation and these include ; (1) road transport used by automobiles ,
(2) air transport which is used by airplanes , (3)water transportation which is used by
ships and speed boats and (4) space transportation used to go to the moon.

Technology Has Improved Communication

Technology has improved communication: Communication is used for a number of
purposes. Both society and organizations depend on communication to transfer
information.  People use technology to communicate with each other. Electronic media
like radios, televisions, internet, social media have improved the way we exchange ideas
which can develop our societies. In many countries, radios and televisions are used to
voice the concerns of the society, they organize live forums where the community can
contribute through mobile phones or text service systems like tweeter.

Technology Has Improved Education And Learning Process

Technology has improved education and learning process: Education is the backbone
of every economy. People need well and organized educational infrastructures so that
they can learn how to interpret information. Many schools have started integrating
educational technologies in their schools with a great aim of improving the way
students learn. Technologies like smart whiteboards, computers, mobile phones, iPads,
projectors, and internet are being used in classrooms to boost students moral to
learn. Visual education is becoming more popular and it has proved to be the best
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method of learning in many subjects like mathematics, physics, biology, geography,

economics and much more. The business community has invested money in various
educational technologies which can be used by both teachers and their students.  For
example, on iTunes, you will find many educational applications which can allow
students and teachers exchange academic information at any time, this has made
learning mobile.  Also, programs like Long distance learning have opened boundaries
too so many scholars around the world.

Negative Impacts of Technology on Society

Resource Depletion

Increased Population

Increased Pollution

The discussion in this paper highlights the increasing inherent complexity of and in social
movements due to technologies. It is evident from the discussion made in this paper that the
dynamics of conflict, gender and development are now much more complex. It has also been
noted that a change in technology inevitably leads to a change in culture, a people’s way of life.
To some, such changes are threatening, for example, the industrial revolution and its
technological impetus (automation) affected the livelihood of many manual workers and
rendered them redundant. Consequently, while some welcome new technology, others resist it. It
has also been observed that the phenomenon of social change is inevitable for society owing to
such processes as culture contact and its resultant effects, cultural diffusion, cultural leveling,
globalization and the information superhighway views. For instance, except in rare instances,
humans have some contact with other groups, during which culture contact occurs. In this
process, cultural diffusion (the spread of invention or discovery from one area to another) occurs.
This leads to cultural leveling, a state of affairs whereby many groups adopt western culture in
place of their own customs. With today’s technology, for example, in travel and
communications, cultural diffusion is certainly occurring rapidly. Air travel has made it possible
for people to journey around the globe in a matter of hours. In the not-so-distant past, a trip from
the United States to Africa was so unusual that only a few hardy people made it, and newspapers
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would herald their feat. Today, hundreds of thousands make the trip each year. The changes in
communication are no less vast. Communication used to be limited to face-to-face speech and
visual signals such as smoke, light reflected from mirrors, and written messages passed from
hand to hand. Today’s electronic communications transmit messages across the globe in a matter
of seconds, and we learn almost instantaneously what is happening on the other side of the
world. In fact, travel and communication unite to such an extent that there almost is no other side
of the world any more. The result is cultural leveling, a process in which cultures become almost
similar as the globalization of capitalism brings not only technology but also western culture to
the rest of the world. On another note, social movements have been found to be another source of
social change as the case with temperance movements, civil rights movements, women’s
movements; the animal rights crusades and environmental movements. At the heart of social
movements lie grievances and dissatisfactions as people find the current thesis of society
unbearable and work towards promoting social change. A relationship exists in the concepts
mass media, propaganda and social movements. The mass media are gatekeepers for social
movements. Their favourable or unfavourable coverage greatly affects social movements. Social
movements make use of propaganda to further their causes.
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Conclusion: The impact of technology on social change: a

sociological perspective
This conceptual paper presents the position that the primary changes in human history are the
four social revolutions (domestication, agriculture, industrialization, and information), the
change from Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft types of societies, capitalism and industrialization,
modernization and global stratification. Ethnic conflicts and social movements indicate cutting
edges of social change.

Sociological approaches such as William Ogburn’s theory of social change, which asserts that
technology is the basic cause of social change.

A great deal of effort is made in this paper to identify the many and varied existing forms of
technology and the effects changed technology has on society and culture. The major
characteristic of traditional and modern societies are also brought to the lime light in a bid to
show the major cultural changes that have occurred or are occurring in society. It is these socio-
cultural changes from traditional to modern types of society that Ferdinand Tonnies (1988) refers
to as changes from Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft respectively.

In discussing how technology changes society, the major thesis is that because technology is the
organizing force for social life, when it changes, its effects can be profound. The computer, for
example is changing the way people practise medicine, learn, work and how they relate or even
think. The information superhighway is likely to perpetuate social inequalities at both national
and global levels. The article also avers that besides technology, capitalism and modernization,
theories such as the conflict and evolutionary help sociologists to account for the phenomena of
social changea shift in the characteristics of culture and Society. It is important to point out that
this paper is embedded in a Western understanding of technologies and its impact on society.