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Technological change
process of invention, innovation and diffusion of technology or processes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Technological change is when the use of technology in a society or culture changes over time. This process is also knwon as technological development. Speaking from the point of view of economics, technological change makes it possible to get more output with the same input, or to get the same output, with less input. Often, technological change also affects the quality of the product, which improves over time. As an example, the development of the steam engine was linked to the industrial revolution:. Technological change also affect society: Often, society changes as a result of technological change. To stay with the example of the industrial revolution: In the industrial revolution, many factories were built, and people who worked in these factorires were needed. The work of the factory worker was very different from the work people did before. A whole social class of factory workers developed. As technolgoical change improves efficiencvy, very ofren, it is also linked to unemployment: Fewer people are needed to produce the same output, so some are laid off.
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According to Joseph Schumpeter, there are five different types of technological development:
- The launch of a new product
- The introduction of a new production method
- A new market becomes accessible, or is created
- A new source is made available for the componewnts or parts of a product
- A new form of organizazing a company is introduced
Studies have been done on people living in close contact with nature (sometimes called indigenous societies): Very often these people developed complex systems to keep traditions alive, and to avoid technological change if it isn't necessary. Claude Lévi-Strauss used the term "cold cultures" to describe this phenomenon.