My stance on Technological Determinism
I am a grad student at Columbia University in the City of New York. I am in the last leg of my masters at the moment. My research interests center around the social and moral implications of technology. In one of the courses that I have taken this Fall, I am exploring Technological Determinism.
Technological Determinism refers to the idea that technology is supreme--it is stronger than society. While pondering over this idea during the Social Aspects of the Internet class this week, I came up with a stance that I theorized and drew on my class desk-
My proposal is a 6 step circle of ascending points. It starts with human needs--which leads to the very creation of technologies, which upon usage affects us in both good and bad ways (questions of ethics & social impact come here). The second step is the integration of technology in human lives which inadvertently changes human behaviors and attitudes (i.e. causes psychological impact). The third step is the establishment of an emotions-based relationship with technology which could be driven by skepticism, love or hate. This leads us to the next step, where we either try to improve the technological artifact or find its antithesis to prevent its "bad" effects. This desire for better technologies ultimately takes us back to our primary need for newer (or improved) technologies.
Hence, it is not technology that is supreme from its very creation. It is its implementation and usage (or misusage) by humans (who constitute "society") that empowers technology to become a deterministic force in our lives.
Let me know your thoughts on my stance.
Hi Namita, you've articulated this super well! We had this discussion in class and I echo a lot of your sentiments and lean towards soft technological determinism. I also feel we as humans have the choice and will to shape the influence has on our lives and thats whats key here rather simply technology.
ReplyDeleteA little aside, your diagram and proposal reminded me of the design thinking process in ways by starting with needs and also its iterative nature.
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DeleteThanks for your comment, Shreya. I agree about your remark on how my diagram matches the design thinking process--starting with core needs of the user. I think I have incorporated design thinking as my default way of thinking now!
DeleteHi Namita. I found these diagrams interesting and I agree with the idea that humans are still the ones that create and implemented the technology to push them to a deterministic force in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Yizhe. Indeed, humans are the very creators of technology since the whole chain starts from human hands, literally!
DeleteHi Namita, I like how you interpret the societal impact of technology and I totally agree with you. Rather than technology directing people’s mind and changes in society, I believe new technology comes after the need for it. Plus, I like your mind map! It’s visually organized and I can clearly see how different ideas are related.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Sophie. Yes, new technologies do not emerge out of nowhere. I think, they are a product of need based innovation!
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