TECHNICAL CHANGE: CONCEPT AND THE MOST IMPORTANT - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The technical change or technological is a kind of mechanism that encourages and promotes economic growth and development; in turn, this change also aims to improve the quality of the different products that lead to social welfare.

It is important to note that technological changes also seek to promote competitiveness within the market and can be used as a tool for control and economic power.

Likewise, behind the technological idea to be developed there is a wide network of connections and contacts that seek to benefit economically through inventions. These are ideas and conceptions that can completely change the cultural, social and economic dynamics of one or several generations.

During the history of humanity there have been a series of technical or technological changes that have allowed the development of labor tools. In addition, these changes continue to promote the growth of large cities, as well as continue to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of human beings.

Within technological change, various branches and activities are involved that participate directly in technical development; For example, these advances require innovation, invention, materiality, diffusion and transmission of the new technological idea.

All these elements are of the utmost importance for a technical or technological change to take place effectively, which in most cases implies an evolution within a specific field.

What is a technological innovation?

Within the Oslo Manual, published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Statistical Office, you can find an expanded definition of technological innovation.

This concept is specified as an innovation in products and processes, whose purpose is to implement a technological advance by making improvements within these elements.

This type of innovation requires the development of a series of technological, scientific, financial, institutional and commercial activities. This with the aim of meeting all the demands of the new product to be processed and improved in its technical aspect.

The concept of innovation can be studied from two aspects: in the first case, it involves the analysis of innovative processes, while in the second case, the exploration of innovation systems is sought through the deepening of the triggering elements. (such as institutions, systems, among others).

In the first approach, the innovation process is approached from the epistemological point of view, since it is based on evolutionary principles (taking into account constructivism).

As for the second approach, its perspective is developed through systems; therefore, it considers the structure of the approach as a fundamental axis within the innovation.

Necessary elements for a successful technological change

According to expert authors in the area such as Pugh, Hinnings or Hickson, there are three components necessary for technological change to occur in a satisfactory way; these are:

-The technology related to operations.

-The materials that will be used during the work.

-The scientific knowledge that will be used in its application.

In the same way, to obtain success in technological innovation, two fundamental aspects must be taken into account:

-It is necessary to study the possibility of acquisition, the utility and the price of the investment.

-It is pertinent to prevent possible results in the areas in which the company has decided to invest.

Changes that lead to technological paradigms and vice versa

In order for a technological change to take place, it is necessary that in the first instance a change occurs within human knowledge. In other words, a modification must arise within the mental structures of man so that later this alteration can materialize and become tangible.

Furthermore, the introduction of these technological changes has the ability to change social paradigms. This means that it is a complex exchange between the episteme of a society and its technical development, since they mutually influence each other.

More specifically, there can be no technological change without knowledge; however, this knowledge can be modified through the discovery of certain technology. Eventually, the conception that human beings have about the world changes as the technological transformation takes place.

A concrete example of this feedback is found in the technical discovery of the wheel or fire, since once this technology was developed, the human brain was never the same again. These types of radical modifications are known as technological paradigms.

Technological paradigms are carried out, for example, when the great industrial revolutions occur, since they imply a new perspective that will modify all sectors of the economy and society on a large scale.

The most important technological changes from prehistory to the present

Technological advances during prehistory

Prehistory is called the period of human life that spans from the beginning of existence to the invention of writing. One of the reasons why it was called with that name is that this period lacks manuscript findings, so it can only count on archaeological encounters (some materials, bones and drawings).

According to experts, prehistory is divided into two stages: the Stone Age and the Metal Age. During the Stone Age the human being remained nomadic and made weapons and utensils of wood and stone. In the Paleolithic period, the stones began to be carved and the first artistic manifestations began.

With the entry of the Metal Age, which is divided into the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, a new stage of growth began for the human being; at that time work began in the foundry shops, which brought with it a wave of new tools such as hammers, funnels and weapons.

Thanks to this technological change, humanity began to improve its quality of life by leaps and bounds. These discoveries allowed the solidification of communities and promoted the beginning of human civilization, which brought with it a remarkable turn in the episteme of the moment.

The wheel

This simple invention completely changed the history of man and continues to be absolutely valid today. Today this mechanism is needed as much as it was in the first centuries; all our means of transport, along with other devices, use wheels.

The wheel consists of a circular piece that rotates around an axis. Without the existence of this simple machine the development of the great ancient civilizations would have been impossible.

This invention is so ancient that it is impossible to impose a particular date on its creation; Furthermore, the exact inventor of this used device is unknown.

In 2003, one of the oldest specimens of this invention was found, which dates back to 3350 BC. C. according to archaeologists.

This wheel is associated with the Mesopotamian civilization and is made entirely of wood; the radius is made of ash while the shaft is made of oak, which made it much more resistant.

The lever

This famous creation also comes from prehistory; however, in later years it was perfected by great physicists like Archimedes.

The invention consists of a bar that can move freely around a fulcrum. Thanks to the lever it is possible to balance the weight of one mass with another that is twenty times less heavy.

The lever is usually attributed to the Mesopotamian civilization of the third millennium, which used this instrument from shanks. This technological change was so important that even Archimedes himself went so far as to say that through a support point it would be possible to move the entire world.

Maritime navigation

This finding allowed the human being to move through the great rivers and to trade with other cultures; it also meant the expansion of civilizations, which resulted in great conquests, such as the discovery of America.

The navigation of a ship consists of an ancient science that was developed and perfected by different cultures: from the Chinese to the Vikings. It was also dominated by the entire West and by some indigenous people belonging to the great pre-Columbian civilizations.

First Industrial Revolution: steam engines

The steam engine was one of the creations that most impacted the entire world. In fact, thanks to this the First Industrial Revolution took place. This innovation consisted of an engine used as a driving force by means of water vapor; therefore, energy was obtained through the conversion of heat.

Despite the fact that thinkers such as da Vinci, Archimedes and Giovanni Branca had already carried out experiments with water vapor, it was in England during the 19th century that this machinery was massed.

When they were able to spread throughout the world, these machines allowed the unification of land routes, as well as the acceleration of textile and agricultural production.

Among the most important steam engines are the railroad and ships. In the first case, the railroad allowed the connection between the different states, which brought as a consequence an increase in trade and the conglomeration of cities.

As for steamships, these allowed international travel to be safer and much faster compared to their predecessor ships, adding to this that the merchandise could be transported in half the expected time.

Electric light

Electric light is the one produced by any device through the flow of electricity. This invention is attributed to Thomas Edison, who made the first lamp in 1878, which remained lit for two days in a row.

Thanks to this innovation, it was possible to illuminate the streets at night, extending the period of labor and commercial activity in large cities. In addition, the problems generated by the use of oil lamps and candles were eliminated.

The Telegraph

After the discovery of electricity, a host of ingenious technological innovations began to emerge. One of these was the telegraph, which consisted of a kind of device that worked through the use of electric light and whose purpose was to transmit coded messages.

For this reason it is considered as the first electrical communication in history. This instrument was widely used during the war; The Morse telegraph was even created in 1836 (invented by Samuel Morse), which allowed the coded transmission of different messages related to the war environment.

The airplanes

The creation of the internet is the most important invention of our time, since it allows a vast communication network worldwide.

Its origin dates back to the year 1969, when the first connection between computers was made; this was called ARPANET and allowed the linking of three American universities.

This technical change completely modified the way of learning of man, since nowadays it is much faster to find any kind of information required.

In addition, with the creation of social networks, a completely new communicational code was implemented, so it can be said that a technological paradigm was carried out.

References

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4. Cuadrado, J. (1986) The challenge of technological changes. Retrieved on October 27, 2018 from the University of La Rioja: dialnet.unirioja.es
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