Content 8 Cultural, Social, and Political Change

Topic 1 Sources of Cultural, Social and Political Change: Innovation

Topic 1: Sources of Cultural, Social, and Political Change: Innovation

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to:
 define culture, society, and politics;
 explain the meaning, types, and importance of innovation;
 discuss innovation as the source of cultural, social, and political change; and
 evaluate factors causing social, political, and cultural change.

Questions:

 How is life from 20 years ago different from life at present? What technologies do you currently have that were not
available before you were born?

Cultural, Social, and Political Change

 Culture is a learned, shared, symbolic system of norms and values, beliefs, and attitudes that molds or shapes
and influences perception and behavior of human beings – an abstract "mental blueprint" or "mental code."
 Cultural change is the modification or discontinuance of existing tried and tested procedures transmitted to an
individual society from the culture of the past as well as the introduction of a new set of proceedings.
 Society refers to interacting people who share a culture while culture is the product of that interaction. In reality,
human society and culture cannot exist independently of each other.
 Social change is the alteration of social interactions, political institutions, stratification systems, and elements of
culture over time.
 Politics refers to the process that determines who shall occupy roles of leadership in government and how this
power shall be exercised.
 Political change is a significant shift in the structure of the government and the relationship of people to their
government. It happens hand in hand with social change, as the people are the ones that form the government.

Sources of Cultural, Social, and Political Change: Innovation

The advent of technology has led to many discoveries and advancements that were never even imagined less than 100
years ago. In this lesson, you will be taught on how innovation, as a technological factor, helps shape society, culture, and
politics.

Innovation
 Innovation is an idea, translated into a tangible output, which is believed to produce excellent service and value,
and is replicable at a possible economic cost.
 In a more social context, innovations can be seen as a method for increasing financial gain through production,
employment, alliances, and joint venturing.
 In making innovations, it is reasonably acceptable and reasonable to take risks. It is in fact believed that
innovations are a by-product of well-calculated risks.
 These new changes result in the creation of new products that attract various market types and consumers.

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 1

Content 8 Cultural, Social, and Political Change
Topic 1 Sources of Cultural, Social and Political Change: Innovation

Types of Innovation
1. Evolutionary Innovation - brought about by technological advances and repetitive methods to perfect a certain
technological trend.
2. Revolutionary Innovation - newly-introduced innovations which may be disruptive and risky.

The Importance of Innovation

 Creative innovations and solutions pave the way for fostering sustainable growth, securing jobs, and increasing
competitive abilities.
 Through innovations, social problems such as education and poverty are addressed through the development and
introduction of new and feasible methods such as distance learning, money transfer, and zero-carbon housing.
 Through innovations, an increase in demand for research and development across different areas of modern
living may be given focus.
 The emergence of innovations has become a global realization that traditional methods of dealing with societal
issues may no longer be applicable in modern society.

Applying Innovation to Contemporary Society, Culture, and Politics

Innovation has a tremendous impact on communities around the world. Particularly in information technology, innovation
provides connection among people even when physically separated. A well-known by-product of innovation is social
media that served to accelerate day-to-day interactions among individuals.

Furthermore, social media platforms and other innovations act as vehicles to spread information all across the globe.
Technology propagates knowledge and discoveries at an unprecedented speed—bringing in new concepts and ideas that
have a socio-cultural and political impact.

Key Points:
 Innovation is an idea, translated into a tangible output, which is believed to produce excellent service and value,
and is replicable at a possible economic cost.
 Innovation can be classified into two types—evolutionary or revolutionary.
 The importance of innovation at present rests upon the reality that traditional methods are not enough to sustain
current socio-cultural and political goals.
 A well-known by-product of innovation is social media that served to accelerate day-to-day interactions among
individuals.
 Technology propagates knowledge and discoveries at an unprecedented speed—bringing in new concepts and
ideas that have a socio-cultural and political impact.

Activity:
Ask your parents to name technological, communicative, or electronic materials or gadgets that used to exist during their
younger years. Do not ask them what those things are, only the names. On your own, try to research on information about
the gadgets your parents mentioned. Try to determine their functions and usefulness in everyday life. After that, do think
of present-day gadgets or devices comparable to your old gadgets..

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 2

Content 8 Cultural, Social, and Political Change
Topic 1 Sources of Cultural, Social and Political Change: Innovation

Points for Reflection:

 In what instances can innovation be disruptive?

 As a millennial, you have come to know the world as fast-paced, technological, and innovative. However, you
must also know that the world is entirely different in the past. How do you picture the world from 30 years ago? In
your perspective, how would you assess the quality of life back then?

Notes:
Note that innovation in business is different from the innovation seen through a socio-cultural and political context. The
former emphasizes more on marketing and human resource strategies that improve business ventures and performance.

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 3