Fourth Industrial Revolution: Meaning, Characteristics, and Impacts

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

Sociology
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.