Features of modern society social studies. Problems of society in the modern world

What are characteristic features modern society? The question is not an easy one, but if we talk about it globally and generally, we will get a very thorough answer. The basis of the modern social system is post-industrial, information and law society, in which knowledge, technology and science play a fundamental role. must be cultural and educated in both the humanitarian and technical senses.

Structure of modern society

Over the past one hundred and fifty years, society has changed radically. began to erase their social boundaries, the antagonism between employee and employer became more soft form, society has become more active and mobile. In the 21st century, due to many factors, a significant part of people began to live in cities. New technology cultivation of the land and technological progress gradually pushed rural residents into industrial centers. But, despite all the technology, the role of labor in society remains very important.

and specialists

The structure of modern society gives rise to a huge variety of professions. In addition, every year more and more new specialists appear. Technologists, programmers, marketers, managers, and designers are considered in demand. What are the characteristic features of modern society, so are the requirements for modern workers - education, professionalism, sociability and punctuality.

Modern cities

Megacities and agglomerations have become unique symbols of modern society.

Cities are usually classified into small (up to 60 thousand population), medium (70 - 100 thousand), large (110 - 270 thousand), large (up to 1 million) and megacities (more than 1 million). Agglomerations are fused millionaire cities. The largest metropolitan area in the world is Tokyo with all its suburbs; its population is more than 29 million people.

Modern production

Huge enterprises, shopping centers, - these are the main features of modern society.

Today's industry leaders are computer equipment, energy, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and electronics. Modern society is a society of production and consumption of goods and services.

The characteristic classes of society today are employers who own the means of production, and workers who sell their labor power.

In highly developed countries of the world, thanks to technological breakthroughs in electronics, automation and robotization of industrial enterprises have become a reality, but the role of the worker has not been usurped by machines.

For example, at Toyota factories that produce automobiles, a car is manufactured in just 10 days without the use of human labor; the process is controlled by only a few specialists.

But the real innovation in science is nanotechnology. This is working with substances at the level tiny particles(atoms and molecules).

Nanorobots are being actively developed, which can be compared in size to a molecule; they have a wide variety of functions, including movement, information processing, and execution of specified programs.

It should also be noted that all modern inventions are registered according to intellectual property laws, and the author of the idea is always its owner. The modern world is, first of all, a legal society.

Modern means of communication

It is almost impossible to imagine the modern world without cars, airplanes and spaceships. New communication technologies have given society the ability to connect globally. With the help of space satellites, information can be transmitted to and from any point Mobile phones and the Internet have become an indispensable means of communication for most people.

Each historically established type of society had its own famous discoveries. In primitive society, the beginning of the use of fire, the wheel and writing was progressive. In the industrial era, engines, factories and factories appeared, in the post-industrial era - computer equipment and the Internet. Therefore, what are the characteristic features of modern society can be judged by discoveries.

Information revolution

The information revolution is a radical transformation of society and relationships in it due to the increasing role of information.

The beginning of the information revolution occurs in modern stage where information technologies are actively spreading.

In total, the world knows four information revolutions. During the time of the first, writing was invented, the second - printing, the third - electricity, thanks to which radio, telegraph and telephone communications arose. The fourth information revolution began in the mid-twentieth century and continues to this day. It is associated with the invention of microprocessor technologies and the advent of the Internet.

The consequences of information transformations have brought to the fore the information industry, which is associated with the production of technical and information tools and technologies.

World Wide Web

A person in modern society can no longer exist without a computer. With its help, it became possible to receive, send and process information, perform complex calculations and maintain contact with users on the network. The global global network called the Internet has united millions of people different cultures and nationalities.

Through the Internet you can communicate, search and process information, buy goods, book tickets for both cinema and plane. Thanks to the Internet, people learn latest news in the world, get a job, meet people and get married. Also, with the help of the World Wide Web, you can obtain information on almost all issues - from complex scientific definitions to a recipe for a culinary masterpiece.

In the last decade, communication on the Internet has expanded to new level through social networks, that is, virtual communities of people. Social media have become the main means of communication. The most popular of them is the legendary Facebook.

According to modern estimates, it united more than 2 billion inhabitants globe and is already available in almost all countries of the world. Using the Internet modern man can make your life much more productive and interesting.

This article gave a detailed answer to the question: “What are the characteristic features of modern society?” It can be firmly stated that modern society is based on technological progress, information technology, scientific knowledge, it is active and mobile.

Modern society

Parameter name	Meaning
Article topic:	Modern society
Rubric (thematic category)	Policy

Modern society covers two periods of development, corresponding to two types of society - industrial and post-industrial.

Modern concept society formed in European culture no earlier than the 17th-18th centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the concept of “civil society” arose. It described the morals and customs of the entire people, the initiative and self-government of the population, and finally, participation in political life ordinary people, not directed by the state, but arising spontaneously.

Previously, the so-called commoners were not included in what was called “society”. However, the concept of “society” was limited to the aristocracy, i.e., the minority of the population that concentrated all the wealth and power. Today we would call this part ʼʼ high societyʼʼ, ʼʼ high societyʼʼ, elite or something else.

This tradition dates back to antiquity. Plato and Aristotle included only free citizens in society, or rather the city-state. Slaves were not members of society. But the former, as a rule, found themselves in the minority. Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, and here society consisted of a minority of the population.

Since the end of the 18th century, and it was then that the Great French Revolution(1789-1794), which changed the political face of Europe, the word “society” begins to be used in a broad sense. It reflects the emerging self-awareness of people, the desire to participate in the political life of common people. In other words, the majority of the population.

The spread of the concept of “society” to an ever wider range of people was a gradual and rather contradictory process. In some European countries women still do not have the right to vote. In many countries of the world, a minimum residency requirement is maintained. This means that entire sections of the population have been excluded from the boundaries of society. Today such a situation has developed in the Baltic countries.

It is the 18th century that is considered the starting position industrial revolution, changed the economic face of Europe. The home factory, which consisted of the landowner's family, servants and serfs, or the family of the urban artisan, unmarried apprentices, civilian workers and servants, is being replaced by large-scale industry with thousands of hired workers in one enterprise.

Urbanization- expansion of the share of the urban population and the spread of the urban lifestyle to all segments of the population - becomes an integral companion of another process - industrialization. Industrialization requires more and more trained workers as the complexity of technology constantly increases. This opportunity is provided precisely by urbanization - pumping out the rural population and turning it into a highly educated urban one.

Economic independence and the expansion of political freedoms of citizens have led to the fact that the concept of personality is gradually spreading to ordinary people. Not long ago, namely in the 17th century, commoners were refused to be considered full members of society if they were in an economically dependent position.

Industrial society born in the 18th century. It is the child of two revolutions - economic and political. By economic we mean the great industrial revolution (its homeland is England). And under political - the great French Revolution (1789-1794).

Both of them radically changed the face of Europe: the first gave humanity economic freedoms and a new social stratification, namely class, and the second gave political freedoms and rights, as well as a new political form of society - democracy, based on the equality of all people before the law.

Over three centuries, European society has changed beyond recognition. Feudalism was replaced by capitalism. The concept of industrialization came into use. England was its flagship. It was the birthplace of machine production, free enterprise, and a new type of legislation.

Industrialization- the application of scientific knowledge to industrial technology, the discovery of new sources of energy that enable machines to do work previously done by humans or draft animals. The transition to industry was as significant a revolution for humanity as the transition to agriculture was in its time. Thanks to industry, a small part of the population was able to feed the majority of the population without resorting to cultivating the land. Today, 5% of the population is employed in agriculture in the United States, 10% in Germany, and 15% in Japan.

Unlike agricultural states and empires, industrial countries are more numerous - tens and hundreds of millions of people. These are highly urbanized societies. If in an agricultural society cities played an important, but not a self-sufficient role, then in an industrial society they began to play a leading role.

The division of labor has come a long way. Instead of several dozen, at most hundreds of specialties before the industrial society, thousands and tens of thousands of professions appeared. Moreover, the speed with which old professions were replaced by new ones increased tens and hundreds of times. And most of them were simply unknown to the agricultural society.

Now more than half of the population is engaged in industrial work, and a smaller part of it is engaged in agricultural work. The prestige of the first is constantly growing, while the second is falling. True, before known limit. The time will come when the prestige of industrial labor will also begin to inexorably decline. But a similar thing will happen in connection with the transition to the next stage - post-industrial society.

In pre-industrial society, also called traditional, the determining factor of development was agriculture, with the church and the army as the main institutions. In an industrial society - industry, with a corporation and a firm at the head. In post-industrial - theoretical knowledge, with the university as the place of its production and concentration.

The transition from industrial to post-industrial society is accompanied by the transformation of a commodity-producing economy into a service economy, which means the superiority of the service sector over the production sector. The social structure is changing: the class division is giving way to a professional one. Property as a criterion of social inequality is losing its importance; the level of education and knowledge becomes decisive. Similar processes are observed in the USA and Japan, which are completing the transition from industrial to post-industrial society. But they are not observed in Russia, which not so long ago completed the transition from a pre-industrial society, where the majority of the population were peasants living in rural areas, to industrial.

Pre-industrial societies had an economy based on primary production (hunting, gathering, gardening, farming). Industrial societies have economic and social structure based on machine technology and large-scale production systems. Investments expanded Western financial power around the world. As a result, few industrially developed countries dominate the rest of the world of economics and politics. This dominance enters a new environment - post-industrialism.

IN post-industrial society The main role is played not by industry and production, but by science and technology. An indicator of the degree of economic development of an industrial society is the steel production index, and an indicator of a post-industrial society is the percentage of scientific and technical workers per total labor force, as well as the amount of costs for scientific research development. An industrial society can be defined by the number of goods produced, and a post-industrial society by the ability to generate and transmit information.

Modern society - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Modern Society" 2017, 2018.

“Modern World” - And together we are our favorite class! Big Eight. Modern states in the social sphere are different: Humanity has entered a new era of its development. Worldwide trade organization. How is the unity of the modern world manifested? Modern world. Is the world united or diverse? International political cooperation.

“Scientific work” - Work on concluding business agreements for the implementation of research. In the nomination “For achievements in development and practical application new methods and means in healthcare ": Noted high level activities on registration of implementations in health care facilities. 5. 15 doctoral dissertations – FOR THE FIRST TIME! TOTAL AMOUNT OF FINANCING FOR SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES OF VOLGMU (thousand rubles)?.

“Cultural Heritage” - Creative success, colleagues! Special courses on various topics. Historical and cultural heritage of the Oryol region. Interuniversity Department of Historical and Cultural Heritage. Problems of research activities. Disciplines of the program of additional pedagogical education. Faculty of Arts and Folk Culture Faculty of Russian Literature.

“Global problems” - Conditions for preventing a new world war. By 1800 there were 1 billion people. Population increase from 1970 to 2000. From 1950 to 2000. forest area decreased by almost 10 percent. By 2150 there will be up to 27 billion people. At the turn of B.C. - AD " - about 234 million people. By 2025 there will be 8 billion people.

“Culture in the Soviet Union” - Reform in the field of education and science. In 1933, the painting “Interrogation of Communists” was painted. The historical legacy of the tsarist regime was a significant proportion of the illiterate population. These primarily include the sphere of education. In the early 30s. The existence of free creative circles and groups came to an end.

“Venture philanthropy” - 14. 7. The direct translation of the term means risky charity. Why do we act this way? The art of giving your money. Venture philanthropy in Gagarin style. 12. 11. How does venture philanthropy relate to the concept of risk? Gagarin Foundation - features. This is the place for you if... Stages of Selection. 10. Strategic goals of the Fund.

There are a total of 15 presentations in the topic

Modern society is distinguished by its ability to analyze the situation. The globalization of problems and the rapid dissemination of information make it possible to find and obtain the knowledge that is necessary for the practical activities of a person, his creativity and development.

Concepts and terms

Modern society is new stage in development public relations. What plays an important role in its development? Globalization of world processes. You need to start with the concepts:

Globalization is a process of interpenetration of technologies developed by different states. It is impossible to stop the integration. Moreover, the unification of features concerns politics, economics, and ideology. Globalization is based on taking into account the distribution of resources available on the planet. The term was coined in the 19th century by Karl Marx. He used it to characterize the state of the world market.
The second concept necessary to consider the topic is post-industrial society or informational . The modern stage in the development of countries is characterized by the penetration of information technologies into all spheres of life of states. Society is open to solving and identifying global processes.

Modern society is changing communication between people, moving to the level of information technology, but it should be remembered that the usual form of communication should not be replaced by computers and phones.

The difference between modern society

Science suggests considering the features current state state structures and public relations and signs of modern society :

Increasing conflicts among people and countries.
Terrorism goes beyond the borders of one country: international character terrorism and crime.
Threats of disasters become a disaster for the entire planet.
Communication systems have lost their boundaries; information can be obtained from anywhere in your home.

Modern development has led to the creation of economic concerns covering 10 or hundreds of countries. Transnational companies (TNCs) allow process improvements developed in one country to be used in other countries. government agencies. TNCs open branches in different countries, distribute their products throughout the world market. TNCs influence the development of the entire world economy and individual segments.

Information began to require protection, so in 2000 the Russian Federation adopted a doctrine on maintaining the security of the information environment and national treasures, fulfilling the role of protecting the interests of Russia.

Layers of society

The role of the middle class in modern society cannot be underestimated. Scientists have identified the meaning of class since ancient times. The larger the middle layer, the more stable the society. Aristotle was the first to divide society into layers. His ideas are supported by scientists of today. Approximate typology of classes :

TOP 2 articleswho are reading along with this

Inferior, poor;
Average, wealthy;
Rich, superior.

The middle class increased dramatically in size in the 20th century with the development of property owners and businesses. The composition of the middle class is constantly changing. It includes those professions that reach the required level in terms of income. The main characteristics of the middle class: education, a certain level of income sufficient for a person’s life at the average level, intellectual and material property. The family in modern society is also divided into groups, but it may have members from different strata.

Disputes between scientists regarding the definition of criteria for characterizing the middle class are ongoing. Different countries have their own list of layers and their own indicators. 4.6. Total ratings received: 66.

EDUCATION. BASIC FEATURES OF SOCIETY, ITS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS.
2. TYPOLOGY OF SOCIETIES. DIVERSITY OF SOCIETIES IN THE MODERN WORLD, THEIR INTERCONNECTION AND INTERDEPENDENCE.
3. SOCIO-CULTURAL FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN SOCIETY.

“Society is a vault of stones that has collapsed

would be if one did not support the other.”

Seneca
1. THE CONCEPT OF SOCIETY AS A SYSTEM EDUCATION. BASIC FEATURES OF SOCIETY, ITS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS.

First of all, let us note the ambiguity of the very definition of “society”. In fact, in modern vocabulary societies can also be called national-state formations that exist on political map world, and voluntary associations of people according to professions and interests (“philatelist society”, “water rescue society”, etc.). They talk about society when they mean a person’s social environment, his circle of contacts. What are the factors that determine the specifics and trends in the development of human society?

The starting point in understanding society is the idea of the organized conscious work of human communities, carried out in order to create the conditions necessary for the life and development of people. It can be said that society - this is the highest stage in the evolution of the material world, a material-spiritual formation relatively independent of nature, the existence of which is associated with various forms of human activity and their interactions with each other.

All externally diverse phenomena public life represent, in essence, one or another variety joint activities people. This is, as it were, the fundamental principle of everything social.

There is no abstract society, society is always concrete. Any society has a certain geographical space (territory), has power, material means, its organization and regulatory order.

The study of the main features of society allows us to answer the question of what kind of association of people can be considered a society. Most full list these signs were given by the famous American sociologist E. Shilsom. He emphasizes that the concept of “society” is applicable to any association of people in size if it:

Not part of a larger system.
It has certain geographical boundaries and territory.
It has its own name and its own history.
Has its own control system.
Capable of reproduction. It is replenished primarily by the children of those people who are its recognized members.
He is united general system values (customs, traditions, norms, rules, laws, morals), which is called culture.
Capable of integration, i.e. inclusion of the new generation in the existing system of relations, subordination to generally accepted norms.

What are the main properties of society as a whole?

Four such properties can be distinguished:

self-reproduction,
self-organization(the ability of society to independently determine the content of its activities, develop norms and principles of its functioning),
self-development,
self-sufficiency(the ability of a system to create and recreate all necessary conditions existence, to produce everything necessary for collective life).

Self-sufficiency is the main difference between society and its components. None of the types of activity can function independently, none of the individual social groups unable to survive “alone” and provide herself with everything she needs. Only society as a whole has this ability.

An indispensable condition for the existence of society is environment, nature. Society can exist and function only through the active transformation of materials and resources external environment, adaptation of nature to meet its needs. Unlike animals, people transform nature, not just use it. In the course of his activities, man managed to create a “second nature”, i.e. a world of things and processes that are not found anywhere in the natural environment in finished form. This is already a “humanized” nature that exists according to social laws. The integral, essential quality of society is sociality, understood in a broad sense as the interaction of people in all spheres of life.

When analyzing the phenomenon of human society, it is necessary to proceed from an understanding of it as a complexly organized systemic object. Society is an integral system consisting of many subsystems.

System(from Greek systema) - a set or combination of parts and elements interconnected and in a certain way interacting with each other.

Society can be thought of as a collection of many different parts and elements. Moreover, these parts and elements are closely interconnected and constantly interact. Therefore, society exists as a single, integral organism, as unified system. Society is a set of historically established forms of interaction between people. Society differs from other natural systems, including physical and biological ones, in its particular complexity. That's why social system can be understood not only as a set of individual activities, but also as a set of individual social groups or as a structure of relations connecting these groups and organizations. Society is an integral system consisting of many subsystems.

SO, basic elements of society:

individuals;
social communities and groups (nations, classes, families, etc.);
social institutions (family, state, parties, education, religion, etc.);
social connections and relationships.

The structure of society, like any natural structure, includes not only individual objects. Society is more than just the sum of individuals. It includes real relationships that unite people.

The ways in which individuals interact in society can be different. Let's look at the main ones. First of all, it is direct social connection: communication between people in given time in a given place, that is, perceiving each other directly with their senses. Most often this is collaboration (execution general work), which is widespread and huge specific gravity in the life of society. This is a material physical connection between people. Each participant in the work has a certain influence on others and experiences their influence on himself. Such an impact contains, in addition to the material, psychological and ideal aspects. Cooperation is also possible on the basis of implementation religious ritual, games, political action, etc.

Another type of interaction between people in society is indirect communication, i.e., communication between people separated either by geography or time. If people are separated only by geographical boundaries, but act at the same time, then cooperation between them is possible, for example, on the basis of the division of labor. A peasant producing flax in the village collaborates with a worker processing it into yarn in the city, although they have never seen each other; indirect communication is possible in the field of art, political activity etc.

A special type of indirect connection is established between people living at different times. Such a relationship could be called communication- influence. Each given generation of people in its behavior is connected with the behavior of previous generations: it is based on its culture, the organizational methods and skills accumulated by it, and is based on the sum of ideas, the totality of beliefs, spiritual movements acquired by past generations. This connection is the action of the past on the present, which is its specificity.

Social life is complex and multi-sphere. Under sphere of public life is understood as a relatively independent area of human life, which is necessary for the life of society. Social life includes four areas - economic, political, social and spiritual.

What are the specifics and functions of each of these four spheres of social activity?

Economic sphere life of society is the sphere of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of various kinds of items and services. These can be material goods (food, clothing, housing, etc.) and spiritual values (objects of art, science, education, etc.). In the process of production, which is always social in nature, people enter into certain relationships with each other - relations of ownership, distribution, exchange and consumption.

Political sphere life of society - This is the sphere of management, regulation of public life, maintenance of social order. The basis of activity in this sphere is power. The main political institution of society is the state. Main Question political sphere– legitimizing methods of struggle for power and protecting it.

Social sphere life of society covers classes, social strata, nations, taken in their relations and interactions with each other. It is understood in two senses – broad and narrow.