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The fourth industrial revolution is the present environment that is developing each day and in which the technologies that displace or ‘disrupt’ the established ones; also known as disruptive technology, and trends such as robotics, virtual reality, internet of things and artificial intelligence are affecting the way of existence of human beings of the present. The third industrial revolution, also known as the digital revolution facilitated the development of computers and information technology since the middle of the twentieth century, from the year 1969 precisely. The third industrial revolution had a huge impact on the world of technology with the introduction of new forms of technologies in the form of computers and affected all the existing industries and changed the process of operation of the world. However, the fourth industrial revolution is considered as a new era of development of technologies and is not a continuation of the third industrial revolution because of the introduction of disruptive technologies.
This paper intends to evaluate and investigate critically the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the society and how it has brought about a change in the world of information technology with the introduction of forms of disruptive technologies.
The fourth industrial revolution has a mixture of views by different researchers. Some believe in the benefits and the others in the disadvantages of it.
According to (Bloem et al., 2014), the fourth industrial revolution has resulted in the facilitation of connecting appliances and machines, entire factories and other environments of the industry and processes to the internet. In addition, the factory floors worldwide are already swarming with the “things” of the internet. This indicates that advanced gadgets such as microprocessors that act as the brains of the digital systems and devices are taking over the business environment and making operations easier and more convenient in nature (Drath & Horch, 2014). Furthermore, the enormous acceleration of the internet has resulted in the growth of digital devices from other areas. Internet devices such as video cameras, tablet computers and entrance tickets have been acquired and assigned by the companies for improving the quality, efficiency and security of the production and process of operations.
However, according to (Magdalena, 2016), the enhancement of production due to the fourth industrial revolution will have a negative effect on the environment and ecology. The advancement in technology will have unwanted and undesirable side effects on the environment such as over consumption of natural resources, consumption of energy, generation of waste and emissions on a large scale due to the introduction of new industry which produces the digitally enhanced products on a massive scale. All of this can lead to severe ecological damage. In addition, a high rate of consumption of raw materials and energy within the production of the industry not only results to a high cost but also in the ramification of increased risks of the environment and supply (Monostori, 2014). Even though there are risks associated, the industries have taken measures to limit these effects on the environment by strategizing and implementing reduction measures. The prime focus of the companies to reduce the negative effects on the environment is on factors such as reduction of carbon dioxide emission, and the reduction on the usage of natural resources as raw materials, which also affects the price of the final product. These measures have an impact on the competitiveness of the companies responsible for production.
Overview of Fourth Industrial Revolution
The research paper by (Schwab, 2017) describes the reasons why the revolution is different from that of the third industrial revolution, the possibilities and impact of the fourth industrial revolution on various aspects of the society. The paper states that there are mainly three reasons why the current transformations do not merely represent an augmentation of the third industrial revolution but the arrival of a fourth one. It has defined the fourth industrial revolution as an exhibition of velocity, systems impact and scope. The pace of the fourth revolution is stated as exponential rather than a linear one with the scope for disruption in every industry worldwide. The scale of these changes announce the transformation of systems of management, production and governance (Jones & Pimdee 2017). There are unlimited possibilities of numerous people being connected by mobile devices with unfathomable processing power, capacity of storage, and access to knowledge. All of these will be accumulated with the emergence of technology in the areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, vehicles that are autonomous, nanotechnology and energy storage amongst the many. The emergence of new technologies will facilitate the citizens of a country to engage with the government, coordinate their efforts, voice their opinions and evade the supervision of the public authorities. Similarly, governments will also gain new and advanced technological powers to enhance their control over the population, based on inescapable surveillance systems and the ability to control infrastructure digital in nature (Shrouf, Ordieres & Miragliotta, 2014). However on a larger scale, governments will face increased pressure for changing their approach to the engagement with the public and strategizing the policy, as their primary role of conduction of policy lessens owing to new sources of competition and redistribution and decentralization of power that is made possible by the new and enhanced technologies.
The fourth industrial revolution has a huge impact on the society as well. According to (Lyon, 2013), the fourth industrial revolution is changing the way human beings live, work and communicate. The paper goes on to state how the revolution and advancement in technologies is renovating the governments, education, healthcare and commerce, perhaps every aspect of lives of the people. The advanced technologies are powerful agents responsible for the betterment of the society. The new technologies make education and access to knowledge and information easier to people. This can improve the lives of billions of people, even in the underdeveloped countries (Gebler, Uiterkamp & Visser 2014). The fourth industrial revolution has made communication easier across the planet with the introduction of new technologies. An exhibition of the phenomenon is the social media revolution where more than 30% of the total world population use the services provided by social media for communication purposes and staying updated about the events happening across the world. These innovations have made the world into a global village by bringing billions of people together into the global economy (Floridi, 2014). The innovations have given the people opportunities to learn and earn in new methods and can provide the people with new identities since they find new potential for themselves. The aspect of online shopping and marketing has been made easier with the introduction of new and innovative technologies and ideas such as delivery by drone. The innovations have been beneficial to the companies since they are convenient and efficient. The simplification of delivery solutions have the ability to transform communities in remote areas and revive the economies of the rural areas. The medical industry has also gained a lot from the advancements in technologies. There have been advances in the biomedical sciences as a result of the fourth industrial revolution that has led to longer and healthier lives of individuals (Lewis & Maslin, 2015). The introduction of automated self-driven cars have helped in the reduction of road fatalities, cost of insurance and carbon emissions. The use of autonomous vehicles has the ability to reshape the spaces to live in cities, architecture and the roads. They make the places less congested and create space for more social spaces designed for humans. The technologies digital in nature can free the workers from the tasks that can be automated. This enables them to focus on taking up more complex issues of business and facilitating more autonomy to them. It can instil innovation on the workers to design and create solutions to situations that were invincible in the past.
Diverse Viewpoints on Fourth Industrial Revolution
The research paper by (Dombrowski & Wagner, 2014) explains the negative impacts of the enhancement of technology on the society as a whole. The advancement in biotechnology has the possibility of leading to controversial advances in the form of designer babies and changing the inherited trend of an entire species, also known as gene drive. It can also lead to advances such as implants that is required to become a competitive candidate for schools and jobs. The innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence; also termed as automation procedure can lead to the loss of jobs for humans. The advancements of robotics, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and automation can be used in the creation and deployment of weapons. In addition, social media can be used in a good way to erase the differences and communication gaps between the people but it also has the power to cause immense harm by intensifying the division of the society (Rüßmann et al., 2015). Social media can be used to spread hatred and racism, instigating violence against and amongst communities, cyber-bullying as well as scamming people. Furthermore, staying connected with people through social media at all times can lead to the overload of data and connections. The overuse of social media and technology as a whole has the hazard of causing serious health issues that could have been avoided instead. Therefore, there should be rules and regulations on the usage of social media so that these harmful activities can be monitored and prevented from happening.
According to (Lewis & Maslin, 2015), the advancements in technology in the form of industrial revolutions are capable of serving only the interests of small and powerful groups and not as a whole. According to reports by (Gap, 2017), the fourth industrial revolution has the capability to increase the level of income and improve the quality of life for the mass. However, the economic benefits of the revolution are becoming restricted to a small group. The increase in the inequality can lead to the political polarization, fragmentation of the society and lack of trust amongst people. The leaders in the public and the private sectors alike are required to have a deeper sense of commitment and more inclusive development and growth that is beneficial to all the people.
The technological innovations in biotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence and other technologies that are emergent are likely to redefine the meaning of evolution and communication with each other as humans. Considering all the adverse impacts of the fourth industrial revolution on the society and humanity as a whole, appropriate measures should be taken to prevent the misuse and enable benefit to the mass as a whole. There should be measures taken to prevent the misuse of the technological advancements. This includes the involvement of stakeholders, governments and makers of policies, international organizations, regulators, academia and business organizations and civil society to work together to ensure the common goals for the future are aligned.
References
Bloem, J., Van Doorn, M., Duivestein, S., Excoffier, D., Maas, R., & Van Ommeren, E. (2014). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Things Tighten.
Dombrowski, U., & Wagner, T. (2014). Mental strain as field of action in the 4th industrial revolution. Procedia CIRP, 17, 100-105.
Drath, R., & Horch, A. (2014). Industrie 4.0: Hit or hype?[industry forum]. IEEE industrial electronics magazine, 8(2), 56-58.
Floridi, L. (2014). The fourth revolution: How the infosphere is reshaping human reality. OUP Oxford.
Gap, G. G. (2017). World economic forum. Cologny/Geneva.
Gebler, M., Uiterkamp, A. J. S., & Visser, C. (2014). A global sustainability perspective on 3D printing technologies. Energy Policy, 74, 158-167.
Jones, C., & Pimdee, P. (2017). Innovative ideas: Thailand 4.0 and the fourth industrial revolution. Asian International Journal of Social Sciences, 17(1), 4-35.
Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171.
Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171.
Lyon, D. (2013). The information society: Issues and illusions. John Wiley & Sons.
Magdalena, G. A. B. R. I. E. L. (2016). Industry 4.0 and sustainability impacts: Critical discussion of sustainability aspects with a special focus on future of work and ecological consequences.
Monostori, L. (2014). Cyber-physical production systems: Roots, expectations and R&D challenges. Procedia Cirp, 17, 9-13.
Rüßmann, M., Lorenz, M., Gerbert, P., Waldner, M., Justus, J., Engel, P., & Harnisch, M. (2015). Industry 4.0: The future of productivity and growth in manufacturing industries. Boston Consulting Group, 9.
Schwab, K. (2017). The fourth industrial revolution. Crown Business.
Shrouf, F., Ordieres, J., & Miragliotta, G. (2014, December). Smart factories in Industry 4.0: A review of the concept and of energy management approached in production based on the Internet of Things paradigm. In Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2014 IEEE International Conference on (pp. 697-701). IEEE.
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