How are changes in knowledge connected to social change?

To take on this ambitious question, we need to explore and try to define the term ‘knowledge’ further. My next step then will be to describe the theories of ‘the knowledge society’ and ‘the risk society’, to illustrate the meaning of knowledge in our society and how change is involved. By evaluating these theories and using examples, I finally will draw a conclusion and try to answer the question.

What is knowledge? To explain knowledge is itself a difficult task as everybody has an own idea or explanation of what knowledge is.
Firstly there is a big diversity in types of knowledge like for example scientific knowledge, religious knowledge and common, every day knowledge. Knowledge can be ,stored’ in the mind of people or physically in, for example books, newspapers or the internet. It can be specific, theoretical, accumulated and organized information or it can be learning and knowing by doing, a body of skills, practices and understanding. In other words, knowledge includes organized forms of ideas, practices or ways of thinking and doing, and common sense practices and routine of our daily lives. Another aspect of knowledge is, that it is never neutral but always connected with one’s experience and past.
What combines the plurality and diversity of knowledges is that they are socially produced by human beings, living in societies.
The main elements of the social construction of knowledge are language and discourse, institutions and different types of social power.
The question, ‘how is knowledge produced’, helps us a great deal, to answer the question ‘how are changes in knowledge connected to social change’.
At first we have to acknowledge that knowledge itself is changing. New technologies permit us to exchange knowledge much faster across long distances which has a big impact on our daily lives, the economy and politics. New technologies also change and create sources of power and therefore new sources of knowledge in numbers, never encountered before. One example are the many experts which are available to us in contemporary life such as counsellors and therapists of all sorts, teachers in the new technologies, holistic life advisers and many different sorts of spiritual guidance. Some of the new forms of knowledge are very beneficial and add to our well being but the breakdown of established sources of knowledge bring also uncertainty and fear to more and more people. This fact is already related very close to our question of knowledge and social change.

A very obvious change towards the ‘knowledge society’ within the most recent generations is the change from manufacturing jobs to jobs in the service sector. New communication systems and computerized technologies required new and more skills and knowledge. The increased consumption of goods, based on a system of needs that is produced by the system of production rather than the other way around as it was before fuels that trend – ‘emancipation of consumption from its past instrumentality that used to draw its limits – the demise of ‘norms’ and the new plasticity of ‘needs’, setting consumption free from functional bonds and absolving it from the need to justify itself by reference to anything but its own pleasurability’ (Bauman, 2001, pp.12-13) - ‘We go shopping because we want to, not because we need to!’
Many aspects of contemporary life requires even more detailed ‘expert’ knowledge as we ourselves encounter new, more detailed and diverse knowledge on a daily bases through various channels like for example friends, newspapers, the internet and other medias.
A good example would be the field of nutrition. What to eat, what kind of nutrition to compensate for different influences and deficits, where to buy and how to consume. These are only a few of the many questions surrounding the issue of nutrition and require a lot of knowledge almost taken for granted in our contemporary society. Related topics to know would be the environment. How the food we need, according to our knowledge, is best produced concerning the environment and how it is transported to the consumer concerning both, the environment and the nutrition value to make sure, it has its desired effect on us at the end of the long journey. It gets even more complicated if you are parents regarding the amount and sources of knowledge available to you in order to be a responsible and caring parent in the eye of contemporary society. These are only two examples of many aspects which we, as individuals or families encounter in our daily life and where we are more or less required to have at least some ‘expert’ knowledge. These examples show clearly how changes in knowledge are connected to social change through the availability and relatively easy access of information. In the above mentioned examples a change towards a more health concerned society occurred by new knowledge challenging old knowledge.

Another important way to show how changes in knowledge are connected to social change is the economy. The change from mass production (Fordism) towards more individualization and costumer orientation (Post-Fordism) had and still has a huge impact on our society. Increased automation through computerized technologies available involved more technical skills and knowledge than physical strength from the workforce. People are more and more required to specialize in one field of work and constantly educate themselves in that field to be among the best in order to succeed and through advanced technologies and communication out-sourcing of work to a less costly workforce became possible. The change towards individualism, flexibility and specialisation made it necessary to constantly acquire more knowledge in order to meet the need of the employers which, for example, results in a longer education period of young people before they join the workforce which profoundly changed our society. Also the variety of products available to consumers often used as lifestyle accessories change the culture and the economy in a seemingly endless loop of change. All these developments had and still have a big impact on society.
Globalization, free markets and therefore a huge choice of goods and services has also its down sides on society and the environment. Constantly increasing knowledge not only helps us for example choosing the best product but also makes as aware of potential dangers and alerts us of possible risks. As today’s technology makes knowledge and information available from the furthest part of our world and that on a daily basis, our perspective of danger and risk has changed. Through the amount of information there is awareness and knowledge of many possible dangers and risks and therefore the likelihood of these dangers and risks can be calculated. ‘To be in danger is one thing. To know, almost by percentage that one is in danger is another.’ The advocates of the ‘risk society’ claim that politics have been transformed by the risk society and indeed, all the important election topics are topics like e.g. healthcare, job security and protection of the local economy with expert knowledge and counter expertises. Events like Chernobyl or Exxon Valdes though far away from us stay in our minds and through tragedies like these we are aware that environmental disasters or pollution are not necessarily tied to their place of origin. This is a good example to show how knowledge changes society. By the increased awareness of environmental risks through knowledge, the political systems is forced, instead of limiting its control on a national basis, to respond to this global problem by international cooperation and to organize politics at a global level.

How are changes in knowledge connected to social change? Throughout history, new knowledge available to humans was used to their advantage or disadvantage, regardless of e.g. scientific knowledge, religious knowledge and common, every day knowledge and changed their way of life, social life e.g. the discovery of fire, the invention of electricity and the invention of the telegraph. Changes in knowledge systems are always linked to social change or in other words, if new knowledge challenges old institutions, social change with new chances but also uncertainty begins.
The difference today is the speed and accessibility of knowledge and the explosion of knowledge in certain fields. New technologies and therefore the changing economy prioritize knowledge and access to knowledge over physical strength. I disagree with Bell, that these developments have brought more power to professionals or more democracy. The diversity, the instant accessibility of knowledge and the bombardment of information through a variety of media upon us made it difficult or it requires a lot of time for individuals, to stay on top of things and keep the overview. New options, possibilities and increased diversity also creates anxiety and uncertainty. What I’m certain of is, that the knowledge revolution has created an increased awareness of risk and danger to ourselves and therefore transformed our daily life and e.g. our political system and our approach towards the environment.
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References
Bauman, Z. (2001) ‘Consuming life’, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol.1, no.1, pp.9-29.
Bell, D. (1973) The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, London, Heinneman.