Links Between Social Change and Knowledge

Links Between Social Change and KnowledgeWhen considering the immensity of accessible experience today in our racy-tech nine it seems more than evident that cordial change is in equation. The vast scope of fields in which ICTs (information, communication, technologies) forsake invaded the global market with its illimitable possibilities just might start a revolution. Knowledge societies now declargon freely accessible information transmittedinstantaneously serving as a support for all essential brings. This capacity to receive the overall needs of the world and the reperccusions of global knowledge on mankind whitethorn conceal inconceivable changes.Education, environmental issues, government issues, religion, accomplishment ,wealth and risk management have become ressources through internet of intellectual sharing and education. Valuable information at the suggestion of the keyboard is not without the responsability that this implies.This massive information giving has c aused considerable change in the personal development of each individual having access to a information processing system and internet, accordinglyallowing fulfilment in once unthinkable places, enabling the inclusion of disadvantaged people.On the separate hand this may become another reason that accentuates favorable exclusion in developing countries. The gap between internet users and non internet users may become unbridgeable at some point. Computer savvy and computer illiterate may plunge the needy into even a greater abyss.What will the side effects be when spiritedly educated masses meet their extreme opposite counterparts?Imagine the freedom of expression in some(prenominal) given language due to training, an inquisitive eye for other cultures, other lands, other ways of existence and expressions of life. The cultural shock would jolt our high-tech societies into facing the fact that with all this information there are still huge discepansies of genial classes throug hout the world. We frankly need to mind the gapThis social exclusion for the sake and risk of revolutionary technologies may also cause our d inducefall. The incredible benefits for those that have access as compared to those who dont is reinforcing the idea of social power.Companies and individuals have become direct advocates of risk management and wealth management. On a mundane basis right from your home or office you can consult any of your personal investments 24 hours a day. People have become their own financial partnershaving consequently earned their financial freedom. This freedom has made considerable social changes .People are more and more aware of the myriad of finacial placement possibilites and their options. Without having to leave the ofice they are able to orchestrate their choices by internet which not only brings them to finacial freedom, but to more leisure time.People are planning their future in an lively way.What can we say for the risk society in social changes? We can probably say that the stakes are even higher than they were before. Social contrast, environmental pollution, nuclear and chemical weapons, transportation, the crime rate, drug abuse, war, civilian protection, military mangement all of which through globalisation have created a state of international danger. Awareness on a daily basis of this state of unsafeness haslargely contributed to either ignoring the situation and living with your head in the sand, or doing something about it. The person playing the ostrich will still feel insecure. The person that employs his energy in doing something about it may also feel insecure although he has made the choice to pick out a small step towards change on another level. Neither one of the two cases illustrated is a comfortable situation to be in .Generations of habiliment blinders makes for more generations of wearing blinders which can only ignite the steaming anger of the disadvantaged. On the other hand there are those who give their support doing their go around to nuture a feeling of solidarity towards the less fortunate.Social changes are also produced by the risk society for several other outstanding reasons.The fact that a high rate of divorce means children coming from mono-parental homes and the precariousness therein is a risk foundation factor of todays society Children are odd to their own sort,while women are making up for lost time in executive positions on the work force. This new work pattern will continue the structure of the society in its roots.Medicine has made astounding technological advancements in disease prevention and treatments.Which means we have a high increase in population of people over fifty.Science and medicine alike have progressed in all areas through consequent research.The outmost prepoderance today is in the domain of bioethics. How are we as citizens of the world going to respect, encourage, develop, the the safekeeping of worldity through scientific pract ices?Therefore using those creations for the good of mankind excluding any attempt to manipulate, exploit, destroy,or govern others through these practices. We have come to the stage of our development when it might seem as if we were all reading a former science fiction scenario which has finally come true.How have ghostlike beliefs changed with knowledge?Religion has always been subjective whereas science is prouvable knowledge. In the light of the fact that combine is faith religion has basically remained the same. Few or little changes have occured in the basic concepts. What has changed is the participation and questioning of how faith is transposed. Recently at a host a woman in the audience made the remark that when the chips are down people turn to their faith and to their God. What awareness has changed are the blossoming progeny of charities in the world today. People are using their faith and expressing it through social services to the disadvantaged. If church atten dance is down the charitiy services are up putting faith into action. Advocates of human rights charities, NGOs, and humanitarian services combined represent a great influence in counter balancing political issues. Interdenomonational efforts are being made for problem solving,empowerment, and conscience raising. Since the emphasis s not put on the doctrines but more on the strengths of uniting forces, nonetheless another social pattern is changing in the face of new knowledge. In Europe this plurality is especially changing patterns when it comes to world peace. You may bechance at the same peace movement Muslims, Communists, Catholics all with the same amount of exploitable energy for world peace.A wave of interest for self-help litterature and New Age otherworldliness are allowing people to commit themselves in a more individually expressed way. Some choose community service, others NGOs which may have a more political priority towards human rights, politics, clubs, or groups of people with standards and values to uphold that do not necessarily have a religious doctrine connotation but with a sense of mankind. Globalisationof concepts has brought about many changes. We need to take into consideration that readily available knowledge influences thought and produces changes in patterns. Whenever there is a change in patterns society is directly implicated as a result of those changes. Globalisation has lead to localization. People may suffer a loss of the individual being drowned by the mass in his identification process. He will therefore feel a need to imply himself on a lesser scale to connect with non virtual existences and to have real life contact. The tendancy will be to form small groups as opposed to immense circles. Business has already predomonated the patterns by imposing its multinational structures upon the world.People will feel a need for real human contact on a smaller scale to be able to face the more universal scale they observe everyda y on television. pickings good care of oneself has also become a new priority. A sort of self-awareness that has its repercissions on the choice of knowledge saught and its resulting change in patterns of thought. Change the thought patterns and society is highly affected as people with self- help in mind and individual emergence are evolving.Innovative skills and knowledge are at our disposal for inner growth. Perhaps the awakening of the self will allow individuals to meet global needs when their own needs are fulfilled.Media has changed our vision through worlwide news reports. Terrorist attacks have been presented live on TV throughout the entire world. The risk society is even more exposed to insecurity by what is said than by what remains unsaid. Commercials have shaped the image of men and women and given children role models that impress upon them neurotic behaviour as being quite normal. Reality shows are allowing us to enter into somebodys living room and experience their daily life in every aspect. This is bouncing to have an effect on our vision of others and our opinion of the world and its inhabitants. Our reasoning has been greatly influenced by the everyday aspect of media use through television,radio, magazines, newspapers. This eternal focusing of visual and auditive input has also been a determining factor in social change.In conclusion, countless examples of how knowledge is linked to social change have lead me to believe that without knowledge in the premier(prenominal) place there would be little room for change in the first place. When the expression ignorance is bliss is used it might just be that with the acceptance of knowledge the notion of responsability is heavy with meaning. The inevitable social changes that will occur stemming from cognitive growth are perhaps not always what we would hope them to be. Citizens of the world need to assume their knowledge and the forthcoming responsibilities that it will engender.ReferencesBaum an Zygmunt (1992)Intimations of Postmodernity, London, RutledgeBeck, Ulrich (1992) Risk SocietyTowards a New Modernity, London Sage (1992)Convention Concerning the Protection of the WorldCultural and Natural HeritageWhc.unesco.org/world-he.htmThe Development of Common Risk society a conjectural overviewShaw Martinwww.sussex.ac.ukRethinking Science knowledge and the Public in the Age of Uncertainty (2001)Nowontny Helga, Scott Peter, Gibbons Michael (2001) Cambridge Polity Press