 Dear students, in this module, we are going to discuss the change in our modern period. Modern societies are actually the state of constant flux, characterized by the rapid societal technological cultural changes. The pace and scale of these changes is unprecedented in the human history, often challenging the established norms and institutions. As you can see that in our modern world, almost everything is changing very rapidly. The invention and innovation of new technologies is bringing a very rapid change in the human societies. So, this shift from industrial to post-industrial societies, as put forward by our sociologist Daniel Bell in 1976, signifies a transition from manufacturing-based economies to the service-based or rather knowledge-based economies. The countries like United States and United Kingdom exemplifies this trend. With the majority of their workforce now is in the service and knowledge-based industries. For this rapid change, globalization also plays a pivotal role in changes within the modern period. It connects the societies influencing the cultural exchange, economic relationships and political dynamics. For instance, the influence of western culture is visible in the urban areas of Pakistan, reflected in our fashion, food, media consumption patterns. Similarly, the information and technology revolution has dramatically transformed the ways our societies are functioning in our modern world. It impacts everyday aspect of our life, starting from the work to our education and healthcare and also to the human-social interaction, particularly reflected through the entertainment media industry. So, climate change is a pressing social issue shaping the modern societies. As it impact is becoming increasingly apparent, the societies are enforced to adapt and change their ways of life, which is evident in the transition towards the green technologies and sustainable practices throughout the world. And this has a very crucial impact on our lifestyle and also our human relationships. Particularly, the rise of individualism, a distinct feature of modern societies encourages the personal freedom and self-expression. However, it also challenges the communal ties and traditional value system. So, where our relationships were more personalized, emotion-based, it is becoming more and more detached and more and more individualized. So, this is evident in the societies like Japan, where an increasing number of people are choosing to remain single, their marriages are continuously being delayed and it is significantly impacting their family system and social norms. The concept of risk society as proposed by Ulrich Beck explains how modern societies are increasingly defined by the management of risk, especially those created by modernization itself, such as nuclear accidents or the pandemic diseases. So, you can see that these risks are almost everywhere around us. There can be the risk of economic crisis, there can be the potential risk of poverty. So, the life is becoming more and more unpredictable for an individual. So, Ulrich Beck's risk society or the concept of risk society actually suggests that modern lifestyle is all about managing and mitigating these potential risks in our lives. So, the modern societies, traditional sources of authorities and norms are continuously questioned leading to the proliferation of social movements advocating for human rights, environmental protection, social justice. For example, the US movement of Black Lives Matter, which has sparked the global conversation about the racial inequality. So, these modern ideologies are basically not only reflecting a positive social change through or by having an influence on the traditions, but they are also changing those certain traditional value systems as well. So, lastly, the rise of neoliberal economic policies in the modern societies characterized by free market capitalism and reduced government intervention has profound effects on the social inequality and public service. The economic liberalization in India since 1990s, for instance, has led to the significant change in the social structures and inequality. So, we can see that due to these modern economic capitalistic systems, the inequality particularly the economic inequality is on the rise. The top 10% of the population in India owns the 65% of the resources and the bottom 10% is just owning the 6% of the nation's household wealth. Similarly, if we talk about the Pakistan, the top 10% of the households earn the 42% of the country's income, while the bottom 50% earn only 13%.