Page 511 - Essencials of Sociology

484 CHAPTER 15 Social Change and the Environment

Changes in Family Relationships. Technology also changes how people relate to one
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Activity: How Strong is Residential another. When men left home to work in factories, they became isolated from much of
Stability in the United States? the everyday lives of their families. One consequence of becoming relative strangers to
their wives and children was more divorce. As more women were drawn from the home
to offices and factories, there were similar consequences—greater isolation from hus-
bands and children and even more fragile marriages. A counter-trend is now under way,
as the newer technology allows millions of people to work at home. One consequence
may be a strengthening of families and a reduction of divorce.
To get a better idea of how technology shapes our way of life, let’s consider the
changes ushered in by the automobile and the computer.

When Old Technology Was New: The Impact
of the Automobile
About 100 years ago, the automobile was a new technology. You might be surprised at
some of the ways in which this invention shaped U.S. society. Let’s look at them.

Displacement of Existing Technology. In a process that began in earnest when
Henry Ford began to mass-produce the Model T in 1908, the automobile gradually
pushed aside the old technology. People found automobiles to be cleaner, more reliable,
and less expensive than horses. People even thought that cars would lower their taxes,
since no longer would the public have to pay to clean up the tons of horse manure that
accumulated on city streets (Flink 1990). Humorous as it sounds now, they also thought
that automobiles would eliminate the cities’ parking problems, since an automobile took
up only half as much space as a horse and buggy.
Effects on Cities. The automobile stimulated suburbanization (Kopecky and Suen
2010). By the 1920s, Americans had begun to leave the city. They found that they could
live in outlying areas where housing was more affordable and commute to jobs in the
city. Eventually, this exodus to the suburbs produced urban sprawl and reduced the cit-
ies’ tax base. As discussed in Chapter 14, suuburbanization contributed to many of the
problems that U.S. cities experience today.
Changes in Architecture. The automobile’s effects on commercial architecture are
easy to see—from the huge parking lots that loop around shopping malls to the drive-
up windows at banks and fast-food restaurants. Not so apparent is how the automobile
altered the architecture of U.S. homes (Flink 1990). Before cars came on the scene, each

In the photo on the left, Henry Ford proudly displays his 1905 car, the latest in automobile technology. As is apparent, especially from the
spokes on the car’s wheels, new technology builds on existing technology. At the time this photo was taken, who could have imagined
that this vehicle would transform society? The photo on the right is a concept car designed in China.