Are Changes to Knowledge Systems a Cause or Consequence of Social Change - Report Example

Are changes to knowledge systems a cause or consequence of social change? Faculty I. Introduction II. Knowledge Systems III. Conclusion IV. Reference I. Introduction This paper deals with impact of changes in knowledge systems and its relation with consequences or changes in the society. The first part of the chapter deals with knowledge and knowledge society. This section is followed by social changes which briefly discusses various theories its strengths and weakness. The last section of the paper is conclusion of the paper. II. Knowledge Society Knowledge can be defined in various ways as ideas, ways of thinking and practices adopted within any society. Knowledge influences human society in various ways. It impacts education system, cultural set ups and other institutions of the society. These have impact on political social and cultural set ups of any society. Knowledge can be cause or reason of change in various societies. Knowledge developments in various fields like medicine, technology, information technology and others have influence on various aspects of society. “The knowledge society refers in particular to those societies in which knowledge (which includes ideas, ways of thinking and practice) provides the instigator of change and development within the fields of economic, social, cultural and political life.” Medical knowledge In the field of medicine there is various research and developments are going on. There are various diseases, infections and medicinal problems which had been a mystery and major problem in the past have become minor problems due to development of medicinal solution to that. Medical knowledge has revolutionalized human society. Various concepts of plastic surgeries have impact on the way people look, their confidence level and overall look of the society. Religious knowledge Religious knowledge of a person impacts the way she thinks or work. Religious knowledge plays important role in forming moral values and the way people work or impact. As indicated below: “Religious affiliation and practices, the ways in which religious knowledge is produced and disseminated, offer an interesting and complex area of study…..while numbers attending a place of worship might give some indication of the extent of involvement in religious practice and belief, merely counting the numbers provides only limited information, especially about people’s personal investment in religious beliefs and knowledge.” Environmental knowledge In the recent past with the growth of technology and information systems people have been able to know about the environmental factors of various parts of the world. People usually know about the environmental concerns of their surroundings. Knowledge of environment helps people to know what is going wrong and understand changes within it. The industrial revolution has adverse impact in the forms of pollution like water, air or land pollution. In long term these have contributed to global warming and overall global environment. “Environment matters offer powerful examples illustrating the interrelationship between human actions, whether economic, social or political and environmental change.” III. Social Change and Knowledge Society has been changing with time. Development in various fields has contributed to this change. The knowledge contributes in construction of reality for the particular society. People think within the framework of this. “Social construction as a particular approach also refers to the claim that all knowledge is produced, that there is no ‘truth’ or ‘reality’ outside the processes through which knowledge is created.” People need to work within certain norms of the society. Knowledge of particular ritual makes people acceptable within their society. Knowledge of certain products or goods helps people in making better choices. When one knows about different vaccines and medicines he can protect himself against those. “While Bell was always a little coy about precisely what consulted theoretical knowledge, conventional medical science, applied psychiatry, the social sciences and other knowledge embedded in the institutions that legitimize it.” In the World War II the automobiles of Ford Company had been used extensively. During this period demand for the automobiles increased and this influenced the overall setup of Ford’s organisation which led to several changes in the society related to it. It demanded for more production which led to more recruitment and technical trainings. More and more suppliers and vendors were contacted to meet production requirements. People working in the organisation went through various changes. “Ford’s innovations were actually less revolutionary than many have claimed, and his re-organization of work and production had some parallels in other parts of the US economy.” During this period the products were mass production. Each product was manufactured in a routine process with least of choices for customers. In Post Ford period markets open for various producers and consumer became more demanding in terms of choices and preferences. On the top of everything finances available in the form of easy loans and financial offers made it easier for the consumers to buy product of their choices. The overall economy shifted its focus from mass production to the consumer preferred production. “Post Fordism writing focuses on the move from mass production of flexible specialization with products becoming more customised and individualized. The deregulation of financial markets opened up new modes and new relations of production. These shifts heralded the move to the ‘consumer society’.” The changes in the society were due to the growth in overall world economy. The increased knowledge about various production efficient processes, which can reduce the requirement of resource, produces in lesser costs and meets the demands of consumers. “Post Modernism is identified here as developing out of post-Fordism approaches which focus on consumption and economic systems.” The increase in available options to the consumer, increased levels of advertisement and various communication processes have added on the consumer knowledge. People on the one hand are able to make genuine choices because of availability of products and services and knowledge of product and requirement. “The politics of the risk society is a politics of knowledge, expertise and counter expertise.” Marketers conduct research to increase their levels of knowledge about the markets and consumers behaviour. This knowledge helps those offering better products and better services. This also increases the level of involvement marketer has for their target market, segmentation, targeting and position strategies. Consumer gets exposed with various products and services which can meet his needs. Strengths and weaknesses of theories Theory Strengths Weaknesses 1. Post Production 2. Fordism Gives detailed information on organizational changes and its impact on social change and knowledge society. Fordism provides one perspective of market with reference of automobile industry only. Focused on Mass market and mass production only. 3. Post Fordism Post Fordism covered the transition of market place from mass production to consumer driven market. Impact of knowledge within the society was more focused on the industrial processes rather than the other aspects contributing to human knowledge like advancements in technology and research and development areas. 4. Post Modernism Distinguished the meaning of consumer society on the basis of needs based consumption or utility based consumption, buying culture and construction of social reality on the basis of that. Construction of social reality in various societies was not just results of changes in market place. 5. Knowledge of Resistance Knowledge of resistance arose in resistance of the consumerist society. It adopts from situationist, surrealist and anarchist principles. The knowledge of resistance does not provide very strong arguments against the consumerist society. 6. Risk Society Increase in the industrial societies has exposed human society to various risks. These can be industrial disasters, environmental risks, natural disasters and others. The understanding and knowledge of these risks helps human society to prepare them for that. This theory does not provide any solution to deal with risk society. On one hand it is required to supply products and services in the markets. On the other hand risks are not just results of production processes. IV. Conclusion Every theory has its own strengths and weaknesses. Each theory has been developed with available information and knowledge about that particular period and society. These theories mainly focused on the changes in market place and its impact on the knowledge and behaviour of the society. It is evident from the paper that changes to knowledge systems are a cause or consequence of social change. V. Reference Bardoliwalla, N et.al (2002) Promotion of Social Change: A Conceptual Framework. Journal Title: American Journal of Community Psychology. Volume: 30. Issue: 3. Blumer, H. (1990) Industrialization as an Agent of Social Change: A Critical Analysis. Aldine de Gruyter: New York. Lauer Robert H (1977) Perspectives on Social Change, Allyn and Bacon. : Boston. Lauer Robert H , (1976) Social Movements and Social Change, Southern Illinois University Press: Carbondale, IL. Read More