Modernization is an inevitable process following the development of technology, industry, and the resulting economic growth. Modernization affects three aspects of society, including industrialization, urbanization, and civilization. While these elements have a positive effect in society, such as promoting industry and supporting economic progress, they are also associated with major drawbacks such as pollution, social and religious conflicts. Some of the persistent conflicts include religious differences, inequality in economic standards and living conditions, and the aftermath of the cold war, including the new global order, some of which are ever more complicated. The critical questions in research focus on the effects of civilization, including population changes, cultural and religious changes and related conflicts, economic changes and related issues such as inequality, overcrowded cities, and the chaotic world order following the cold war. The research question in the study states: “what has been the effect of modernization on human beings and society?” Regardless of modernization having an impact on the development of human civilizations, it has been marred by serious chaos and conflicts between different societies and even across religions.
Modernization and Economic Development
Modernization has positively affected society, especially from the perspective of economic development that emerged from the major changes. The modernization theory considers the changes from a positive perspective. The process gave people the opportunity to work and improve their living standards. One of the major changes that accompanied modernization is the development of technology that improved work and the quality of life. The changes led to industrialization and economic growth, although the relationship remains controversial. Conventionally, “the rise in the share of manufacturing in output and employment as per capita income increases, and the corresponding decline of agriculture are among the best-documented generalizations about development” (Robinson, Syrquin, & World Bank, 1986, p. 1). However, the changes in the production structures affected the rate of growth and the way benefits were distributed across society. Besides, the policies designed to support modernization and industrialization did not necessarily benefit society because of other challenges, such as the negative effects of modernization. Although modernization might have improved economic development, the process affected the economic wellbeing of society negatively.
Modernization and Population
Regardless of the economic development, modernization affected the population makeup in society, especially in urban and rural areas. Industrialization transformed the constitution of modern society. Due to modernization and urbanization, many people sought a living in the urban regions, creating major social problems such as overcrowding. Information is available relating to the full range of population densities in the urban areas that show the major ways through which the society makeup transformed due to the modernizing forces. The structural transformation theory explains how the composition of the society changed from the agricultural inclination to industrial preference and forced people to leave the farms to seek employment in the industrial communities, mostly in the urban areas (Michaels, Rauch, & Redding, 2012). The authors speak about “the reallocation of economic activity from agriculture to non-agriculture, which connects with theories of new economic geography” (Michaels, Rauch, & Redding, 2012, p. 538). Unequal population distribution remains an important effect of urbanization relating to modernization.
Population growth in the urban areas led to a high level of overcrowding in various parts of communities. The Arrow Factory (2019) documentary provides a case study of Hong Kong “Room” to explain the effect of urbanization resulting from modernization. The society experiences a high level of housing problems, housing prices, and the small per capita housing area. Although urbanization was expected to improve the living conditions of people through economic development, it failed to achieve the objective in various societies such as Hong Kong. For example, the average house price in Hong Kong is the equivalent of 20 times the modern average resident income (approximately 30,000 USD per m2). The current population of most urban areas in the country and outside is more than the optimal capacity that such communities can accommodate comfortably. Therefore, many people are living in small spaces, some of which are shared between a number of residents. In Hong Kong, the median area per capita is about 5.3 square meters, which is less than the per capita living area of Hong Kong which is 15 m2. The residents share facilities such as the toilet. The increase in the population density of the urban areas affected the quality of housing and other economic outcomes of the people.
Modernization and Inequality
Besides the negative effect of modernity on the quality of life, there have been other effects on the distribution of resources in society. It is true that there have been positive changes that accompanied modernization and led to economic development. For example, modernization and industrialization allowed people to take an active part in contributing to economic development through work. However, the development was not equally distributed in society. It increased the level of economic inequality and differences in the living standards of some societies. The local government has not supported the equal distribution of resources in society. For instance, in Hong Kong, the government pursues high land prices and increased tax revenue by selling high-priced lands (The Arrow Factory, 2019). Such policies tend to favor people with resources to acquire land, while a large part of the society remains without adequate resources to have a comfortable living. Besides, people with resources controls the factors of production in modern society, largely disadvantaging those without the means to control the production process. Therefore, modernity does not only affect the distribution of resources but also power across society.
Modernity places the power to control the economy in the hands of a few people while the majority lives in extreme poverty. The process is supposed to improve the standards of living across society. However, the process creates a society in which only a few enjoys the benefits of modernization. For example, in Hong Kong, the majority of the landowners are the rich who control the supply of housing. The market factors do not make it suitable for the government to develop housing to relocate the poor because the industrial world allows the rich to control the policy-making process (The Arrow Factory, 2019). Besides, the population continues to increase, which intensifies the demand for housing while the supply remains insufficient. Thus, modernization creates a situation where the demand continues to increase due to population growth while supporting facilities remain inadequate and fail to keep up with the pace.
Cultural Changes and Religious Conflicts
Besides changes in the economic makeup and population, modernization, especially from the perspective of civilization led to major cultural and religious changes and related conflicts in many societies. Since the rise of modernization, the world has experienced national and international conflicts. Among the nature of the conflict is religion, which is the point of contention in various societies (Muggah, Velshi, Igarape Institute, SecDev Group, & NBC News, n.d.). Although modernization was expected to be viewed from a positive perspective, it is marred by religious conflicts and violent sectarians due to religious hatred. The modern society has experienced a high level of religious violence, including terrorism due to religious beliefs. The changes are motivated by differences in various religious groups, including Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and Sikhs among others. People affiliated to different religious groups show animosity and perpetrate violence against others. Besides, religious conflicts have a relationship with the state; for example, the prevalence of state-sponsored religious violence and terrorism. Although modernity is supposed to impact society positively, it has been characterized by cultural and religious conflicts.
While society has always been affected by different types of violence, their nature and magnitude changed due to the rise of modernization and related civilization. Modernization is characterized by interactions between different local and international societies. The changes in society have also resulted in increased interactions between people from different societies. Whereas the interactions were expected to be positive and support social interactions, they have led to major differences such as “xenophobic social anxiety,” which emanated from outside differences to the inside believer community (Muggah, Velshi, Igarape Institute, SecDev Group, & NBC News, n.d.). Religion is expected to be a unifying force, but it has become highly divisive. Religious groups perpetrate a high level of violence against others in the name of beliefs.
References
Arrow Factory. (2019, April 24). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hilq32CuVY
Michaels, G., Rauch, F., & Redding, S. J. (2012). Urbanization and structural transformation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(2), 535-586.
Muggah, R., Velshi, A., Igarape Institute, SecDev Group, & NBC News. (n.d.). Religious violence is on the rise. What can faith-based communities do about it? Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/how-should-faith-communities-halt-the-rise-in-religious-violence/
Robinson, S., Syrquin, M., & World Bank. (1986). Industrialization and growth: A comparative study. New York: Published for the World Bank [by] Oxford University Press.
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