Society. Personality. Technologies: Social Paradoxes of Industry 4.0 Cover Image

Society. Personality. Technologies: Social Paradoxes of Industry 4.0
Society. Personality. Technologies: Social Paradoxes of Industry 4.0

Author(s): Evgeny Kamensky
Subject(s): Social development, Social Informatics, Sociology of Culture, Economic development, ICT Information and Communications Technologies, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Institute of Society Transformation
Keywords: Industry 4.0; Industrial Revolution; Cyber-Physical Technologies; Social Agency; Consumer Society;

Summary/Abstract: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and a ≪new≫ economy formed on its basis are some of the global phenomena of modern times. It is connected with the development of a global information and technology platform for industrial communications. In order to be able to integrate into such an environment, a person has to master operational skills of the user. Such communication is provided by the created interfaces and protocols. The assumption that the so-called McDonaldisation in society and protocol forms of its actors’ social activity reflect their technological essence is substantiated in the article. The methodological foundations of the study are the interdisciplinary theses of universalism, synergetic effects and the complexity theory adapted to sociological issues. In this regard, the method of theoretical modelling is the basic one. It has been revealed that instrumental values which involve the skills of an actor as an operator become important. The main paradox of the situation is that the growing technological complexity in the context of Industry 4.0 technocratic capitalism is in inverse proportionality to the spiritual sphere which is simplified in the postmodern tradition of misconceptions of consumer society and a mass actor-consumer’s false sense of involvement in the innovative development of techno-environment and knowledge economy.

  • Issue Year: 164/2017
  • Issue No: 3-4
  • Page Range: 9-13
  • Page Count: 5
  • Language: English