Social change is change in society and society is a network of social relationships. Therefore, social change is a change in social relationships. Social relationships are social processes, social patterns, and social interactions. These include mutual activities and relationships of different parts of society. Therefore, this term is used to describe variations of any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction, or social organization.
Characteristics of social change
The following listed points are the characteristics of social change:
it’s social
It’s universal
serves as law of nature
is continuous
is not attached to any value judgment
it is not moral or immoral
is limited by time factors
the rate, tempo speed, and extent of change is not uniform
Definitive predictions of social change are impossible.
shows chain reaction sequences
takes place due to multiple factors
can be considered as modifications or replacements
can be small or large scale
can be peaceful or violent
In explaining this concept, sociologists from time to time used words and expressions such as evolution, growth, progress, development, revolution, etc. discarding one in preference to the other.
Evolutionary changes: These are changes that occur slowly over a long period of time.
Revolutionary changes – These are changes that occur rapidly over a short period of time.
Progress: it is about the development towards an improved or more advanced condition.
Growth: serves as a process of increasing size.
Development: This is an event that constitutes a new stage in the changing situation.
Classification of social change
Classification: it can be classified according to its nature and is understood as evolutionary social change and revolutionary social change.
Classification based on sources and causes: can be classified based on source and causes through environment, technology, economy, politics and culture.
Factors affecting social change
The following factors are the main characteristics that affect it:
Natural factors: under natural factors, we can have the following factors such as floods, earthquakes, droughts and famines
Geographical factors: the physical environment, natural resources, climate and temperature also affect it under geographical factors.
Biological factors: structure, selection and hereditary qualities of generations.
Demographic factors: we can have the demographic factors such as population, birth rate, death rate, poverty, unemployment, disease, sex ratio, dowry system.
Political factors: these are countries that are fighting for independence. For example, India is fighting for independence.
Socio-economic factors -These are factors such as agriculture, industries, feudalism, capitalism, urbanization
Cultural factors: beliefs, ideas, values, customs, conventions, institutions.
Scientific technology
Educational factors
Other factors
Social order
Social change must be contrasted with social order. It has a tendency to resist and regulate change. It refers to the active maintenance and reproduction of a particular pattern of social relations and of values and norms. Social order can be achieved in two ways
when people are willing to abide by the rules and regulations
when people are forced to follow the rules and regulations. Every society uses a happy combination of these two methods to maintain social order.
Domination, authority and law
Domination: This can be defined as a process of influencing someone.
Authority: This serves as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
Law: the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes regulates the actions of its members and can enforce by imposing sanctions.
Social order, social changes in villages, towns, cities
The social order has the following influence on the villages through the following characteristics
Villages emerged as part of the major changes in the social structure.
change from nomadic to sedentary life
investment in land and technological innovations in agriculture created the possibility of producing surpluses
advanced divisions of labor created the need for occupational specialization
The effects of social order on the people
There will be a significant proportion of your population involved in agricultural production.
low population density compared to cities and towns
The effects of social order in cities
This results in most people engaging in non-agricultural activities.
population density. That is the number of people per unit, for example, the square km is greater than that of the villages.
Social order and social changes in rural areas
When there is social order, there will be a social change in rural areas with the following characteristics:
the villages are small
more personalized relationship
village follows a traditional life pattern
slows down social change
Major changes
Modern means of communication have reduced the distance between villages
the cultural gap between towns and cities has decreased
social and agrarian reforms make changes
change in the status, roles and rights of lower class people