Dielectric Polarization and Societal Response to Technological Acceleration: A Time-Domain Model of Institutional Adaptation

Abstract

Rapid technological acceleration driven by digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and global communication networks is transforming modern societies. However, the widespread diffusion of technology has not consistently produced stable institutional adaptation or sustained socio-economic development. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for understanding this paradox by introducing a time-domain model of societal adaptation inspired by dielectric polarization theory in electrodynamics. In dielectric media, polarization mechanisms operate over finite relaxation times and progressively cease as excitation frequency increases. By analogy, social systems possess layered response mechanisms with different response times associated with individuals, organizations, education systems, and state institutions. When the rate of technological change exceeds the adaptive bandwidth of these layers, societal response becomes dispersive and increasingly decoupled from technological activity. The model introduces a susceptibility function representing adaptive capacity under technological acceleration and explains transitions from synchronized adaptation to desynchronized regimes. The framework highlights temporal compatibility between technological change and institutional response time as a fundamental condition for sustainable technological adaptation.