Social Change That Technology Has Brought

This essay discusses the social changes that technology has brought to society, including the positive and negative impacts on social life, economic growth, population growth, environmental changes, and political unrest.

Running Head: SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
Discuss the social change that technology has brought
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1SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
This essay will enlighten on the social changes that technology has on the life of people.
It helps in developing and updating tools to solve certain problems. Technological advances was
made in the field of automobiles, radio, airplanes, television, mobile phones, computers and
modems (Sarwar et al. 7). Improvement in technology has brought change not only in social life
of people however, in every sector of life. They have changed the way people view their life
effecting the way they interact and meet with people, learn, play, work, worship, travel and do
business with others. Advancement in technology increases knowledge of people that changes
their behaviour. Sociologists discuss about the effects that technology has on society and
discusses the social improvements of technology on them. They say that interaction of
technology with humans have changed all sectors of industry disrupting old business models,
beliefs and theories of the people. The following paragraphs will briefly describe the history of
technology followed by the advantages and disadvantages of technology on the social life of
people.
2.5 million years ago, technology to humans meant the use of stone tools for hunting
animals. The period was commonly known as Stone Age. Life of people was simple and their
demands were less. Technology did not affect their social and personal life. A major turning
point in the advancement of technology was the invention of fire around 500,000 years ago
(Crowley David and Paul Heyer 130). Then came the Neolithic technology that used fire for
casting and smelting metals. Copper and bronze was introduced at the end of the Neolithic
period. With the invention of bricks and potter’s wheel technology advanced largely. These old
technologies did not influence the social life of people (Marcuse and Herbert 11). However, with
the invention of new technologies social life of people has been highly influenced. People are

2SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
now spending more time in interacting with the new technologies. Next paragraphs will focus on
the impact of technology on society.
The advancement in technology like Facebook and Twitter helps people to maintain a
balance between their professional and social life. They can now easily communicate to people
they care about (Stehr and Nico 5). Social media help to keep people up to date about the current
events that are happening in the world. Facebook is not only a social media, it is also a platform
where people share recent controversial events that are discussed there as well (Hwang Gwo-Jen
and Po-Han Wu 56). The interaction of people with the world uplifts their social life and way of
thinking. Introverts faces problem while having face-to-face interactions with others. Therefore,
they are regarded unfit for any social gatherings and occasions. With the advancement of
technology like WhatsApp and Facebook, people are becoming more introvert. They are
spending most of their time in talking to people over internet that is ruining their social life. They
feel awkward while communicating with others face to face. Face to face interactions with
people enhances the social life of people (Laugksch Rüdiger and Peter Spargo 115). Direct
interaction help in exchanging ideas however, people have become wrapped with technology and
is unwilling to share a casual meet with people. They have made technology their new center of
attraction and comfort zone. As the technology becomes more and more advanced, it seems to
have more control over our lives.
Technology has positive as well as negative impacts on society. It has mechanized
agriculture that allows small number of people to grow large quantities of food in short period.
They have influenced the social and economic life of farmers (Chu and Hui-Chun 8). For
example, Egypt is a dry country and receives little or no amount of rainfall. However, they use
automated sprinklers to irrigate their farms. This will help them increase production of food and

3SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
improve their social and economic life. It has also been successful in improving transportation. It
provides mobility to people so that they can meet with other people. This will improve the social
life of people that will help them perform direct interaction with others. Technology has
improved communication between two persons. People use technology to communicate between
each other. Radios, social media and televisions are the devices and applications that has helped
to improve the way of exchanging ideas that has the potential to develop a society. The
technological advances enhance education and learning processes (Kinshuk et al. 118). Social
activities of individual is highly influenced by the knowledge possessed by him. Knowledge
comes from learning. Therefore, improved education and learning processes will uplift the social
life of people. In ancient times, people led a nomadic life for lack of knowledge. They used to eat
raw meat and wander from one forest to another. In other words, they were uncivilized. As they
innovated various tools and methods of farming, they started to become civilized. They shifted
from forest to huts and learnt to cover their bodies with animal skin. They are regarded as the
most uncivilized and unsocial people due to lack of knowledge. Social life for them meant killing
animals with invented tools. They did not even knew how to speak. They communicated with
each other through gestures. Therefore, to improve social life one should communicate properly.
However, with technological advances communication has been made easy (Blok Vincent and
Pieter Lemmens 16). A person can communicate with other by various means.
Along with the positive changes in society, several negative changes are invited by the
use of technology. Resource depletion is one of the most alarming negative change that
technology has brought. All the sectors of life are being affected by this. As the technology
advances, it poses more pressure on the natural resources of earth. Depletion of resources invites
economic, social and political unrest. People in a society are fighting with each other to grab the

4SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
ownership of the remaining resources. Global warming and the increased concentration of
harmful gases in the air is adversely affecting the health of the people. People is becoming
unable to communicate to other people due to health issues. They are becoming home sick and
self-centered. Thus, it is ruining the social life of people. The individual with monetary strength
is ruling the society and are dominating the less capable ones. A communication gap has been
created in the society. Second social change that technology has brought is the increase in
population. As population increases number of people in a society increases. It has become quite
difficult to interact with all the people in a society. Technology has provided solutions to all the
health problems faced by the people. Therefore, their mortality rate has decreased. In other
words, it can be said that death rate has decreased with advancement in technology. Population
increase has an adverse effect on the climate that indirectly influence social life of people (Rosen
and Larry et al. 12). For example, people do not feel like meeting or communicating to people in
the summer season. They prefer to sit back in their house and take rest. Same situation is
repeated in the rainy season where the weather does not permit the meeting of two persons.
Direct interaction with people help them to share ideas and feeling with the other person. They
will be able to unburden their feelings to others that will enhance their social life. Third social
change that rises from the use of technology is increased pollution. It is not only affecting the
environment however, changing the social life of people. Global warming and the increased
concentration of harmful gases in the air is adversely affecting the health of the people. People is
becoming unable to communicate to other people due to health issues. They are becoming home
sick and self-centered. Thus, it is ruining the social life of people.
Other social changes that technology has brought are that people has become much more
selfish than before. They only think of their own self and is least bothered about others. Events

5SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
and stuffs shown on the social media are manipulating their minds. People have lost the power to
think (Goldin Claudia and Lawrence Katz 114). They have become more dependent on the
internet. Small issues that can be solved by thinking are now being solved by ideas from the
internet. Sociologists argue that direct communication is the best way to build a healthy mind
and a good human being. However, technology has changed the scenario. People are found to
spend more time on the internet either surfing the net for getting some information or reading the
news feed in social medias. Their mind is struck in only one thing and that is internet. Therefore,
social changes due to technology are mostly negative.
From the above discussions, it can be concluded that the technology has brought a lot of
changes not only to society also to the economic and population growth, environmental changes
and political unrest. They have changed the way people view their life effecting the way they
interact and meet with people, learn, play, work, worship, travel and do business with others.
Advancement in technology increases knowledge of people that changes their behaviour. With
the invention of new technologies, social life of people has been highly influenced. People are
now spending more time in interacting with the new technologies. Social media help to keep
people up to date about the current events that are happening in the world. Facebook is not only a
social media, it is also a platform where people share recent controversial events that are
discussed there as well. Face to face interactions with people enhances the social life of people.
The interaction of people with the world uplifts their social life and way of thinking. Introverts
faces problem while having face-to-face interactions with others. Therefore, they are regarded
unfit for any social gatherings and occasions. Resource depletion is one of the most alarming
negative change that technology has brought. All the sectors of life are being affected by this. As
the technology advances, it poses more pressure on the natural resources of earth. Depletion of

6SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
resources invites economic, social and political unrest. People in a society are fighting with each
other to grab the ownership of the remaining resources. The individual with monetary strength is
ruling the society and are dominating the less capable ones. A communication gap has been
created in the society.

7SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
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8SOCIAL CHANGE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
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