Chapter 16: Social Change: Looking Toward Tomorrow

What Is Social Change? Sociologists define social change as the transformation of a culture over time. This can be: deliberate, intended unplanned, unintentional Some changes are more controversial than others. People born even one generation apart can have different overall life experiences as a result of ongoing processes of social change. Consider how different life might be for American children growing up in the immediate aftermath of the tragedies of September 11, 2001, or for those who have never known a time without cell phones and the Internet. Our culture evolves over time, as do our social institutions—the family, work, religion, education, and political systems. 2 2

What Is Social Change? (cont’d.) There are several ways that social change can occur: Major physical event (hurricanes, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions) Demographic factors (for example, the aging of baby boomers) Discoveries and innovations (fire, the wheel) It’s easy to identify particular historical periods where major social transformation was unmistakable: the Renaissance, the French Revolution, the Civil War, the women’s rights movement. But it’s important to realize that social change is occurring at all times, not just at moments of obvious cultural or political upheaval. The rate at which it happens varies, with some historical periods experiencing rapid social change and others experiencing more gradual change. Ask your students if they think the social change we are experiencing now is rapid or gradual. With the advances in technology, they may agree that it is very rapid. 3 3

What Is Social Change? (cont’d.) The most important contributions to social change have been made through collective action (like the civil rights movement). Social change is often the result of deliberate and individual human action. Jonas Salk, for example, developed a cure for polio, and Helen Keller overcame her own handicaps to advocate for the rights of the disabled. But our most important contributions to social change are made through collective action: The civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, fundamentally reshaped American society. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:March_on_Washington_edit.jpg] 4 4

Collective Behavior Collective behavior: a group or crowd of people who form together to take action toward a shared goal. Collective behavior theories suggest that such occurrences are often organized and maintain a certain amount of order. 5 5

Theories of Collective Behavior Contagion theory: Individuals who join a crowd or mob become “infected” by a mob mentality and lose the ability to reason. This is one of the earliest theories of collective action, developed by Gustave Le Bon in 1896. Contagion theorists compared such groups to herds of animals, where individuality and rational thought disappear and the collective action takes over. 6 6

Theories of Collective Behavior (cont’d.) Emergent norm theory states that: Individual members of a crowd make their own decisions about behavior. Norms are created through others’ acceptance or rejection of these behaviors. This theory is more recent, from the work of Turner and Killian in 1987. This theory argues that collective behavior is not as simple as Le Bon suggests and that there are any number of factors that motivate people to participate in crowd activities. The group is guided by norms (shared cultural expectations for behavior) that emerge in response to a situation. 7 7

Types of Collective Behavior Collective behavior can take three different forms: Crowd — temporary gathering of individuals (spontaneous or planned) with a common focus. Riot — continuous disorderly behavior by a group of people that disturbs the peace and is directed toward other people or property. Mass behavior — large groups of people engage in similar behaviors without necessarily being in the same place. These three types are not mutually exclusive. In the real world, they may overlap whenever collective behavior actually occurs. Example of a crowd: a street performer (such as a mime) trying to entertain people as they walk by. In time, a crowd starts to develop. Example of a riot: The Woodstock 1999 concert was supposed to be both a culture-shaping event and a financial success; however, it failed on both counts because of poor security, high prices ($150 for a ticket and $4 for a bottle of water), and lack of sanitation. With such tenuous conditions, the crowd began to vent their frustration on the evening of the last day by tearing down and burning fences, breaking into ATM machines, and looting vendor booths and setting them afire. Example of mass behavior: Mass behavior can range from buying a certain type of jeans or getting a tattoo to bidding on eBay. It can also include fads, fashions, and social dilemmas. We’ll talk about these in the upcoming slides. 8 8

Examples of Mass Behavior Fads—interests or practices followed enthusiastically for a relatively short period of time. Fashion—the widespread custom or style of behavior and appearance at a particular time or in a particular place. Remember Pokemon cards? They are definitely an example of a fad. Can you describe what clothing looked like in the 1960s? The 1970s? The 1980s? The 1990s? How did people style their hair? Wear their makeup? What you’re describing are fashions that were popular in different eras. (Remember Mills—to understand what these people were thinking, we have to understand how their biographies intersect with history and society!) [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abigail_Keats_Autumn_winter_2010_2.JPG] 9 9

Examples of Mass Behavior (cont’d.) A social dilemma happens when a behavior is rational for an individual but it can lead to collective disaster when practiced by many people. Have you ever been in a really bad traffic jam? The traffic is backed up so far, you’re thinking there must be a gigantic accident somewhere up ahead. When you finally get to the source of the problem, you see it is only one car, standing on the side of the road. A man has a flat tire. How could something so simple create a problem so big? It is a social dilemma. It’s no problem if one person slows down to take a look (it even makes sense—we want to be sure that the individual is okay), but when everyone does it, it creates a huge traffic problem! 10 10

Specific Social Dilemmas Tragedy of the commons—many individuals overexploit a public resource and deplete or degrade it. Public goods dilemma—individuals must contribute to a collective resource, even though they might not benefit from it. Ask your students to come up with examples for each: Tragedy of the commons could be a person taking advantage of the welfare system, or an individual collecting unemployment even if they are earning cash “under the table” (without paying taxes). The dilemma happens when MANY people do this. Public goods dilemma could be paying into Social Security or paying an education or school tax even if you do not have children. 11 11

Collective Behavior (cont’d.) A social movement refers to any social group with leadership, organization, and an ideological commitment to promote or resist social change. Can your students think of any social movements that we’ve seen in recent history? Many students can name the Civil Rights Movement or the Women’s Rights Movement. I always tell students about how many social movements start on college campuses and ask them to think if there are any causes or issues today that are worthy of a social movement. You can also ask students why they believe humans are interested in getting involved with social movements at all—isn’t it easier to just sit at home and watch TV? The book talks about mass society theory, which assumes people join social movements to satisfy a psychological need to belong to something larger than themselves. 12 12

Collective Behavior (cont’d.) Armand Mauss identified the four stages that social movements tend to go through. Public defines problem People organize Movement becomes bureaucratized Movement begins to decline The first stage is the incipient stage—when the public takes notice of a situation and defines it as a problem. During the second stage, people begin to organize. The third stage is characterized by the movement becoming bureaucratized. Finally, the movement enters the fourth stage and eventually begins to decline. 13 13

Emergent Social Movements: Promoting and Resisting Change Because society is constantly changing, new social movements and different opportunities for activism (any activity intended to bring about social change) are constantly emerging. 14 14

Types of Social Movements Some emerging social movements are regressive (attempt to resist social changes, maintain the status quo, or go back to an earlier form of social order) Others are more progressive (efforts to promote forward-thinking social change) 15 15

Technology and Social Change Sociologists have developed a number of theories to explain the role of technology in social change. One common characteristic of these theories is an emphasis on technological determinism (the idea that technology plays a defining role in shaping society). Technology will continue to play an increasingly important role in almost every aspect of people’s lives as society continues its transformation from a modern society to a postmodern society. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_on_telephone_pole_working_on_lines_-_NARA_-_285871.tif] 16 16

Technology and Social Change (cont’d.) Cultural lag refers to the time between changes in material culture or technology and the resulting changes in the broader culture’s relevant norms, values, meanings, and laws. Cultural diffusion refers to the spread of material and nonmaterial culture to new cultural groups regardless of the movement of people. 17 17

Technology and Social Change (cont’d.) Cultural imperialism refers to cultural influence caused by adopting another culture’s products rather than by an imposing military force. Cultural leveling is the process by which societies lose their uniqueness and become increasingly similar. 18 18

Implications for a Postmodern World Modernity refers to the social conditions and attitudes characteristic of industrialized societies, including the decline of tradition, an increase in individualism, and a belief in progress, technology, and science. 19 19

Implications for a Postmodern World (cont’d.) Postmodernity refers to the social conditions and attitudes characteristic of postindustrialized societies, including a focus on the production and management of information and skepticism of science and technology. 20 20

Chapter 16: Participation Questions Have you ever been part of a group that was working toward a shared goal? yes no These questions can be used with “clickers,” cell phones, or other audience response systems to increase participation in your classes. They can also be used to encourage discussion without technological input. 21

Chapter 16: Participation Questions Have you ever engaged in an act of activism (an activity intended to bring about social change)? yes no These questions can be used with “clickers,” cell phones, or other audience response systems to increase participation in your classes. They can also be used to encourage discussion without technological input. 22

Do you have a Facebook account? yes no Chapter 16: Participation Questions Do you have a Facebook account? yes no These questions can be used with “clickers,” cell phones, or other audience response systems to increase participation in your classes. They can also be used to encourage discussion without technological input. 23

Chapter 16: Participation Questions Have you traveled abroad? If so, did you notice any American influence on the local culture? I haven’t traveled abroad. I have traveled abroad but didn’t see much American influence. I have traveled abroad and I saw a little American influence. I have traveled abroad and I saw a lot of American influence. These questions can be used with “clickers,” cell phones, or other audience response systems to increase participation in your classes. They can also be used to encourage discussion without technological input. 24

This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 16 25