The social change undergone by communities or nations over the years in question. That is, it is when society changes or transforms its norms, values and political or religious system with the aim of improving the lives of the inhabitants, although sometimes they can be negative.
For example, social change occurs when a country moves from a dictatorial government to a democratic government, where the people have more rights. Another example would be the introduction of ecological awareness, with people who care for the environment and know the importance of natural resources.
And the most recent example is the changes in societies in all countries with the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the possibility of contagion and deaths caused, governments took measures that affected the economy and the way they relate.
All societies change constantly, whether in the institutional area or in the interests of their inhabitants. However, each of them modifies their order, customs or culture according to the needs they have in a certain period.
Characteristics of social changes
– They are temporary
Time is an important element in assessing social changes, as they can occur over short or long periods. The transformations that arise in the short term tend to affect more of a community and their results are evident.
But the changes that take the longest to design are barely noticeable, because the population is gradually adapting to them. However, all social transformations are temporary because, when they settle in the community, they become customs. That is: they happen in a limited period of time, as people get used to change.
An example can be revolutions in which, after radically modifying the lifestyle of a population (especially the model of government), people gradually adapt to this change.
– Change social structures
An important aspect of social change is that they try to eliminate traditional ideas to create new cultural habits. The goal is for the inhabitants to get used to following other rules.
– Occur in a specific environment
Social changes occur within a given territory, whether in a country, city or municipality. Therefore, each region experiences change at its own pace. For example, the social changes experienced by Mexico or Colombia are not the same as those of Venezuela.
Types of social change
There are several types of social changes and among the most important are:
– Social change by evolution
These changes usually manifest in democratic nations and occur when citizens demand new resources to optimize their daily tasks. It is worth noting that they are not radical, they have been on display for decades and try to maintain social order.
An example of this transformation could be the establishment of the buying and selling system that certain developed countries have, where the inhabitants are able to pay and receive their purchases without having to leave their homes.
– Social change by revolution
This type of social transformation often has a major impact on communities and has both negative and positive aspects. Its aim is to suppress traces of the past and rebuild the community, focusing on a different way of thinking than before.
For example: a drastic change that society experienced occurred with the Industrial Revolution, whose technological changes had a great impact on people’s way of life. Although it brought many positive aspects, it also caused unemployment and social inequalities.
– Derived social change
As the name implies, these changes occur slowly and may arise from people’s dissatisfaction, but do not affect the population; on the contrary, they seek to favor and include all inhabitants. While these changes seem minimal, they are significant for the country’s progress.
This is observed with the law that approves civil marriage between two persons of the same sex; however, for this rule to be possible, many people protested and fought to defend their equality rights.
Social change factors
The causes that promote social change are known as factors; The most important ones will be mentioned below:
– Demographic factors
It is when the number of inhabitants is reduced or increased. This fact is produced by changes in birth and death rates, which may increase or decrease their number; they are also generated by constant migrations.
– ideological factors
People show their ideas to include other currents of thought that cause some change, whether minimal or general. In this case, artistic movements stand out, which are born to replace the prevailing trend. For example, neoclassicism emerged to eliminate the sentimentality and irrationality imposed by romanticism.
– cultural factors
They show the changes in customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. It is observed when a people needs to change language and religion to adapt to a new culture or when some people need to accept that other social groups (Africans, Latinos and indigenous) inhabit their territories.
– technological factors
They detail the extent to which a society has advanced or regressed; If the inhabitants have the basic resources (food, water and electricity), they have the right to health, education and good telephone and internet services, then it is a developing community.
Theories of social change
– Theory of balance
He claims that society is made up of different sectors that tend to have different ideals. Therefore, the objective is to maintain a balance between these groups so that they do not reach the order of the nation, because if someone expresses their disagreement, conflicts will be triggered that will promote social change.
– Evolution theory
It expresses that societies can be in continuous evolution, since people have the ability to develop complex instruments, structures and thoughts. However, the concept of change should not be confused with that of evolution. This is because transformations can occur in a brief moment, but social growth requires time and dedication.
In other words, every evolution represents a social change; But not all social change drives progress.
– Theory of conflict
This theory exposes that in communities there are several groups that are constantly fighting for power. These battles do great damage to social development, as leaders – instead of focusing on the common good – focus on acquiring the nation‘s resources, preventing changes from being stable.
Examples of social change
In the following lines, two examples of social change will be exposed:
Role of women in society
One of the most important social changes is the role of women. In the past, women were considered passive figures with little intellect and participated only in housework and child care.
However, towards the end of the 19th century, women began to join public life: they attended meetings, presented their opinions and demanded their right to vote. Many years of protests passed before the role of ladies was valued; But thanks to that, today they can carry out any trade in society, even participating in the political field.
advances in medicine
The development of medical formulas in recent years is a relevant social transformation, as it has led not only to a decrease in the death rate, but also to an increase in the birth rate. In other words, medicines allow children to be born healthy and the elderly to live longer.
Today, in addition to medicines, doctors are developing new technological tools that can help people with disabilities improve their lives.
Among them, the visual chip stands out , whose objective is that the blind can see the world in black and white.
the globalization
Globalization is one of the processes that has generated the greatest social changes and these changes continue to increase over time.
Thanks to technological globalization, people have been able to eliminate the distances that separate them, since they have several means of communication. However, these means do not work in the same way in all countries, as some have not invested in technological development.
In this way, it is observed that globalization, although it allows for great changes, is an unequal phenomenon, as it depends on the ideas of progress that each nation has.
agriculture
One of the most significant examples of social change in human history was the discovery of agriculture.
Thousands of years ago, when humans discovered that they were able to plant seeds to grow food, nomadic groups stopped migrating from one place to another to settle in one place and give way to large, sedentary societies.
egyptian revolution
A more recent example of a drastic change was the so-called January 25 Revolution, popularly known worldwide as the Egyptian Revolution.
The Egyptian Revolution was a social movement that instigated the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak as a consequence of increasing police brutality against civilians in Egypt. The social mobilizations were of such magnitude that the president was overthrown and elections were called again.
Argentina
In Argentina, the universities’ educational program has been renewed on several occasions in recent decades, with the aim of expanding students’ knowledge.
In other countries in America – such as the United States and Canada – they do not see the need to transform their pedagogical plan because their education is recognized throughout the world.
