“If I were a Sociologist…”
Social change is the transformation of culture and social institutions over time. The world has experienced a significant social change in the 21st century. People’s ideologies, norms, and customs have been influenced by changes occurring around them. Social change can be slow or quick, intentional or unplanned, of tremendous or minimal impact, and sometimes controversial. The development of technology, for instance, is controversial. While technology increases productivity and efficiency, it reduces the need for human input, resulting in loss of jobs. This paper discusses the causes of social change in the 21st century, and what I would have done about the changes if I were a sociologist.
Social change in the 21st century has been caused by culture, conflict, and demographical factors, to name a few. Culture change occurs through invention, discovery, or diffusion. Diffusion is the spread of information, people, or products from one culture to another. The 21st century saw widespread internet access throughout the world as a result of which online streaming was invented. Online streaming has impacted social interaction. People can now meet their friends online, concerts are held online, and even learning is through online classes. Discoveries in the medical field have also caused social change. The discovery of Atripla, a drug that combines three antiretroviral drugs into one, improved the treatment of HIV, hence a longer life expectancy for people living with HIV/AIDS (Cox & Peck, 2009).
Another cause of social change is conflict. When conflict occurs, for instance, from inequalities in a society, it results in a social movement that fosters change. Examples include the gay rights movement and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Police brutality in the USA led to the latter, which protests discrimination based on race. BLM has improved impartiality in the way police handle minority groups. The gay rights movement, on the other hand, advocates for equality for the LGBTQ community. The activism of the gay rights movement has helped to shift people’s attitude towards LGBTQ persons. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in the year 2000, and by 2018, 28 more countries had passed laws that legalized same-sex marriages (Tang & Hauler, 2018).
Demographic patterns have also played a significant role in social change in the 21st century. The population of the United States, for instance, grew from 92 million in 1910 to 309 million in 2010. This change resulted in variations in life expectancy, median family income, the share of income spent on food, accessibility to flush toilets, the average number of cars in homes, and divorce rates among families.
If I were a sociologist, I would use previous trends on the impact of demographic factors on social life to help plan for my community’s future, for example, on how to distribute available resources equally. I would support and advise movements that advocate for human rights to contribute to positive change in the community. Finally, I would analyze how discoveries and inventions affect the relationships and lives of people in society. From my conclusions, I would recommend how individuals should handle and live with resultant social change. For example, online streaming should not take the place of physical interaction but only act as a substitute for when physical interaction cannot occur.
REFERENCES
Cox, L., & Peck, P. (2009). The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade. Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/publichealth/17594
Tang, E., & Hauler, L. (2018). All the Countries Where Same-sex Marriage is Legal. Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/29-countries-sex-marriage-officially-legal-56041136