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Social Structure and Social Change

Notes There are many sociologists who believe that industrial society alienates individuals from one
another because of the nature of the work. Karl Marx was one of the thinkers who believed that the
move from agrarian to industrial societies would alienate people from their work. This, he felt,
was inevitable because the goods produced would be owned by the factory owner, and not the
worker. There are also other sociologists who think that industrial society would affect human
society. Ferdinand Tonnies and Max Weber, among others, may be cited as those sociologists who
subscribed to the idea that industrial society would affect human relationships, albeit in different
ways.
Sociologists are also aware that modem socialisations and life styles encourage individuals to behave
in a way that would be compatible with industrial life and specialised professions. The media also
plays immense role in influencing the individuals to emulate and adapt to the lifestyles of the middle
class.

Social change has also caused mixed effects on human life. While acknowledging the
various discoveries and inventions, so also the good elements of multifarious types of
development, we do experience many ill effects of such processes that have been
affecting human life and its environment. For instance, industrialisation and capitalism
have increased the gap between the rich and the poor. It has furthered exploitation of
the working class and marginalised sections of the society. It has also paved way for
emerging culture of consumerism. In the process, there has been much erosion of cultural
values and social relationships. The increasing bureaucratisation and corporatisation
have also added to further deprivation of common people to have access to participating
in the process of democracy, development, governance, and so on.

The introduction of modem know-how and technology has also caused great problems and anxiety
to human life. The heavy use of automobiles and fuels causes massive pollution and hazardous
emissions. It also pollutes and damages the physical environment that man depends for survival.
The acute demand for fuel and the means to meet the demand have often led to conflicts between
communities and states even to the extent of war. The invention and use of nuclear weapons and
other weapons of mass destruction have caused great concern to humanity. It has, in fact, caused
more insecurity than ever before. The inventions of deadly weapons of mass destruction make us
think as to where we are heading for-towards the end of human civilization, (the end of the world
through World War III) or towards a civilization of great insecurity and uncertainties?

13.4 Social Change and the Future

One of the greatest challenges of sociologists has been the question of whether future of society can
be predicted as those of some natural sciences. Many sociologists have also been attempting to
predict the future in their own ways. However, sociologists have not been that successful in this
effort. It is, indeed, a difficult task before the sociologists today. There are obvious reasons for this
difficulty.
Multicausality of social change and complexity of social life are two of the most important factors
that hinder in the prediction of future. Change is caused by a multiple number of events and the
exact contours of the future are unpredictable. The combination of multiple causes and its influence
on one another is rather difficult to assess and predict.

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