REPORTERS:

1. SABDULLAH, GAFFARI A.
2. MOHAMMADALI, FAHAD
3. ABDULRACMAN, YASMEN N.
SUBJECT: UCSP (UNDERSTANDING, CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS)
TOPIC: SOCIAL CHANGE (LESSON 23)

SOCIAL CHANGE is the modifications or replacement of any social processes, social patterns or
social institution (Jones, 1949) MODIFICATION refers to the change of goods and social conditions.
On the other hand, replacement pertains to a new material or idea that supersedes the existing culture.

Generally, social change has the following characteristics:

1. Universal - A society avoid adapting and exhibiting change to survive
2. A natural law - A part of the process of evolution.
3. Collective - Takes place in the context of society or community, not just at the level of the
individual
4. Diverse - Ever society experiences a varying social change
5. Nature and speed as determined by the time element - Changes become rapid to the point that
other social institutions could not easily cope up.
6. Unpredictable - Social scientists explore the possible future scenarios building, and trend and
cyclical pattern analysis.
7. Manifest chain reaction - Take the industrial revolution

Social change can also be classified into three types: innovation, diffusion, and acculturation.

INNOVATION it is the cutting edge technology in digital industry, or scientists trying to crack the
codes of the future world inside their laboratories. However, innovation is in fact beyond these things.
It covers all aspects of one’s social life. it is also an introduction of new ideas not common to people,
it is therefore risky.

Below are the factors that affect innovation (Roger, 1968)

1. Relative advantage
It is the new product assumed as far better than the current product un terns if various
features.
2. Compatibility of new ideas with need and values of the group
The new idea of technology is perceived as consistent with values and cultural practices of the
adapters
3. Simplicity of innovation
if the product or idea is simple, it will easily be adapted by the majority of the population, if it
is difficult to understand or it requires more skills and knowledge, the people will not adopt it
at once.
4. Trial ability of an innovation
This pertains to the testability of the new ideas or product in order to experience it actually
and even explore it risks.
5. Observable results
There are tangible results which will result from more discussions with other people.
type of innovation efforts:
1. Incremental innovation
It is a smaller improvement in the existing products and operations that enable the
operations to become more efficient and effective so that they deliver greater value.
2. Architectural innovations
These refer to the applications of technological or process advances to change
fundamentally some component of the operation or productions.
3. Discontinuous innovations
These are radical advances like digital photography will totally after playing fields and
competition.

DIFFUSION is the spread of culture to another by means of migrations, trades, wars, or

colonialism. From the point of view of sociology and anthropology, studying diffusion will
help people to understand the nature of culture, in terms of the origin of culture traits and how
it spreads from one society to another.

DIFFUSION is inherently human and it has been practiced by many people in various
aspects. From the pragmatic point of view, it is easier to borrow technology than to create or
invent it.

ACCULTURATION AND ASSIMILATION takes place to the integration of an

individual or group with the political, economic, and educational standards if the dominant
culture or group (Thompson, 1998). Gordon (1964) describes the series of stages of
assimilation, namely,

1. Behavioral assimilation(acculturation)
2. Structural assimilation or social assimilation
3. Marital assimilation (of the individual belonging to the minority group and the
members of the dominant group).

According to Park (1921) and Burgess (1969), as cited by Irene Bloemraad (2007), the
end point of assimilation is cultural fusion, or the process of interpenetration and fusion in
which person and groups acquire the memories, sentiments, and attitudes of others.