Social Change and Its Impact on Environment

Social Change and Its Impact on Environment

Introduction

Many people have experienced social changes that the environment has impacted. Alteration implies all variations in human societies that can lead to positive or negative outcomes. When transformation occurs in the modes of living of persons and social relations get affected, such alteration is called social changes. For instance, today’s environmental problems are linked to social changes and the cultural drivers that shape power relations and unequal control over capitals. Humans are also believed to be the primary cause of environmental pollution on Earth. Therefore, one can analyze social change, its sources, and how it is linked to the environment.

Social change is defined as the revolution of culture, social institutions, behavior, and social structure over time. Horticultural, pastoral, hunting-and-gathering, postindustrial, and industrial are the most familiar basic types of society. These groups differ in technology, inequality, size, gender roles, and economy. In any given large number of individuals engaged in activities that vary from those in which their immediate fathers have been involved in some time before, social change is found (Caruso 380). The industrial revolution and the feminist movement are aspects that have been involved in social changes. Many scholars have focused on how social activities have been used in societies to bring social change. Moreover, communities have guaranteed that they are modern to limit social challenges experienced by some individuals.

Modernization

Modernization has also become a significant factor that has impacted social changes. Many societies have focused on improving how people interact irrespective of their differences. For instance, technology has been used to develop communities and ensure that all people are valued and appreciated. Social changes have been encountered following the increased modernization. For example, the industrial revolution has impacted how people perform various tasks in society and the different activities they practice. Evolvement has been encountered, which has led to people becoming more extensive and more diverse. Today, many communities are more creative and have abandoned the old ways that are no longer necessary. Thus, modernization is an essential aspect that can be analyzed when focusing on social change.

Social Movements

Although knowledge, environmental conditions, population, and racial injustice may contribute to social change, it is when community members band together to form social movements that real change occurs. This term applies to group practices aimed at bringing about or resisting immediate changes in an existing group. Social activities had the most significant impact on society’s trajectory. When people break free from conventional boundaries, they can influence substantial changes in social policy and systems. Even though the initiative was successful, social movements affected public sentiment.

Relative Deprivation

When people of a country are unhappy with their social, political, or economic circumstances, they demand reform. Social scientists have long recognized that people’s understanding of their needs, not their actual living circumstances, is at fault. Relative deprivation is the opposing viewpoint that there are differences between desires and realities. This group is dissatisfied because they feel they are not as entitled or lucky as a reference group (Grasso et al. 400). For example, a middle-class family may feel poor when comparing their home to an upper-class neighbor. To convert social unrest into social movements, citizens must believe they are entitled to the right or status. These people can form a social movement only if they believe that collective action will benefit. Some sociologists have argued that this theory approaches critique from a unique perspective. For example, some individuals have argued that various aspects determine human behaviors, and people do not have to feel deprived to act. This theory, however, fails to explain why certain people’s personal experiences of oppression led them to change society while others did not.

Sources of Social Change

Culture and Technology

Technology has become one of the significant aspects impacting how people live in the community. For starters, it forms various cultures and distinguishes them from one another. A concentrated student can access information via a conference halfway worldwide without leaving their physical homes due to the introduction of computers and teleconferencing technology. Instant contact has been created by the internet and smartphones, making the planet appear to be a small village (Caruso 38