What impacts (as in my example of the cell phone and the Internet where in effect if everyone had access to the same information you and I do it would impact trade and the world economy) do you see coming in the future.

From the very first chapter in the Weinstein text to now you will have recognized that there are two main perspectives – the materialist or sensate (economic production and technology) and the ideational (values, beliefs, and ideologies) – that explain what causes social change. Click here to refresh your memories of these two positions
Download here to refresh your memories of these two positions
before you go any further.
Before you proceed, view the video Technology and Social Change:

An example of technology would be the bicycle
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which, in the late 1800s, affected everything from marriage patterns to women’s fashions to name just two effects. Another example if you aren’t into bicycles, would be the cell-phone which has affected not only where, how, and what we communicate but how we go to war. Teenagers prefer texting to talking to friends in person and troops now call home from the battlefield which affects relationships, politics, and mental health. How about the automobile and its effects on dating patterns! That’s the sort of thing I want you to think about. A smartphone allows us to access the world through the Internet; what happens when everyone in the world can do that? Continuing with the smartphone, to tie in with social movements, they “are mostly shaped by the technology and media available to amplify them at the time” (Visual Story
(Links to an external site.)
).
For this discussion I want you to think about the social impacts that have been caused by technology.
Pick a technology and then describe at least ten (or more if you are really imaginative) impacts it has had. We do not, by the way, want the history of the invention or technology you choose. That would just be filler and will take you in the wrong direction. While the chronology of the invention to the present is important, what you are looking for are the effects it had on society.
What impacts (as in my example of the cell phone and the Internet where in effect if everyone had access to the same information you and I do it would impact trade and the world economy) do you see coming in the future.
Conventions: Just a thought, while I want serious answers you can also have fun with some of the unintended consequences of the technology you choose. Needless to say, you will be spending quite a bit of time on the first question, so take your time and think! The more you put into your answer(s) the more discussion we will have. Make sure you list ten impacts of the technology you choose and reference any resources you use. To receive full points see the grading rubric
Download rubric
for the discussion board. Make sure you cite and reference any materials you use.
Resources for the Assignment:
Read Weinstein pages 44 – 45 (section entitled Sorokin’s Theory of Social and Cultural Dynamics in Chapter 2) and Chapter 8
Review the Week 4 PowerPoint on Technology and Social Change
Download Week 4 PowerPoint on Technology and Social Change
Watch the Video (as above) on Technology and Social Change [4:42 Min]
Read Impact of Technology Change on Society (Sociology Guide)

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