LESSON 6: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL

CHANGE

INTRODUCTION TO THE DIGITAL AGE local people, and forefront development workers in developing
countries.
What is Digital Age?
The emergence of Internet, World Wide Web, smartphones, digital
Digital Age – also known as information age. It is a period when the television, and several other new electronic devices pertaining ICTs are
computer and internet were introduced. It is caused by rapid shift from opening a fresh passageway for transforming the way we live, work,
traditional industry to computerization all the way to artificial learn, communicate, and provides a strategic opportunity of diverse and
intelligence which brought by Industrial Revolution. significant social and economic benefits to people across the globe. It
Digital Technology became prevalent and widely used around the also enables financial inclusion through m-commerce and allows people
world. Information can be accessed easily especially with the use of the to connect with millions instantaneously.
Internet. Digital Technologies have radically changed the way people Social change refers to a transformation of culture and social
work, consume, and communicate over a short period of time. organizations/structures over time. In a modern world, a society is never
House chores and jobs are getting automated with the help of machines static and that of social, political, economic, and cultural changes occurs
and equipment. Mobile phones became very useful in every area of life constantly. The social transformations that could result from the
--- in education, entertainment, jobs, etc. increasing use of ICTs depend strangely on verdicts made by
organizations and individuals outside our household, many of whom
THE ICT AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL CHANGE have great economic leverage, political power, or technical expertise.
Information and Communication Technology or ICT has the power to BUSINESS
transform society. The term ICTs has been used to embrace
technological innovation and merging in information and Businesses in today’s life have promoted a lot with the coming of ICT,
communication transforming our world into information or knowledge its impact cannot be over emphasized. For example, ICT helps to
societies. The rapid development of these technologies has fainted the increase productivity in business with the use of social media platforms
boundaries between information, communication, and various types of for marketing and promotion. The use of websites now allowed
media. companies to develop new and cheaper ways of offering customers with
opportunities of buying goods and services at their convenient time and
The development of a society mostly depends on the access to enhance the level of customer service. Online platform has been the
information. The ICTs greatly ease the flow of information and marketplace where people can transact and communicate.
knowledge offering the socially marginalized community an
extraordinary chance to attain their own rights socially, economically, The impact of ICT infrastructure on social businesses cannot be
and politically. Despite ICTs massive potential, the current global understated. It has made social impact affordable, social impact
information outburst has had surprisingly little impact on development scalable, and enables new ways to connect to and engage with local
activities and access to practical information for rural communities, communities.

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EDUCATION skilled labor, or even completely automated. At the same time,
digitalization yields opportunities by creating employment in new and
ICT can play varied roles in developing an effective learning existing industries, with greater job-to-job mobility facilitated by online
environment. It assists teachers and helps explain core content concepts job search tools. The digital economy also fundamentally changes the
and addresses misconceptions. It acts as a stimulant and fosters nature of work for many people, with fewer jobs exerting physical
analytical thinking and interdisciplinary studies. It networks a learner demands on workers but more jobs placing an emotional strain on desk-
with the peers and experts and develops collaborative atmosphere. It workers. New jobs in ICT and in other sectors become available.
plays the role of a guide and mentor by providing tailor made
instructions to meet individual needs. Online learning facilitates learning Digital technologies may destroy jobs at risk of automation
through digital mode. With the help of multimedia, it enhances
effectiveness of teaching-learning and hence proves crucial for early While the previous section has pointed to the lack of evidence of the
learners, slow learners, and differently abled learners. Modern ICT tools negative effects of technological change on total employment so far, a
not only deliver the content but also replicate formal learning experience number of authors have argued that ICT-based technological change
via virtual learning. The intention of virtual classrooms is to extend the will be more profound than previous instances of great technological
structure and services that accompany formal education programs from change. This argument is mainly supported by the observation that the
the physical environment to learners. labor-saving potential of digital technologies is far greater than in the
case of previous technological changes.
Digital resources in classrooms can help prepare students for a digital
society and economy HEALTH

Digital technologies can unlock new learning opportunities in the Digitalization can affect people’s health status through the emergence of
classroom by giving students access to a wider range of resources, by new physical and mental health risks and through its impact on the
complementing the teacher in learning processes (computer assisted health-care delivery system. Health risks associated with the digital
learning) and by providing other advantages to students, such as access transformations include mental health problems associated with the
to motivational and informational resources associated with access to extreme use of digital technologies, especially among children and
tertiary education programs. teenagers and the crowding out of other activities such as physical
exercise. Health-care delivery is also affected by new digital
JOBS AND EARNINGS technologies, such as electronic records, new treatment options, tele-
care, and teleconsultation. An important aspect of digitalization
Beyond income security, employment fulfils a number of important concerns the production and use of medical data to improve the
roles for human wellbeing, such as time structure, social contact, a sense effectiveness and efficiency of health systems. As a caveat, the
of purpose, a valued social position as well as an opportunity for skill exchange and use of medical and health data must meet high data
use. For this reason, the labor market effects of the digital protection and data security standards, considering its sensitivity. How
transformation are among the most significant for people’s well-being. and where care is delivered is also affected by digital innovations, which
The digital transformation has the potential to generate substantial challenges the traditional role of care providers, with implications for
changes in the composition of the labor market as jobs that require interactions among care providers and between providers and patients.
certain skillsets are replaced by a combination of technology and higher

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The effects of these changes in healthcare delivery of health inequalities Social Constructivism is the opposite of the Technological Determinism.
are potentially large, but also less well documented. Social Constructivism believes that humans play a main role in shaping
technology rather than technology shaping society. It believes that
Extreme use of digital technologies may have negative mental health technology does not determine human action, but rather, human action
effects shapes the technology. Our curiosity, the hunger to expand, and the need
The effects of mobile phones, video games, and the pervasiveness of to do things efficiently drive us to create these technologies.
ubiquitous screens on the mental health of children and teenagers have Technological Change
drawn significant attention in the public debate because they may
present risks of addiction. The technology is the most powerful means of wresting power from
nature in all possible ways. It strengthens the facilities of man. Prof.
THEORIES IN TECHNOLOGY Frankel assumes that the “Technological change is not a mere
Technological Determinism improvement in the technical know-how. It means much more than this.
It should be preceded by sociological change also, a willingness and
It is the theory which strongly believe that technology shapes the desire on the part of community to modify their social, political, and
culture, values, social structures of a society. The main reason why administrative institutions so as to make them fit with new techniques of
society progresses is because of the kind technology the society has. production and faster tempo of economic activity.” Technology,
Technological innovation is the cause of the social progress. The according to J. P. Dewhurts, in fact, can be thought of as the change in
technology has the control over the society --- over human actions, the production process of material and human skills.
culture, and values. Technology greatly influences human thought and
action. In other words, the society is changing because of technology. Process of Technological Change

According to Winner, technology is not the slave of the human being Technological changes devise new goods and techniques of production.
but rather humans are slaves to technology as they are forced to adapt to The development of new technical knowledge can be defined as the
the technological environment that surrounds them. growth of the new technique that can produce goods and services at

Example. The invention of gun. Before, the weapons used were swords
and archery --- soldiers had to be skilled and trained in using these
weapons. But a new invention in technology changed it all. A gun was
invented which require a less effort and can be used even from far
distances. This technology changed the way soldiers are trained. It also
changed how soldiers fight in a war.
lesser cost of production.
Social Constructivism
The process of growth of technical knowledge can be divided into
following stages:
(a) Formulation of scientific principles
(b) Application of these principles to give technical problems
(c) Development of technical inventions to the point of commercial
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exploitation.
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