Social Change: Chapter 4- New Technologies and Innovations

Ogburn's (1922) theory has four components: invention, accumulation, diffusion, and adjustment.

1. Invention. An invention or discovery is a new creation of material culture. 2. Accumulation. Material culture accumulates. That is, a new invention is built on the technologies that precede it. 3. Diffusion. Cultural diffusion is simply the spread of culture from one group to another. Cultural inertia is when the technology is not widely accepted. 4. Adjustment. Adjustment is the process where people adapt to the new invention.

Rogers' elements of diffusion: innovation, communication channels, time, and social system.

1. Innovation. This is a new idea, practice, or tool that is created, and Rogers focuses on technology as the main type of innovation. 2. Communication channels. These are the ways in which information is shared between people. 3. Time. The amount of time that it takes for a person to learn of the innovation and ultimately adopt or reject it is what Rogers refers to as the innovation-decision process. The rate of adoption is the amount of time it takes for the innovation to diffuse across the social system. 4. Social system. The group or set of units that the innovation is diffused within.

discovery

A new finding of something that has always been here.

material culture

A tangible item for people to use.

design thinking

Both a mindset and a process for creating new solutions. It is establishing that each of us have the creativity to produce an innovative solution, and so it is a democratization of innovations.

disruptive technologies

Completely new innovations that hold a different value than existing products.

Is the following example a discovery or an invention? Helium, such as that used to inflate balloons

discovery

Cameron has created a career for himself by blogging about new technology gadgets shortly after they successfully arrive to the market. Cameron prides himself on learning about new technologies and reviewing them before the majority of people try them out. He has a large following on social media who respect his product reviews so much that they read what he has to share before they purchase any new gadgets. According to Rogers, which type of adopter best fits for Cameron?

early adopter

Is the following example a discovery or an invention? The jet engine used for flying aircraft.

invention

Ride-sharing companies disrupted the taxi industry by creating a new approach to ride hailing. Home-sharing companies have disrupted the hotel industry by offering tools for everyday people to rent out their homes or portions of them on a short-term basis. These innovations based on a sharing economy operate outside of regulations historically in effect for the hotel and taxi services. One consequence of the sharing economy, especially as it relates to short-term house rentals is the buying up of housing by investors to use as short-term rentals that price out families in the neighborhood. While the innovation allows individuals to capitalize on new business ventures, a lack of community can be created if several houses in a neighborhood have no permanent residents. Which of the following explanations best fits with a sociological understanding of the social impact of disruptive innovations?

New disruptive technologies such as ride-sharing or short-term housing rentals alter social institutions.

sustaining technologies

New improvements of established products.

technology

New knowledge, skills, and tools that are used by people, which means that technology is part of culture.

Recently, a technology company demonstrated their computerized personal assistant's ability to call to make an appointment, yet people unassumingly talked to the assistant thinking it was human. There was some backlash because people felt moral concerns about the technology becoming too human-like. Which of the following explanations best fits with a sociological understanding of the social impact of disruptive innovations?

New technologies can create moral dilemmas as people and institutions adapt and adjust to them.

nonmaterial culture

Nonmaterial components such as cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors.

automation

Technology operates on its own and replaces human labor.

innovation

The action of creating the new knowledge or tool.

invention

The creation of something new.

types of adopters

The innovators like to take risks and may even enjoy the uncertainty that comes with adopting an innovation that has not been tried before, which can also fail before it has a chance of diffusion. Early adopters make up about 13.5% of the social system and include those who are more integrated into the system and respected by others. The early majority may deliberate longer than the early adopters, yet they do not want to be the last to adopt the innovation. The late majority makes up those who are cautious and may be skeptical of the new idea but eventually adopt after most have so that they are not left behind. The laggards make up the remaining 16% of the social system, are the very last to adopt, and may be resistant to innovations for economic or traditional value reasons.

cultural lag

The maladjustment period of time that the nonmaterial culture lags behind the new material culture.

In the early 2010s, a major technology company invented and brought to market smart eyeglasses, where some early adopters bought and wore the glasses. However, the mass appeal of the product did not surface at that time, as the public was not ready to wear the technology on their faces. Others were uncomfortable with the idea of someone recording them through their eyewear. Which of the following best represents this example of the technology not being widely spread through society?

cultural inertia

One drawback that concerns people when deciding on whether to use an AI personal assistant or a smart TV is that the technology is "always on" and listening to conversations within the intimate setting of a home. The uncomfortable feeling that some people may get is because of ___, where the technological advances have moved quicker than the norms and beliefs surrounding them.

cultural lag

Trevor has had his smart phone for a few years, which has been working fine for him. He doesn't have any economic or philosophical concerns with updating to a new phone, yet he is usually more skeptical than his friends of new technologies. Unfortunately, Trevor's phone has decreased in performance, so much so that he can no longer access data without waiting for several minutes at a time. Trevor has now decided that it is time to buy a new phone that most of his friends who typically buy new products sooner than him have used for a few months now. He has done his research and is willing to jump in knowing that the phone's reviews are overwhelmingly positive now that all the bugs have been fixed and quite a bit of the majority of people are happily using the technology at this point. According to Rogers, Trevor would best fit as which type of adopter?

late majority