How Can People Make Changes in Society?

¶ … people make changes in society?

How People Make Changes in Society

Making changes in society can occur in several different ways. If enough people change on an individual basis, that can affect change in society (Haralambos & Holborn, 2004). These people do not have to be part of the same family or group, or even part of the same city, state, or country. They can be completely separate from one another but deeply interested in the same kind of change. If enough people make individual changes, there will be a ripple effect that will spread out to other people near them and in their community. That can cause a societal change overall, since each person is a part of the whole that will be created. Sometimes, even people who are not geographically close to one another can make changes in society, because of the power of technology.

Now that people all around the world can see and hear one another through the internet, they can rally around causes and make their opinions known even if they are not physically close to one another. Additionally, if laws and regulations force the change upon the people, society will be adjusted to meet those new rules (Giddens, 2006). There will certainly be people who protest the changes, but eventually everyone will have to fall into line and accept the new rules. The other alternative would be to move out of the area and find somewhere else to live where the rules and regulations were not the same, but even that would be a form of societal change. In other words, society would change because of the new rules and also because of the people who were leaving that society in order to move to a place where the laws were different and more acceptable to them.

The outflow of people from one area and the influx of people to other areas based on these criteria could also have a strong effect on society, because people who come into an area often try to make changes to that area (Haferkamp & Smelser, 1992). Sometimes these changes are for the better and they work out well. Other times these changes are not as acceptable and those who were there first push back against change. Sometimes, large groups of people get together and become determined to make a change that can benefit society as a whole (Giddens, 2006). When this happens, societal change can come about simply through the power of a large number of people having a big desire to see something get done (or not get done) that really matters to them.

These groups of people can be found all over the world, and they are generally at the heart of causes that people all around the globe recognize. Many of the groups started with a grass roots movement, but they expanded to be much more significant. Some of them turned into major organizations, as well, and have been in business for a very long time. Other plans for societal change did not succeed and were eventually weeded out as other plans came along and society grew and changed. Not everyone likes or feels good about change, and that can lead to some difficulties within a society and between groups that are on opposing sides.