Technological and cultural determinism - Essay Example

Technological and cultural determinism Briefly define technological and cultural determinism (see Winston).Technological determinism is a belief that technology development is guided by its law in that it can realize its potential that is limited by the available material resources. In other words, technological determinism is used to describe different views regarding the relationship between the technological aspect and human activities (Winston 787). On the other hand, Cultural determinism is a belief that culture in which individuals are raised determines who individuals are in terms of behaviors and emotions.

Cultural determinism supports that theory that the environmental influences dominate in determining who people are rather than biological traits.2. Apply these theories to recent discourse about new forms of television, whether high definition TV, 3-D TV, online TV, etc. The discourse may come from a website, an advertisement, a TV program, a newspaper/magazine article, a blog, etc. Just like other deterministic theories, technological determinism, and cultural determinisms seeks out to explain the historical and social phenomena in terms of one determining factor.

It is considered to be a doctrine of casual or historical primacy. In other words, technological determinism is used to describe ways in which technology has influenced the evolution of human. Technology such as television online TV, advertisement among other technologies have played a significant role in creating new spaces for human to inhibit on a physical or a mental basis (Winston 789). Therefore, humans have adapted to these new spaces in that the patterns of their discernment are progressively altered without any resistance.3. Identify an aspect of the discourse that invokes technological determinism and explain why it is technologically deterministic.

 Since technological determinism is merely putting the idea that technology is critical to people’s lives, there are various aspects of discourse that may invoke technological determinism. Social construction is a very critical aspect in invoking technological determinism. Social construction is considered to be a technological determinism since it is capable of explaining a great part of various technologies including Television, Computers, and Photography among others.4. Identify either a law of supervening social necessity OR a law of suppression of radical potential (these are likely, not fore-grounded in the example; they require an analysis of the broader cultural determinisms for the emergence of this technology).

 The law of suppression of radical potential is among the first ideas that are discussed in Winston book. This law relates to misunderstanding of media. The laws state that, when a communication technology is realized, through the constraining influence of the already prevailing mechanisms as well as prevailing institutions, its growth is suppressed.Winston has elaborated this law to describe the various life cycles of communications technologies. In most cases, the method that is used is directed against instead purposes and communication technologies.

The author has elaborated the law of suppression of radical potential by elaborating the particular technological changes including Television, Photography, Cinematography as well as Society and Media Technology (Winston 796).) 5. In what ways does this example exemplify the issue of gender and the division of public and private spheres (see Spigel)Spigel illustrates various issues regarding gender and the dissection of public spheres. These issues include the state of utopian forgetfulness.

Spigel describes women or simply housewives as desperate individuals especially when they are required to move between their housework to an act of watching (Spigel 47). Spigel also demonstrates the challenges that are experienced by housewives television viewers who are occupied with house chores to carry out and at the same time they need to participate in television watching. In supplementary words, Spigel reflects it to be gender discrimination as it is only men who are able to have the television viewing time as leisure time (Spigel 48).

Works CitedSpigel, Lynn. Womens Work. Florida, 2002.Winston, Brian. How Are Media Born? New York: McGraw, 1997.