Fourth Industrial Revolution: Meaning, Characteristics, and Impacts

The paper analyzes the meaning and characteristics of the fourth industrial revolution and its impacts on society. It also discusses the roles of engineers in this revolution.

Sociology
Fourth industrial revolution.
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Sociology
Introduction
The paper analyses the meaning and characteristics of the fourth industrial revolution. Since the
18th century, a number of industrial eras have been identified. The concept of the industrial
revolution started with the first industrial revolution that used iron and steam engines and it
occurred at 18th to the 19th century in Europe and North America. After this era, there was the
second industrial revolution which occurred between 1870 and 1914 after World War I (Białoń
& Werner, 2018 p.128). This was characterized by increased use of steel and electricity thus
leading to mass production. The second revolution was characterized by technology services
which led to the third industrial revolution commonly known as the Digital revolution. The era
started in the 1980s whereby it was characterized by internet services, advanced mechanical
concepts and use of information and communication technology. The era continued until the
fourth industrial revolution which has induced changes in the modern world.
Therefore from the identified eras, the essay will account for the explanation of the fourth
industrial revolution and the impacts of the fourth industrial revolution. In addition, the essay
will include an explanation showing the roles of engineers in the fourth industrial revolution in
the world (Doucet et al., 2018 p.12). The conclusion will be a summary of what has been
discussed throughout the paper.
Discussion
Generally, the fourth industrial revolution tends to build on the digital revolution or the third
industrial revolution. Therefore, in simple words, the fourth industrial revolution represents the
entire technology which has been embedded within the society and even within the human body
(García Ferrari, 2017 p.77).This shows that the fourth industrial revolution era has emerging

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technology which has been recognized in different fields. For example, the use of technology to
design robots, use of technology for quantum computing, use of technology for biotechnology
and also the nanotechnology concepts. Also, the fourth industrial revolution has been
characterized by automatic vehicles and other sophisticated services such as the use of computers
and mobile phones for communication. It is also characterized by the use of robots and other
automated computer software's that helps in monitoring manufacturing processes in industries.
The fourth industrial revolution, therefore, makes the future of manufacturing from industries to
be smart secure and also stable. Increased use of automated machines such as robots will help in
ensuring there is efficiency in industries as mass production is generated within a specified time
(Gudanowska, 2017 p.97).
In addition, the fourth industrial revolution affects almost the life of the entire society. We have
some groups which will be affected by the fourth industrial revolution. First, we anticipate the
business sector to be affected. This means that industries will innovate new technologies that will
entirely produce new ways of serving customers and thus interrupting the existing industry value
of the chain. Also, there will be a major shift to the demand side whereby the issue of
transparency and consumer engagement will be influenced by technology, for example, the use
of mobile phones will create awareness on transparency (Morrar, Arman & Mousa, 2017 p.170).
On another hand, the fourth industrial revolution will also impact on the people. This means that
the fourth industrial revolution will change not only what we do but also what we are as people.
This shows that this era of industrial revolution will transform our identity and all issue which
are associated with it; starting from our sense of privacy, the notions of ownership and how we
cultivate our skills. In general, the fourth industrial revolution will be shaping our future
although this depends on the decision we make on a daily basis regarding the new technology.

Sociology
The era also is associated with negative effects such as loss of jobs in industries due to increased
use of machines and robots which are efficient than human labor (Park, 2017 p.75).
In addition, apart from the fourth industrial revolution being positive to the society, there are
those roles which will be played by engineers to make the fourth industrial revolution era
productive. Engineer's roles in the fourth industrial revolution include;
First, the role of engineers at this phase is to create automation ecosystem. For instance,
engineers will be in a position to develop robots and other machines which will be compatible
with the automation concept. Also, engineers will produce rockets, satellites and other tools
which are used in space to get relevant information. Basically, the entire character of the fourth
industrial revolution is the use of sophisticated technological services to make automated
products. Here, the engineers will be needed to control some machines through cloud computing
thus making the machine to work effectively. Also, engineers are in a position to use their own
knowledge thus coming up with appropriate computer software's which will help in handling
some concepts in industries (Shim,Park & Choi, 2018 p.15).Therefore, the issue is that engineers
should stay updated to new technology and be familiar with new technology.
In addition, the engineers will also have the crucial roles in the fourth industrial revolution which
involves, designing, implementing and maintaining of the technology. For example, engineers
will be building self-driving cars which are powered by sustainable energy. Also, the engineers
will be forming the nanotechnologies for the countless application in society. This shows that
engineers definitely will be maintaining the enabling technology of the automated factory which
is commonly known as the cyber-physical systems (Shim et al., 2018 p.78). In order for the
engineers to design and control the sophisticated machines in industries, they should have wide
knowledge about technology such as the sensors, the embedded systems, and knowledge based

Sociology
on the use of robots. In simple words, a fourth industrial revolution engineer should be capable
of implementing and choosing the appropriate cyber-physical components and systems so as to
ensure they are matching with smart factory processes (Kubinger & Sommer, 2016 p.67).
Conclusion
To sum up fourth industrial revolution has been characterized with a lot technological concepts.
The era involves use of sophisticated machines and computer related concepts that aids in
manufacturing processes in the factories. Also, the era is associated with some impacts to the
society. The role of engineers in this era helps in designing and implementing automated
machines useful in factories.

Sociology
References
Białoń, L. and Werner, K., 2018. Fourth industrial revolution and managers’ cognitive
competences. Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych, (1 (27)), pp.81-106.
Doucet, A., Evers, J., Guerra, E., Lopez, N., Soskil, M. and Timmers, K., 2018. Teaching in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution: Standing at the Precipice, 7(23), 90.
García Ferrari, T., 2017. Design and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Dangers and opportunities
for a mutating discipline. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), pp.S2625-S2633.
Gudanowska, A.E., 2017. Transformation towards industry 4.0-identification of research trends
and aspect of necessary competences in the light of selected publications. Research in Logistics
& Production, 7(67), 67.
Kubinger, W. and Sommer, R., 2016. Industrie 4.0–Auswirkungen von Digitalisierung und
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Morrar, R., Arman, H. and Mousa, S., 2017. The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0): A
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Park, S.C., 2017. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and implications for innovative cluster
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Shim, S.O., Park, K. and Choi, S., 2018. Sustainable Production Scheduling in Open Innovation
Perspective under the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology,
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