Week 13: Social Problems & the Future Flashcards
What is the key to being prepared for the future?
Making better, more accurate predictions
What is Cyberspace?
The notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs
What are the two particular forms of diffusion?
- Rumours
- Contagion
Who was the first systematic futurist?
Thomas Malthus
What makes social problems so hard to fix?
They’re all interconnected, and many have a historical basis
In 1888, what did David Goodman Croly predict would be different by the year 2000?
That women throughout the world will enjoy
increased opportunities and privileges.
Along with this new freedom will come social tolerance
of sexual conduct formerly condoned only in
men.
In addition, because of the availability of
jobs, more women will choose not to have children
Digital Divide
The gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the Internet, and those who do not
What is Cyberterrorism?
The politically motivated use of computers and information technology to cause severe disruption or widespread fear in society
What is Genetic Manipulation?
The direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology
What are some future problems that society’s family structures could face?
- Genetic Manipulation
- The balancing of male/female workers/equity could affect the amount fo children being born/ child care
- Aging population
What are the main problems regarding internet communication?
- People are having less face-to-face interactions
- People can create multiple identities, sometimes to the plight of others
- Not everyone has equal access to it. There is inequality in availability of information
- Information is losing credibility
In an information society, all social, economic,
and political life depends on the ________
Quality of the information available
How do sociologists view “rumours”?
As improvised news
What are some characteristics of Contagious behavior?
- Impulsive
- Possibly destructive
- Ambiguous (unpredictable)
- Group-driven
What is the main example of Contagious behavior described in the Futures Studies article?
Khaki Fever emerging during WWI
____ ______ arise when people come to believe
in the existence of a threat from new forms of
deviance.
Moral Panics
Why is contagion especially important to sociologists?
Because it addresses the question of how individuals link
together and eventually form large groups capable
of collective action
What are some things that Sociologists will be forced or expected to measure?
How long does it take for a fad or fashion to die out?
What is the half-life of a household?
What is the optimal length of time for a person to find a mate?
What is CLA?
Casual Layered Analysis
It integrates empiricist, interpretive, critical and action learning modes of knowing
An area of research concerned with forecasting possible scenarios in order to prepare and shape what will happen
Future Studies
This view claims that futures studies looks into alternative futures and identifies the most probable social trends
Functionalist
Argues that different forecasting and simulation methods produce different insights into the nature and probability of occurrence of certain events that may favour one population subgroup over another
Conflict Theory
This view worries that gossip and rumour may spread misinformation and create moral panic or fear
Symbolic Interactionism
Claims that the future is a social construct. Media portrayals of social problems and trends exert a large influence on people’s perspectives of society, may spark social movements, and contribute to policy-making
Social Constructionism
List some pressing 21st century global challenges…
- Sustainable development and climate change
- Clean water
- Population and resources
- Democratization
- The digital divide
- Rich–poor gap/income inequality
- Indigenous sovereignty and rights
- Communicable diseases & pandemics
- Peace and conflict
- Gender, race & class inequalities
- Transnational organized crime
- Energy
What is technology?
The manifestation of human knowledge and ingenuity applied to the solution of a problem or need; applied science
What does C.U.D.O.S. stand for?
Communalism : Scientific results are free for anyone to use
Universalism: Scientific claims are based on universal criteria and not specific to the researchers themselves
Disinterest: Knowledge is pursued and presented without hopes of personal reward or advancement
Organized Skepticism: No critical evaluation/judgment will be made for or against without reason or proof
summed up; it describes Technology and the Institutionalization of Science.
What is an information economy?
An economy in which information is treated like any other commodity and can be bought, sold, traded, etc.
