Why can a modern society be called a risk society? Factors

Modern society is subject to a lot of risks in various sectors of social life, scientific, economic, environmental and so on. We do not even suspect it, doing our usual work every day. No, of course, about the risks that are constantly on hearing, such as the risks of global warming, the economic crisis, we are aware of. But sometimes there is not enough breadth of views to understand how life in the 21st century became more dangerous than the life of mankind in the past centuries.

Why modern society can be called a society of risk, and in general, where the very concept of a risk society emerged, one can learn by looking into the works of Ulrich Beck, professor of sociological sciences, political philosopher.

W. Beck is the first to talk about risk in society

This man passed away just recently, on January 1, 2015, after living seventy years, most of which were devoted to sociology.

It was he who introduced the concept of a "risk society", analyzing and reinterpreting the nature of modernism, which flooded the whole of Europe and other countries of the world in the twentieth century. Now this concept unites in itself much more - the influence of modernization on society, on being and people's consciousness. Why can a modern society be called a risk society? The fact is that all the benefits received by mankind through modernization are at the same time sources of dangers (problems with the environment, employment, problems in family structures and relations in social groups).

Virtually any concept of a risk society is based on the factor of detraditionalization.

What is the essence of this factor?

It consists in the fact that in society there is, at a rather fast pace, a rejection of the traditional forms of social order, the social structure is changing . The significance of the role of the value-normative and social-class systems that provide social protection is changing, which in turn causes individuals and whole groups to feel unprotected, uncertain and fearful of the future from unpredictability.

The risk in modern society follows the person from the moment of his birth, especially on the domestic expanses. The absence of a full-fledged full-fledged medicine can cause problems in bearing and childbirth. Minor financial support from the country (compare the amount of benefits and prices in stores) for childcare in the first years of life makes mothers work in three jobs. Weak provision of preschool and school institutions, low specialization of personnel, weak level of control over education, its backwardness in comparison with the level of development in the world is a direct risk to spend half of its life in vain, without bringing anything useful out of ten years of schooling. What to say about children who were left without parents, and their fate remains in the hands of the state? And this is only a stage of childhood. And many years to come - how to go on?

Why a modern society can be called a society of risk from the point of view of entering into adulthood

You were able to pass all the previous stages more or less successfully, and at the end of the school you have a choice - how to proceed? That is, a person who is only 16 years old must decide what he will become in the future. He must assess the labor market, understand which profession is in demand and will allow him to provide for himself in the future, assess his intellectual and financial abilities for prospective specialties and opportunities for them to learn, and then monitor existing institutions that can provide him with the proper level of knowledge. We remind you that we are talking about a sixteen-year-old teenager.

You will say: "This should be dealt with by parents"

Yes, so in ninety percent of cases it happens. But before determining their child to study at a higher institution, most parents assess not the knowledge and skills, not the abilities and talents, not the inclinations and wishes of the child, but their financial opportunity to provide training, accommodation and food for the future student. Well, if it coincides with the characteristics and knowledge that the teenager owns, and the higher institution will reveal potential in it. But let's face it. Many of us studied at the institute, university. How many people in your group really got knowledge, and how many - "crust"? How many of your group of graduates get a job in the specialty and are happy with what they do? A teenager in a risk society is a casket, to which you need to select a key. If you do not disclose it in time, the castle may rust, and the contents may deteriorate without being presented to the world.

Risk in modern society is a universal phenomenon.

The risk of losing work, the risk of losing health as a result of environmental pollution, the risk of remaining on the sidelines of progress - what else?

Technology and industry are developing at a staggering pace, but the risks that result from this often affect the unprotected and ignorant sections of society. Remember: even 15-20 years ago, not everyone could afford a phone, but now he actually has every citizen of a developed country. But what is it used for? Its direct purpose - communication at a distance - is only a small part. Young people use it for photo, video, for access to the Internet, where they spend time in social networks. Why can a modern society be called a risk society? Because we, ordinary people, use technology as a toy. We spend a lot of time in online games or in any other, which are released with an enviable regularity. We spend mighty potential, and each person has it, on stupidity or we exchange it for everyday life, covering it with the word "stability".

"I have a job for which I receive money"

And is this money enough? Are you satisfied with the working conditions? Do you have time for development, knowledge of something new? Are you sure that in two, three years you will still have this work, which to some extent ensures your living?

The main risk in modern society is that we, the inhabitants of our planet, are probably the only ones in this world that have great potential and resources, possessing technologies and rapidly developing them, do not think about the consequences and spend our lives in vain.