Week 16: Shift Happens Video

This video, although a little outdated, shows just how quickly the world around us can change. In the last decade or so, there have been enormous technological advances and populations all over the world have continued growing. The increasing availability of technology to everyday people is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows for people to have access to lots of information quickly, so that they can make more efficient and well-informed decisions about anything; their health, investments, their personal beliefs, etc. However it can also allow for people with destructive goals to develop advanced weapons and harm others. Overall the incredible advances in technology seem to be beneficial for most people. Diseases that used to be death sentences such as cancer and AIDS are now manageable, and many scientists say that cures are within sight. I believe this technology can also connect people of different cultures and countries in a way we never were able to before. Of course, whenever any kind of shift happens, there are dangers and uncertainties. But just like the video points out, shift will always be happening, and it is our responsibility to learn to adapt well and confront new challenges as they present themselves.

Week 15: Urbanization

Growing up, I moved a few times so I had an opportunity to experience living in urban, rural, and suburban areas. This gave me a chance to see the differences between living in those three types of places, and the pros and cons of each. Sociologists believe that urbanization has been occurring and continues today in society. This is a shift where people move away from rural areas to live in cities, consequentially also resulting in an increase in suburban populations. I did notice when I lived in a rural town in Maryland that, just as the textbook suggested, most young people were desperate to leave, unless they felt compelled for some reason to stay. This meant that many of these younger people were leaving their town to go to college, find a job closer to the city, and start a family there. This contributes to the declining population in rural areas as there are not enough young people staying to raise families and maintain the population. I can understand why so many younger people wanted to move to cities since there are more opportunities, better jobs, and just more things to do in general. I have known some people living in the city, however, who wish they could move to a more rural area with more open spaces and a slow placed way of life. Often though, these people choose to stay in the city, or move to a suburb as a sort of compromise. In many ways, a suburb can offer the best of both worlds; there are more parks and less congestion, but with easy access to a nearby city. According to the textbook, there has been a shift from cities to suburbs in the past few decades which could be in part due to the higher cost of living in a city as opposed to just outside of it. I have lived in a suburb most of my life and I find that it tends to be the best option for families who are trying to save money on housing while still enjoying the benefits of living near a major city.