PAST & PRESENT

Following the end of World War II, there were many changes to Canadian society and identity. As the soldiers returned home from war, they wanted to resume their lives as quickly as possible. This meant that they needed to resume their old jobs, or find new ones. While most men were away during the war, women took charge within the work force. They were paid very well and valued. Once the men returned they were expected to return to their traditional roles within the home. Technology developed during and following the war helped make most jobs in the home less time consuming.

following the war Canada, along with many other countries, were dealing with the massive amount of debt from the war efforts. Though there were high end appliances and technology, only the upper classes had the privilege of owning such a commodity. Therefore, the lower classes didn’t get to fully appreciate the advantages.

With continuing development of the television, radio and other forms of entertainment came the change within the household. Many relied on the radio for their main source of information. During the war they relied on it for news of the battles across in Europe. With the rising popularity of the television, they would now be able to view what was happening in other part of the country and across the globe. This impacted the household because with its growing popularity came new television shows for entertainment. This soon became the families new source of enjoyment in the home. With this came the beginning of media influence on society.

With the new television shows such as “Leave it to Beaver”, came the pressure to be the “perfect” family. It portrayed the perfect, happy family that people began to strive for. This is a great example of how television proved to influence society. With its growing popularity, television also proved to be a strong place for new advertisements. Leave it to Beaver

As mentioned, women became a very large part of the workforce during the war. They became accustomed to the situation and following the war women were slowly becoming accepted into the workforce. With the advancements in factory technology during the war, some jobs proved to be more productive. As the men returned from the war, it was clear they wanted to resume their lives as soon as possible. This saw the beginning of what is called The Baby Boom. With the growing family sizes came the need for more homes, and commodities. This would provide many with jobs that were much needed.

With the end of the second world war Canada saw many improvements to society. From the new areas of entertainment to the introduction of new jobs, Canada saw a positive impact on the country as a whole. Even faced with massive debt from the war, Canada found a way to pull through. It introduced new and improved technology that would eventually change society far into the future.

As society continued to change and progress through the post war era, people began to see changes within the media, and country itself. Through highlighting events in society from the 1990’s to present 2012, one can see the massive impact technology has had on society and its values.

with the beginning of the Internet, and the invention of cordless devices like the cell phone, the 1990s was the moment where society quickly changed into a technology focused society. As the technology constantly improved, society began using such devises as a means of advertising and changed the direction of the business and luxury world. From the beginning of the 90s to today, one can see a major shift in the way people live their everyday lives. People as well as society itself began to constantly rely on the new technology as a means of connection. This is where we see the shift in human connection change.

With the growing popularity of the cell phone, and internet, it was clear what direction society was taking into the future. A direction focused on technology an how it would improve society as a whole. Growing popularity and use of the internet saw the inventions of such social networking websites as MySpace and Facebook. This connected people in yet another way and made life “simpler”. Effects When considering the impact of websites like Facebook on society today, its clear that a large section of the population is fixated on what it can do for them. If we focus on the teenage generation, we can see that Facebook is everywhere in their lives. On their cell phones, Tablets, and computers. They are constantly fixated on it. This proves to be more negative than positive because it takes away the human connection that should be present within society.

Focusing on teenagers especially, we can see that the media tells them to buy the newest and greatest electronics, food, and clothing. Even if they don’t have the money they still have a need for it. This thought process stays with them as they grow older. With this tremendous pressure also comes the negative self image. The thought is that if someone doesn’t have what everyone else has they must be wrong or out of place. Advisements focused on the younger generations sell the idea that females must be a size two to be pretty and that males have to be muscular and athletic. This constant pressure leads to major self esteem issues and even eating disorders. Its clear that technology definitely influences many decisions within society today. Businesses can use this technology to advertise, they can use it to preview what a future employer may be like by checking their Facebook page. Today, people have endless sources right at their finger tips. This is where the media has a strong hold to influence an entire group of people, even a country. Though the media may have the power to make a positive change on society, it tends to be used to sell products. Everywhere we look we see advertisements for the best new thing. Things like iPads, iPhones, Under Armour, and Hollister are thrown at use and we are expected to reach that standard in society. This pressure is tremendous and the media is to blame.

Negative Self Image… Social Media and Advertising can lead to wellness issues like…. Unhealthy choices… Materialism

PAST Post world War II PRESENT 1990s to 2012 It is hard to truly grasp the idea of how much our society has changed since the end of world war II. We went from a society based on hard work and family with appreciated entertainment to a society fixated on abusing the use of technology. When comparing the two time periods in society, it is clear that technology does influence a society and the choices they make as a whole. It can sway the population into buying the next “big thing” or can influence self image. The question that must be answered: Has the world become a better place? In answering this question one must take into consideration the positives and negatives of our use of technology today. After analyzing this it is clear that society has misused technology and created a society based on materialism and self image. This creates a superficial society and eventually takes away the true human connection that we must have as society. In short, technology and its influence has created more negative outcomes than positive.