Technology is Socially Shaped - Essay Example

How Technology is socially shaped By + Introduction It is quite debatable whether it is technology that shapes the society or social values and the society that influence the choices that we make in terms of technology. Different people have come up with many theories citing that society shapes the technology around it whereas others have still come up with theories, concepts and examples that seek to prove that it is technology that shapes the society. All these theories adopt a range of approaches using different examples to explain the concept but none gives an overall view on the impact it has on either side (Crawford, 2006). The purpose of this research is to elucidate the claim that technology is socially shaped and to explain the different theories explicating how society influences technological advancement. Discourse One of the main theories ascribed to society and technology is the one that explains how technology has been socially constructed. It is argued that human actions are not determined by technology but that the actions taken by human beings are the ones that shape the technology, and that technological approaches can never be understood unless they are viewed from the social aspect. The same theory presents technology as a result of social interactions between actors and social groups. It was also argued that technology could emerge as a result of previous versions of technology whereby a more advanced version is introduced based on scientific findings. One of its core concepts is the freedom of interpretation whereby different artefacts have different meanings and are meant for different groups. For example, it is emergent that the air tyre of a bicycle would signify a more convenient mode of transport but to other people it would be technical nuisance and at the same time cyclists would be concerned with the speed reduction it causes. In another theory known as the Actor-Network Theory, it was argued that technology does not have its own path to follow but has to depend on social factors to shape it. According to the scholars, technology is seen as an integral part of the society and not as a single entity from external forces and that the users of the artefacts can modify to suit their needs. However, several authors have come out to criticize some of these theories. In contrast to the Social Shaping Theory, it goes ahead to argue that there is nothing referred to as a society. It cites that a society emerges when people get a chance to socialize with each other, but it is only a matter of time before these people start to behave differently, leading to a different kind of society. This information was used in relation to the society of the baboons whereby their societies are formed based on their physical bodies and that one baboon could try to dominate the others. As a result of this fight for dominance, the other baboons will tend to oppose the dominance hence bringing opposition, which eventually leads to the formation a different society. He continues to describe the theory as a type of program whereby the user behaves in a certain way and for that user to overcome the program then he must come up with an anti program (Thomas & Minerals, 2011). By doing so then it means that they will be in control of technology. From the study, it was concluded that technology does not arise as an internal logic but as a product of the society. Whenever a new entity of technology is to be approved, a number of technical issues must be considered, including the social factors affecting it; hence the technology will not be influenced by the society in terms of the impact it has on the society. Bearing in mind the technological changes taking place at the moment one will realize that these changes depend on the needs of a given society (Daugenti, 2012), whether they are individual needs or common needs shared by people from the same society. For instance the American system of transport may prefer to have a free and independent type of transport whereas other societies may put more value on speed and how convenient it is. Each society and culture dictates which type of technology fits his or her needs and the consequences of the technology (Daugenti, 2012). For instance, technological experts might be available to develop a certain type of product but when the public reacts negatively to the development it means nothing new will be done pertaining the introduction of the new technology. Every society has its own values and priorities and the values must be reflected in the type of technology they come up with. On the other hand, for a type of technology to be accepted in the society then it must have an impact on their economy positively. For example, people would endorse a type of technology that will create job opportunities rather than the one that limits them from getting jobs. The people will also consider technology in terms of the impact it has on the political framework and their environment. Just because a type of technology is attainable does not mean that it has to be developed because it will depend on public reaction, which will in turn deem it as a success or a failure (Schroeder, 2007). When different companies want to come up with products and they do not consider the public, they may ultimately loose customers and this can lead to severe financial loss. It is quite evident from the work done by different philosophers that technology cannot stand on its own so it means that for one to get a clear understanding of technology, it is mandatory to understand the relationship it has with the society (Teich, 2006). Living in an era where almost everything revolves around the new technology, people should be conversant with the impact of the technology on different kinds of work (Rosa, 2006). For a technological invention to emerge, the inventor has to work hand in hand with the expected user since he is the determiner of the technology’s shape and is as important as the designer of the technology. Recent research highlights that the society is still an important part in the introduction of technology, stating that all the technology is a result negotiations and processes followed by the society (Daugenti, 2012). This technology goes beyond the use of physical devices and artefacts meaning that in recent times technology is part of every human activity. An argument was brought up that; since men are the designers and the inventors of every new technology, it should be regarded as masculine (Haugen, 2007). However, Oblak stated that since technology does not have feminine or masculine characteristics, its label will depend on its meaning and how it is used by the different genders, citing an example where men wear wrist watches to get to know the time, but it is a different case for the women who most of the time adorn watches as jewellery, hence bringing up the idea that women should be regarded as passive users of technology. On the other hand, technology has its shortcomings in the society, for instance it has led to strained relationship between parents and their children because the children want to spend more of their time on the internet and do not take part in other activities (Tansey, 2005). This habit irritates their parents and they also get frustrated when asked to help out in anything. As a result of the frustrations, the children tend to lose patience. For example, when they are loading a page on the Internet and it takes a long time to load the page, they easily get frustrated (Daugenti, 2012). Overreliance on the Internet has led to the decline of writing skills. The children give themselves less time to improve their skills because they spend most of the time at their disposal chatting with their peers (Does Technology Drive the Real World, 2012). The Internet has also deprived many people in the society a chance to interact physically with others because the Internet provides a platform that espouses online communication. These habits will eventually affect people’s social lives. Conclusion The introduction of technology in society definitely has a greater influence on the people and their surroundings (Jackson, 2013). For instance, it brings out inequality between the developed countries and the countries, which are still developing; ranging from their infrastructure to the media and everything else that embraces technology (Janus, 2012). On the other hand, allowing technology to do everything that was supposed to be done by human beings will eventually have a negative impact whereby people will lack professionalism and will tend to over-rely on machines, which will in turn get to pollute the environment through the emissions of gases and ultimately has negative effects on society (Schrum, 2012). This overreliance on machines provokes people to ask themselves what may happen in case all the machines stop working and man has no natural means of doing their work, for example calculating time manually (Purdue Pugwash Conference to Focus on Technological Future, 2010). Before any machine is manufactured, all these factors should be put into consideration knowing that it is meant to assist human beings, not to completely substitute them. Bibliography Crawford, M. 2006. Transformations: Women, gender, and psychology. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill. Daugenti, T. 2012. Society 3.0: How technology is reshaping education, work and society. New York, N.Y.: Peter Lang. Does Technology Drive the Real World? 2012, June 20. The Mercury. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-293834693.html? Guston, D. 2006. Shaping science and technology policy the next generation of research. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press. Haugen, D. 2007. Technology and society. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Hershock, P. 003. Technology and cultural values: On the edge of the third millennium. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press :. Jackson, J. 2013. The political economy of foreign investment: Constructing cultural categories of capitalist legitimacy in India. Janus, Edward. Creating Dairyland How Caring for Cows Saved Our Soil, Created Our Landscape, Brought Prosperity to Our State, and Still Shapes Our Way of Life in Wisconsin. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2011. Print. Purdue Pugwash Conference to Focus on Technological Future. Conference News. 2010, March 22. States News Service. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-221848037.html? Pursell, C. n.d.. Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology. Technology and Culture, 395-397. Rosa, J. 2006. The second twentieth century: How the information revolution shapes business, states, and nations. Stanford, Calif.: Hoover Institution Press. Schroeder, R. 2007. Rethinking science, technology, and social change. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Schrum, L. 2011. Considerations on educational technology integration the best of JRTE. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education. Tansey, S. 2002. Business, information technology & society. Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis. Teich, A. 2006. Technology and the future (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Thomas, B., & Minerals, M. (2011). Sensors, sampling, and simulation for process control proceedings of a symposium sponsored by the Process Technology and Modeling Committee and the Solidification Committee of the Extraction and Processing Division of TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials. Warrendale, Pa.: Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Read More