Page 509 - Essencials of Sociology

482 CHAPTER 15 Social Change and the Environment

In fairness to Ogburn, we must note that he never said that technology is the only
postmodern society another
term for postindustrial society; a force for social change. Nor did he assert that people are passive pawns in the face of
chief characteristic is the use of overwhelming technological forces. He did stress, though, that the material culture
tools that extend human abilities to (technology) usually changes first, and the symbolic culture (people’s ideas and ways of
gather and analyze information, to life) follows. This direction still holds. Technology underlies the rapid changes that are
communicate, and to travel
engulfing us today. And we are still playing catch-up with technology, with the micro-
chip especially, which is transforming society and, with it, our way of life.

Use the examples of the
15.3 How Technology Is Changing Our Lives
automobile and the microchip
to illustrate the sociological
significance of technology; include Extending Human Abilities
changes in ideology, norms, human To understand what technology is, let’s look at its three meanings. Its first meaning refers
relationships, education, work, to tools, the items used to accomplish tasks. The tools can be as simple as a comb or as
business, war, and social inequality. complicated as a computer. Technology’s second meaning refers to the procedures nec-
essary to produce tools: in this case, the ways we manufacture combs and computers.
Technology’s third meaning refers to the skills needed to use tools: in this case, the skills
Do you know what that large object
in the center of the photo is? In the we need to “produce” an acceptable hairdo or to go online.
1920s, 30s, and 40s, middle-class No matter what tools, procedures, or skills we are talking about, technology always
families would gather in the living refers to artificial means of extending human abilities. Consider our opening vignette.
room after dinner and listen to the The essence of the story is how greatly our new technology has extended human abilities.
radio. (It was a sit-down dinner
served by the wife and assisted by All human groups make and use technology. They all have tools, procedures,
the daughters.) Can you see how and skills. The chief characteristic of technology in postindustrial societies (also
technology is influencing this 1940s called postmodern societies) is that it greatly
family? How about yourself? extends our abilities to communi-
cate, to travel, and to retrieve and