Modern Technology and Social Change - Essay Example

Modern Technology and Social Change Introduction The use to technology to develop and deliver social change has resulted to the creation of competence, improvement of operations and development of collaboration channels. In order to determine the greatest importance of technology to social change, social institutions and their functions and services need to be evaluated. From various research conducted, it is evident that the use of technology has resulted to the effectiveness and efficiency of social change especially in delivering of services to the public. In order for technology to have an impact on the social change, there must be the development of competencies in order to maximize network and informational infrastructures. Mobile phone and Social Change Change is considered to be a phenomenon which is continuous and is bound to continue so long there is life on earth and time variation. Change is a social setting result in the difference in way of social lives and the social phenomena is exhibited constantly. This is so since the society continually experiences civilization and changes in telecommunication and technology and the ways of living. It is evident that human society is wholly governed with values, ethics and rules in every human activity. Therefore, the pattern of response to the changes is what interests the study of technology and social change. Social change is the social institutions and culture throughout time. Social change is usually brought about by a collection of behaviors (Kendall 2004). Since the mobile phone has been widely adopted as a tool for entertainment and communication, this has led to the revolutionization of the society and the redefinition of patterns of social relationships and contacts among individuals. The mobile phones have succeeded in the transformation of daily life of different and many individuals to a great extent that the technology is considered as an agent of social change. Since it is a personalized device, this has made it possible to provide individuals with greater personal freedom. In addition, the mobile technology has distorted the boundary that existed between public and personal life. Besides being used as communication device, the mobile phone is also considered as a fashion tool which has shaped people’s prestige and identity thus resulting to the creation of a subculture especially in adolescents. Mobile phones have been used largely to promote social change. Since early 1990s, Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been considered to be the powerful tools in strengthening the impacts of the development processes. all leaders in the world have vowed to adopt ICT efforts with an aim of becoming part and parcel of the knowledge society in the world having evidenced the advantages found in the modern technology and the fact that technology drives social change. Mobile phone technology has succeeded in the alteration of the existing, economic, political and social systems and has replaced them with a new social order. The technology has made it possible the development in the developing countries where by many stages of development have been achieved. Technology cannot be ruled out especially in Africa where it has played a substantial role in the social change. In Africa and other developing countries outside Africa, mobile phones have greatly contributed in the eradication of poverty and the same time fighting HIV/AIDS (Brock and Karen 2005)?. It should be noted that technology alone does not result to social change, but the people who put it in use determine how it can be put in to good use so that it can promote social change. The devices have enabled the journalists and activist all over the world to quickly spread and access information. Mobile phones have also led to the empowerment of the youth through the creation of space for them to engage in issues that have greatest effects in their lives. Many organizations have also used the device as a platform and a catalyst for initiating debates that can result in triggering debates. For there to be change, technology must be rooted in local knowledge as this result to the creation of ownership over the technology. Cell phones can lead to the creation of a fresh space that would facilitate conversation and debates that would result to collective problem identification, solving and dialogue (Francis 2007). Mobile phones have greatly contributed to the reduction of poverty among many people especially in the developing countries. For example, farmers can get market information through texting and they can also get the best prices of their products through the elimination of the middlemen. Information has always been considered as the source of power, but with the invention of mobile phones, few people had hope for the new technology as one which will eventually become a workhouse of creating social change and also contribute to rural communities. Mobile phones have enabled many services including weather reports and money transfers besides communication. According to Ling (2000), mobile phones have a lot of effect in the four existing social institutions like adolescence, education systems, bureaucracy and democracy. The device contributes in the promotion of democracy through the confirmation of one’s membership through text messages. In contribution to education, the sending of short messages eliminates the essence of taking notes (Ekine, Sokari 2010). The mobile phone has contributed to the reshaping of the social norms where people used to talk or hold conversations in public places. This has made it to have a special impact on the social institutions in the existence. The device has made it possible the expansion of the internet thereby transforming the nature of social contacts among many people especially the youth. This makes all people to be available thus enhancing socialization. In peer groups, the device has been of great importance to the adolescents by helping them in boosting existing networks. Lorente (2002) argues that the cell phone helps in keeping ties of primary group networks. It also creates and provides the lonely adolescents in the society the gratification of contact with their friends. This has enabled many people especially the youth to expand their friendship networks through the mobile phones. Other social changes that have been brought about by the mobile phones technology include the establishment of identity, creation of patterns of interaction, and additional gratifications (Wong and Hiew 2005). Conclusion This paper has illustrated the way the mobile phone has succeeded in the transformation of the social institutions in the existence through the creation of new subculture and the adopting of the device as an entertainment tool as well as a communication tool. The rapid and continued use of mobile phones in the whole world has given hope to many people that have helped bridge the global village and the digital divide in an effort of attaining social change. The new technology has brought about many opportunities which have led to the improvement of life. Mobile phones have led to the opening up of space for confidential dialogue and also have become an important resource that can be used to challenge social and political structures that affect mainly the youth people. Mobile phones as the first ICT for many people in the world has presented people with existing and fresh ways in which they can effectively communicate. As mobile phones continue to penetrate, their social impact will as well continue to be great and will continue being greater as time progresses. Through the use of the mobile phones, social relations have become easier to maintain as well as extension of social networks. Work Cited Kendall, D. Sociology in our times: The essentials(4th ed.). Belmon, CA: Wadsworth Tompson, 2004. Print Ling, R. The adoption, use, and socialconsequences of mobile communication. Telektronikk, p 69-81. 2004. print  Wong, C.C & Hiew, P L. Factors influencing the adoption of mobile entertainment : Empirical evidence from a Malaysian survey. In W. Brookes, E. Lawrence. R. Steele, & E. Chang (Eds.), Proceedings of the international Conference on Mobile Business (p. 682-685). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society, 2005. Print. Brock, Karen .What Buzzwords Do for Development Policy? A Critical Look at Participation, ‘Empowerment’ and Poverty Reduction’ in Third World Quaterly, Vol. 26, No.7, 2005, Print. Mirjam de Bruijn, Inge Brinkman, Francis Nyamnjoh .Mobile Africa Revisited: A Comparative Study of the Relations between New Communication Technologies and New Social Spaces Ekine, Sokari (2010) SMS Uprising: Mobile Phone Activism in Africa, Pambazuka Press, 2007. Print Read More