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Essay / Analysis of the factors responsible for more rapid social change than in previous centuries
A good starting point for exploring the concept of social change is the fact that no human society anywhere has never been or can be static. It is also true that social changes are difficult to predict. This is mainly because the factors causing it are not constant. Examining various aspects of this phenomenon reveals various factors that cause it to accelerate today compared to previous centuries. Society needs changes over time for its own prosperity and development. However, change means adapting and accepting new ideas leading to evolution. This article examines some of the factors responsible for more rapid social change compared to previous centuries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Demographic factors are in many ways responsible for accelerating social change. These factors are different today than they were in previous centuries. Population size, for example, is a demographic aspect that has a direct impact on society. Other factors considered critical to social change include migration, mortality, fertility, birth rates, age structure, marriage patterns, life expectancy, sex ratio, morbidity, inter others. These factors make social adjustments necessary; for example the establishment of health programs and economic support initiatives. For example, as Murat and Tulga (2017) indicate, the population growth rate has increased significantly over the past generations, affecting the trends and speed of social transformations; because a high population requires adjustments in social structure and organization. Examples of these adjustments include measures taken to control population growth, such as birth control methods. Additionally, advances in medicine have led to greater longevity, in other words, increased life expectancy compared to previous centuries: "during the first centuries, unsanitary living conditions and limited access to effective medical care meant that life expectancy was probably limited to around 35 years. years. » The result of the increase in longevity of life has been that there are more elderly people in today's society than in previous centuries: "today, most industrialized countries have life expectancy figures of over 75 years. » This aspect makes it necessary to develop programs to care for the elderly in society. Economic factors are also responsible for more rapid social change compared to previous centuries. These can be conceptualized and understood through the presentation of some of the most influential theorists, Karl Marx and Mark Weber. These theorists explore the historical development of capitalism and, according to Max, change occurs through capitalism and class conflict. For his part, Weber associates change with the presence of value-based ideal factors that operate in combination with material factors. For Weber, religion plays a role in capitalism (accumulation of wealth). In simpler terms, Marx emphasizes the role of material factors and class conflict while Weber focuses on the ideas and values that drive society. These are likely to change from time to time and will certainly have far-reaching social implications. In whatconcerns technological factors, the many technological advances observed today explain many changes in society. In previous centuries, this technology was either absent or too simple. Technology, however, plays a major role in education due to new teaching-learning processes and resources that did not exist in previous centuries. Today, many more people are highly educated, and literacy levels of the world's population have increased significantly over the past two years. centuries, as shown in Appendix B, “while only 12% of the world's population could read and write in 1820, today the proportion has been reversed: only 17% of the world's population remains illiterate. leading to social development and therefore change. Technology has changed the way information is processed, shared and used. People stay informed about what is happening in different parts of the world and this information can sometimes inspire social change. For example, a few years ago the Arab Spring was driven by events that started in Tunisia and thanks to technology, people in other Arab countries were able to follow the events, ultimately sparking revolutions in their own countries . Protesters in affected countries followed the events on social media and shared them with the world through the same platform. Overall, technology has facilitated the flow and sharing of information, creating an unstoppable wave that led to regime change in many Arab and North African countries. The Arab Spring is a good example showing the power of information shared through technology. In addition, with the increase in population and the need to produce more, industries are created to meet the needs of the population. In this regard, industrial production depends on technology, which helps to increase the volume of production. It should also not be forgotten that technological progress also accelerates human interaction, which impacts culture, especially as cultural norms and values are shared at a faster rate between populations, changing thus people's lifestyles and habits. on accelerated social change. This includes religion as well as the norms and values that drive society. These could evolve over time, even more so in the face of globalization. Certain cultures are eroding and this has a definite impact on social life. Social change can also occur when people convert to other religions and adopt new beliefs. Cultural values can often change, perhaps through cultural contact with another society (whose culture is different). Today, technology also makes it easier for people to move from one point to another and the concept of globalization implies that societies interact with others whose cultural orientation is different. This contact is either direct, via migration and trade, or indirect via technological devices. In this context, social change occurs through diffusion, a concept that is accelerated today by mass media that allow for faster transmission of information to a wider audience. Social change is therefore more rapid than in previous centuries due to these technological factors working hand in hand with cultural factors. Last but not least, the acceleration of social change is also caused by political factors. Considering Marx's explanation, society is generally divided into two categories:.