There is a vast number of divisions of academic knowledge related to the exploration of specific significant areas. The sociology of communications and media is a rather essential and insightful branch of knowledge that provides people with the information necessary for their everyday lives. According to the University of South Carolina Beaufort (n.d.), “the discipline of communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media” (para. 1). Thanks to the sociology of communications and media discipline, it is possible for people to explore and increase the ethical and effective practice of human intercommunication using various channels. Generally, the focus of this division of academic knowledge may be on how a message is transmitted from one point to another via different channels like television, social networks, or face-to-face interaction (University of South Carolina Beaufort, n.d.). What is more, this study explores how information is updated, maintained, or restored in various institutions, such as research bases or libraries. Further, it is necessary to mention the connection between the sociology of communications and many other fields, including psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and others. Without the communication and media field, the mentioned areas of knowledge would not receive some relevant information, while the former would lack some valuable theories and methods (the University of South Carolina Beaufort, n.d.). Overall, it is evident that the sociology of communications and media is related to the divisions of academic knowledge.
Child Development
Further, child development is another extremely valuable field that refers to the divisions of academic knowledge. According to the Board on Children, Youth, and Families (n.d.), “research during the past decade has revealed much about how children learn and develop” (p. 1). It is not enough to allow an infant to grow up and develop on their own because there may be many issues, deviations, and threats. Therefore, the specific academic field of child development allows professionals to gather and exchange valuable information regarding the growth of kids (Board on Children, Youth, and Families, n.d.). The academic field of child development is connected with other fields, including biology, psychology, linguistics, and others. Without the knowledge gathered by professionals in child development, the mentioned areas would lack important information about the internal processes in people’s bodies and brains. Further, “research has also shown that much more is going on cognitively, socially, and emotionally in young children – including infants – than scientists or care and education professionals previously knew” (Board on Children, Youth, and Families, n.d., p. 1). Therefore, the new findings in this field also impact the information available to psychologists, biologists, educators, and other specialists. Thus, it is evident that the field of child development is related to the divisions of academic knowledge, and it is recommended for specialists from other relevant fields consider this connection.
Family & Society
Finally, the third field that refers to the divisions of academic knowledge is family and society. Indeed, it is difficult to overestimate the impact of community and family on various spheres of people’s lives. When a child is born, he or she is first and foremost surrounded by close relatives who affect the development of the kid and the acquisition of necessary communication skills and abilities. It generally depends on the child’s parents whether he or she develops properly, becomes ready to communicate with the world, adopts the necessary belief system and ethical qualities, and finds their place and role in the world. Further, there is also the impact of society – when a child is older, he or she becomes a member of the community, and this child’s views and moral principles are affected again. It is essential for biologists, psychologists, educators, linguists, and some other professionals to consider the findings in the family and community field to properly develop their theories and knowledge. At the same time, the information provided by the mentioned specialists is also insightful for the field under discussion. It may be interesting to explore how the genetics and psychological state of parents affect the development of their child or what role educators as members of the community play in the lives of children. Thus, the connection between the family and society field with the divisions of academic knowledge is apparent.
The Issue of Overpopulation
First of all, it is necessary to assess the importance of demographic parameters in the state’s socioeconomic development. According to this approach, with the growth of the population increasing rapidly, there is a tendency for economic stagnation because population growth leads to an increase in budget expenditures. Moreover, it leads to the fast growth of the labor force and the inability to use it at the same rapid pace, thereby reducing its productivity (Heintz & Folbre, 2021). Thus, fewer resources per individual reduce the growth rate of GDP and its volumes per capita. This approach is based on comparing the number of people and the volume of natural resources. Since they are limited, population growth leads to a decrease in the resource provision of citizens. It leads to deficiencies in providing food products, raw materials, territory for housing construction, and other problems.
The Problem of Low Birth Rate
The situation of reproduction of the population of any country is inextricably linked with the economic component of the country. It is worth noting the fact that the more consumers are born in it, the higher the demand. The decrease in the birth rate parameter serves as a negative signal for external investors. Foreign companies do not see benefits in investments and product development in a state with an unpromising consumer market (Heintz & Folbre, 2021). The fact that experienced specialists retire likewise has a significant influence. The difference in the reproduction deficit of the population is becoming more noticeable (Kearney, 2022). In the future, tax payments from the working population for the provision of citizens of retirement age will not be enough (Sánchez-Romero et al., 2018). The predominance of the older generation in the country reflects its natural aging process, which affects the growing number of pensioners. All this leads to an economic burden, as the state is forced to support them.
What Problem is More Dangerous?
Both of these problems have a severe impact on the economy. It is necessary to point out the positive impact of demographic parameters on the state’s socioeconomic development (Peterson, 2018). This approach assumes that population growth leads to an increase in economic development. This is achieved because the number of laborers is increasing, and the intellectual potential of society is growing (Peterson, 2018). On the other hand, the lack of population growth in the country does impact its economic growth, but if we consider the environmental aspect, it is positive. Thus, summing up, it should be said that from an economic point of view, both phenomena are undesirable for any country. In general, to improve demographic indicators, it is essential to increase the proportion of the most productive age groups and reduce the proportion of the population unable to work (Peterson, 2018). To mitigate the effects of population aging and prolong healthy years of people’s lives, it is necessary to develop medicine, extend healthy years of people’s lives, and create new models of medical care at home.
References
Board on Children, Youth, and Families. (n.d.). Child development and early learning: A foundation for professional knowledge and competencies [PDF document]. Web.
Heintz, J., & Folbre, N. (2021). Endogenous growth, population dynamics, and economic structure: Long-Run macroeconomics when demography matters. Feminist Economics, 1–19. Web.
Kearney, M. (2022). The mystery of the declining U.S. birth rate. Econofact. Web.
Peterson, E. W. F. (2018). The role of population in economic growth. SAGE Open, 7(4), 215824401773609. Web.
Sánchez-Romero, M., Abio, G., Patxot, C., & Souto, G. (2018). Contribution of demography to economic growth. SERIEs, 9(1), 27–64. Web.
University of South Carolina Beaufort. (n.d.). What is communication studies? USCB. Web.