Cultural lag

Culture lag is defined as the time between the appearance of a new material
invention and the making of appropriate adjustments in corresponding area of nonmaterial culture. This time is often long. It was over fifty years, for example, after
the typewriter was invented before it was used systematically in offices. Even
today, we may have a family system better adapted to a farm economy than to an
urban industrial one, and nuclear weapons exist in a diplomatic atmosphere attuned
to the nineteenth century. As the discussion implies, the concept of culture lag is
associated with the definition of social problems. Scholars envision some balance or
adjustment existing between material and non-material cultures. That balance is
upset by the appearance of raw material objects. The resulting imbalance is defined
as a social problem until non-material culture changes in adjustment to the new
technology.
The term cultural lag is used to describe the situation in which technological
advancements or changes in society occur faster than the changes in the rules and
norms of the culture that go along with those advancements or changes. This can
lead to moral and ethical dilemmas for individuals as the new social norms are
developed.
Cultural Lags Today

School Calendars - Most schools still have a 9-month school year which was
originally designed to let kids be home working in the fields during the summer
when most families were involved in a farming culture.
Cancer Vaccine - A new vaccine became available against cervical cancer.
Many aspects of society were not ready to approve the vaccine for their teenage
children since they felt it condoned sexual activity by young adults.
Stem Cells -Research has shown that stem cells can be very effective in the
treatment and cure of several diseases. However, society often still sees the use
of stem cells, particularly those from an unborn fetus, to be an ethical issue.
In Vitro Fertilization - There is a case of a woman, Anetria Burnett, who
allegedly saved her boyfriends sperm in the condom and received in
vitro treatments without his knowledge, resulting in conception and birth of twin
boys. Because of the speed at which technology has improved in the area of in
vitro fertilization, there is no precedence in a case such as this and the
consequences, should the story prove to be true, are as yet undeveloped.
Life Support - Before living wills and advance directives were established,
many individuals were being kept on life support without their relatives having
any knowledge of what the individual would have wanted in the circumstance.
Medical science moved so quickly in creating the sort of technology that would
keep someone alive that society had yet to align. Family members and other
loved ones did not know the consequences of keeping their relatives on life
support and what the likelihood of recovery would be, causing much anguish.
This was very evident in the highly publicized Terry Schiavo case.
Pregnancy Life Support - In another case involving life support, Robyn Benson
of British Columbia is on life support, but is also pregnant. A similar case in 2013
involved a pregnant woman named Marlise Munoz. Family members must

struggle with how to determine when to turn off life support when a woman is
pregnant as life issues are involved regarding both the mother and the child.
Again, the technology in medicine has moved so quickly that it is difficult for
individuals to process situations such as these without an established social
norm/expectation.
Virtual Medical Appointment - Another case of cultural lag in the medical
community involves situations in which technology is used as a means of
checking up on a patient. For instance, in one situation, a child had surgery far
away from his home. After returning home, his parents sent pictures of his
healing wound to his surgeon to ensure that he was healing as he should be.
While, on the one hand, this can be a valuable tool, on the other hand the
consequences of using technology in that way have not been determined:
To what level is the doctor liable when checking on a patients progress only
via pictures taken using a mobile device?
How much should patients trust such a method to ensure their health?
What privacy laws exist to protect the patient by keeping pictures such as
those only in the doctors office, not elsewhere?

Childhood Development - Since the 1980s, video games have become

increasingly popular. Many children, even at very young ages, have tablets on
which they play regularly. However, research is increasingly supporting the idea
of limiting these activities because of proof that childrens long term overuse of
technology is negatively impacting the development of some motor skills and
social skills. The development of games and technology far outpaced the
development of research regarding the impact of use of that technology. That
lag has, possibly, resulted in stunted development in early childhood for many
children.
These are some examples of cultural lag.