Change

Change is a constant process that occurs throughout our lives. It is “the process of replacing something with something new or different”, as stated by the Oxford Dictionary. But change is much more than just a mere definition. From personal growth to social change, change has an immeasurable impact on our lives. In this essay, we will explore some of the various types of change.

Social Change

Change plays a massive part in shaping our society today. Think of all the reforms that have taken place throughout history. Think of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Human Rights Act (1993). Without these reforms, billions of people could be powerless and left with a lack of freedom. The world could be a horrible place, filled with inequality, racism and discrimination. We wouldn’t have the freedom of speech, which the majority didn’t have back in the 20th century. 

Social change immensely changes our lives and helps us reach our full potential. For instance, the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which involved the transportation of enslaved African people to America, benefited the UK’s economy. Abolishing slavery has saved millions of lives from a condemned world of pain and suffering. This can also be seen today, with active movements such as the LGBTQ movement, which started in the 1950s to provide gay, lesbian and transgender with equality, marriage rights and the freedom to identify as whatever they want. This has continued with LGBTQ+ protests to fight for equality as well as awareness for (LGBTQ+) equality in schools. Social change is crucial to help us stand in the place we are today, live a sustainable life and provide us with rights; free from discrimination.

Technological Change

Technological change is another type of change, which along with social change, is very impactful towards our lives. Following the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, the world and our lives have been transformed. Before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of the people’s lives were very hard, doing difficult manual labour on small-scale farming for small profits. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, farming productions and yields nearly tripled in size, with profits drastically increasing, prices of items decreasing and an overall improvement in the quality of life. Just one single event can lead to a chain reaction of changes, with millions of people migrating from rural to urban areas.

Technology is still very influential in the present time, improving the quality of life across the whole globe. One example is providing mobile devices to people in Africa. This transformed their lives by allowing them to connect with their friends and family across the globe at any time and improving their income. Farmers and investors can check the market online, sell their products at the right time and ensure they are not being defrauded. Furthermore, technological advancement and change can also lead to a better quality of life by allowing people to save money, time and to do things more efficiently. One instance of this is M-Pesa, one of the first mobile banking services in Africa, introduced in 2007 in Kenya. It allowed over 15 million people to complete simple and secure online payments instead of going to banks, which were severely limited in Africa. It also saved tons of time, taking one minute to authorise a payment instead of taking hours to give cash to their rural relatives by using transportation. Change is significant in transforming and improving our lives.

Environmental Change

Change can provide a lot of advantages for our society and the world, but it can also have some drawbacks. An example of this is climate change and global warming. Although the Industrial Revolution led to the enhancement of billions of people, it led to the doubling of greenhouse emissions as well as a spike in average surface temperature of 1°C, which may seem small but is devastating. This technological advancement led to a detrimental environmental impact, leading to a rise in sea levels, a rise of natural disasters, the endangerment of thousands of species and the faltering quality of life in millions of people around the globe; due to the destruction of infrastructure (homes, education and healthcare facilities, etc), lack of food production and yields due to flooding/droughts/infertile soil and casualties and fatalities due to natural disasters.. 

Change can also be irreversible. Figures show that climate change could be irreversible if sufficient action is not taken by 2030. Due to factors such as the excessive burning of fossil fuels and pollution, climate change would fall into a positive feedback loop, with the release of methane from permafrost amplifying the global temperature. This would lead to over 1 million extinct species by the mid-21st century due to the species’ incapabilities to adapt to the constantly changing temperature as well as other factors, such as ocean acidification. The irreversible environmental change would also lead to an increase in high-intensity weather events, with ever-lasting consequences including the displacement of communities, biodiversity loss, erosion and loss of land, and much more. Therefore, change can also have drawbacks and lead to detrimental, irreversible impacts on society and the world. 

Personal Change

A lot of types of change talked about its large-scale impact but it can also have an individual impact, such as personal change. Change is a powerful catalyst and just by one decision, it can alter your whole life, like a highly reactive metal in a reaction. As we progress in life, we can make powerful decisions, such as choosing what subject we will be majoring in or what career we’ll choose, which can change our path in life. Life is based on your actions and decisions and eventually leads to an outcome that may affect the rest of your life. As one says, the small choices a person chooses to make throughout the day can lead to an immense impact on their lives. 

As with environmental change, change can lead to a positive or negative impact. If you choose to be addicted to social media, it can lead to a negative change reaction from a deprivation of sleep which leads to a bad performance in exams and eventually a worse life, if you end up not focusing on yourself but on your addictions. However, if you choose to change and quit social media and other addictions, it can lead to a positive impact on your lives and improve your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

In conclusion, change is an ever-lasting force that will be always present in our lives, impacting every aspect of our lives, and influencing the world socially, technologically, environmentally, etc. Change is powerful and we should embrace change and take action for change when necessary.

Kelvin Chen, 9P