Net 102 Topic 2.3 The Relationship between Society and Technology

Internet Studies 102/502: The Internet and Everyday Life Laura's notes


Topic 2.3: The relationship between Society and Technology
Laura's notes

In this topic, we unpack some of the common assumptions when people talk about the changes wrought by the Internet upon society. In previous topics in this unit, as well as wider society, you often find the phrase, "The Internet has changed... (something in society)." This is a simplification of the relationship between technological change and society, and it is important, at this point, to think about the relationship between the Internet and society a little more. The position that this unit is taking is that social forces and the Internet mutually affect each other. Communication technologies may have qualities that encourage a certain form of communication and relationships between the people communicating, and hence can bring about tremendous changes in society. However, technology is not some independent force that changes society. Rather, technological development is influenced by society and people in that society, the course a technology takes depends upon financial, cultural, and other considerations.READ

 Williams, R. & Edge, R. (1997). What is the Social Shaping of Technology?. The Research Centre for Social Science.These authors criticise the exaggeration of the inherent qualities of technology. What is SST? What is technological determinism? What does SST offer in contrast?

"This paper reviews the body of research that addresses `the social shaping of technology' (SST) (MacKenzie & Wajcman 1985). In contrast to traditional approaches which only addressed the outcomes or 'impacts' of technological change, this work examines the content of technology and the particular processes involved in innovation. We highlight the growth of socio-economic research falling within this very broad definition of SST. It explores a range of factors - organisational, political, economic and cultural - which pattern the design and implementation of technology.

SST has gained increasing recognition in recent years, particularly in the UK and Europe, as a valuable research focus, for its broader import for the scientific and policy claims of social sciences. SST is seen as playing a positive role in integrating natural and social science concerns; in offering a greater understanding of the relationship between scientific excellence, technological innovation and economic and social well-being; and in broadening the policy agenda, for example in the promotion and management of technological change (European Science Foundation/Economic and Social Research Council 1991, Newby 1992)." (Williams, 1997)

Laura: quite a difficult article to read and understand from a lay perspecitive, I actually lost interest a couple of times and had to force myself to finish reading .
AND EITHER:
 An Nguyen, "The Interaction between Technologies and Society: Lessons Learnt from 160 Evolutionary Years of Online New Services ," First Monday, 12(3). (Archived by WebCite).This article provides an in-depth analysis of the development of online news from a SST perspective; it illustrates how technological potential is affected the social environment. Can you apply this to other internet technologies?
OR
 Micah M. White, "Facebook Suicide ," Adbusters, June 4, 2008. Archived by WebCite.This piece for an activist magazine issues a call for to leave Facebook; read the comments as well. What relationships between the control of our social networking information (power), community, identity, profit (economy) and privacy does this highlight?
Laura: An interesting article concerning Facebook's direction towards member consumerism and financial gain.

Also watch The social network. (a 2 hour movie)


DISCUSS

1. With reference to Facebook, an online game, or any other Internet application or technology, look into how the developers and users negotiate its development:
   1. Are there examples of the developers and the users disagreeing with some change or other? What was the outcome of these?
   2. Have the people using the application found uses that the developers may not have anticipated?
   
    

Langdon Winner asks, in the title of his influential book chapter, "Do artefacts have politics?" In other words, are technologies neutral? He suggests in response: "What matters is not technology itself, but the social or economic system in which it is embedded" (1986, p.1). How true is this, in your experience, and through studying this unit?