--- title: "Social change, factors, role of technology" subject: "Engineering Professional Practice" chapter: 1 key: "semester_8/engineering_professional_practice:social-change-factors-technology" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/social-change-factors-technology site: BCT Engineering --- # Social change, factors, role of technology Engineering Professional Practice · Chapter 1: History of Engineering Practices - Asked in: 2072 Asoj, 8 marks - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/social-change-factors-technology - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/chapter-1 ## Question What is social change? What are the factors causing social change? Describe the role of technology in social change. ## Short answer Social change is alteration in structure, institutions, values, and way of life over time. Factors include physical, demographic, technological, economic, cultural, political, educational, social movements, and disasters. Technology shifts economic structure, changes family relations, spreads knowledge, and causes cultural lag. ## Answer **Social change** is the alteration in the structure, institutions, values, relationships and way of life of a society over time. Examples: the shift from joint to nuclear families, from agriculture to services, or the use of mobile banking. #### Factors causing social change 1. **Physical/geographical:** earthquakes, floods, climate change and migration due to the environment (e.g. the 2072 BS earthquake led to stricter housing codes). 2. **Demographic:** population growth, ageing, migration, urbanisation, foreign employment. 3. **Technological:** new inventions and machines alter production and lifestyle. 4. **Economic:** industrialisation, income, trade, remittance, poverty. 5. **Cultural:** new ideas, religion, values, contact with other cultures. 6. **Political and legal:** change of government, republic, federalism, new laws, reservation policies. 7. **Educational:** literacy, awareness and scientific thinking. 8. **Social movements and leadership:** reformers, women's and rights movements. 9. **War, conflict and disasters.** #### Role of technology in social change - **Economic structure:** machines, power and ICT shift jobs from farming to industry and services and create new occupations. - **Family and social relations:** mobile phones and the internet change communication and help nuclear and migrant families keep in touch; social media forms virtual communities. - **Education and knowledge:** e-learning and open information raise awareness. - **Health and population:** medicine reduces the death rate and increases life expectancy. - **Values and culture:** media spread new fashions and ideas, and sometimes weaken traditions. - **Urbanisation and lifestyle:** transport and construction technology create cities. - **Governance and rights:** ICT improves transparency and participation. - **Cultural lag:** technology (material culture) changes faster than values and laws (non-material culture), producing problems such as cyber crime and privacy issues. Thus technology is both a major cause of social change and a tool for managing it. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What is social change? A. Change in the weather of a region B. Alteration in structure, institutions, values and way of life of a society over time C. Change of a person's job D. Change of government only Answer: B. Social change is the alteration in structure, institutions, values, relationships and way of life over time. (Key point: Social change defined) 2. Which is an example of a demographic factor of social change? A. Floods B. New inventions C. Population growth, ageing, migration and urbanisation D. Change of government Answer: C. Population growth, ageing, migration and urbanisation are demographic factors. (Key point: Demographic factor) 3. How does technology change the economic structure? A. It shifts jobs from farming to industry and services and creates new occupations B. It stops all job creation C. It returns people to farming D. It has no effect on occupations Answer: A. Machines, power and ICT shift jobs from farming to industry and services and create new occupations. (Key point: Technology and economy) 4. What is cultural lag as described in the answer? A. Culture changes faster than technology B. Material culture (technology) changes faster than values and laws, causing problems C. Culture never changes D. Technology is rejected by society Answer: B. Technology changes faster than non-material culture, producing problems such as cyber crime and privacy issues. (Key point: Cultural lag) ## Related in Engineering Professional Practice - [Community vs society; social change theories](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Acommunity-society-social-change) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 1 ## Related in other subjects - [Technology unmasking old social problems](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Atech-unmask-social-problems) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1, asked 3× - [Factors causing hazards in Nepal Himalaya](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_4%2Fengineering_geology_ii%3Anepal-himalaya-hazard-factors) — Engineering Geology II, chapter 5 - [Technology definition and change in culture](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Adefine-tech-culture-traditions) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1 - [Information age characteristics and unmasking social problems](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Ainfo-age-unmask-problems) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1