The Social Shaping Of Technology By Judy Wajcman

Chapter two begins with an intriguing question. Does technology control us? The answer, it depends who you are. Again Nye provides many stories to discuss the question. He talks about current advances that many people would have a difficult time imagining not having or using. To contrast this, he gives examples of societies that chose to reject advances in technology. He includes the examples of Japan’s rejection of guns, and religious groups such as the Amish or Mennonites, who carefully consider the effects of any technology on their society before adopting it. He points out that a common view is that mechanical systems are deterministic or inevitable. However, there are several beliefs that counter that including Werner Sombart

With the advent of information technology, the ways different aspects of life work and operate have changed a great deal. Media has always had a great influence in molding the culture of a society. There was a point of time when television and radio were invented and when computer was invented and there was little connection between the two. Time then travelled fast then through the age of cassettes, records, VCDs, DVDs, flash drive and then the internet. Media also started to go satellite on a massive scale and there came a point of time when media and digital communication systems became closely integrated with one another, opening the dimensions to digital media.

In his essay, “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change,” Neil Postman brings up a plethora of ideas on the topic of our ever-changing landscape in the technological world, discussing at length the problems of technology and culture. In his first point, Postman states that “technology giveth, and technology taketh away” (Postman, 27). His argument insists that in a culture swept up in technology, humans do not stop and ask questions regarding the possible detriments of new inventions. He continues on to say that though technology favours some individuals, it may harm others, or neglect a group of people entirely. In spite of this, humans continue to use and expand upon technologies as they emerge. Next, the author discusses how

Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee created a book titled Race Against The Machine in which discusses the tremendous impact of technology on today’s society, today’s current employment issues, and the current economic status of the world we live in. Brynjolfsson and McAfee wanted to raise awareness and generate enough of a buzz to get people thinking about where we are currently and where our futures are headed—they did just that. What the authors are basically saying is that we are impacted far more than we realize by technology and if society does not take notice and take action, we will ultimately be beat out by technology and lose the “race”.

In chapter six of Radical Evolution, author Joel Garreau shows through various interviews and examples that even though technology may be rising on an exponentially increasing Curve, humans may still be able to change the effects of technological advance in unpredictable ways. Deemed the Prevail scenario, it is also characterized by humans slowing down once-viewed inevitable change viewed as negative and speeding up positive change. Another great theme of the Prevail Scenario is its idea that technological advance will enable humans to acquire a better understanding of their society and nature. In addition to discussing the Prevail scenario, Garreau also discusses the possible change humans

There are many different stances one could take on the subject “Unimpeded technological progress is good for society.”. One could agree with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, and Bradbury’s The Veldt and claim that technology is dangerous and will inevitably fall into the wrong hands one day. Another stance would be with Spike Jonze’s Her, which brings forth the opinion that technology is both good and bad. Finally, one’s opinion could lie with George Saunder’s “Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz” and claim technology is a good thing. While I can see where both Saunders and Kubrick are coming from, my own opinion is more closely represented by Jonze. I believe that technology can be both good and bad, and that its rapid growth can be both helpful and harmful to those around us.

The author acknowledges the possible skepticism he might receive with the article, and the possibility of being called a “luddite”. He admits that adjusting to new technology is unnerving, however, it is leading towards the advancement of society. As technology advances, artificial intelligence such as robots, cyborgs, Iron

“Technology is a queer thing. It brings gifts in one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other,” as quoted by American stand-up comedian Carrie Snow. As aforementioned by Snow, technology is an anomaly itself since it is composed of a staggering amounts of attributes, ranging from moral to physical attributes specifically, that have yet to be established or even discovered. These aspects seem to be established for when it comes to developing any form of technological progress. Even as simple as it seems to ponder the concept of technology, it is rather stunning to process as well. It all seems to be due to the thought of not knowing the outcome of any advancement in technology. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of technology

In today's society there is no escape from technology. We are completely submerged in our iPhone, ipads, computers, and gaming systems. These gadgets give us the opportunity to be connected to each other and the rest of the world at all times. But, this is not a glorious step in history. Technology blinds us from the real world. As John Tudor said, “Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except technology.” We may run our lives with the help of our iPhones and computers, but do these forms of technology in turn control us? At first glance these new advances are greater steps to making our lives easier. But, when examined closely a large portion of technology is the cause of many problems in our society.

Bill Joy is a celebrated American technologist for sun Microsystems who composed a manuscript “Why the future need not bother with us”. In this manuscript, he chronicled the exact apprehensions as McDermott; that remarkable progression in technology may prompt annihilation of humanity. He explicitly concentrated on nanotechnology, pathology, and robotics and again utilized a similar thought to define the danger that innovation is constrained to sovereignties who can bear the cost of high cost contraptions and therefore the improvement is not fairly dispersed. He was concerned about the growing influence of personal computers and that in the long run, people will become reliant on these things and they will take decree over us. There are problems like simulation and computerized reasoning which can induce severe abuse if these are pushed past the breaking point (Joy 2012). Joy’s manuscript was intensely denounced by researchers, John S. Brown and Paul Duguid in their exposition "A Response to Bill Joy and the Doom-and-Gloom Techno-futurists". They say that as technology improves, the methods by which people control it are created. Joy has neglected to acknowledge that in certain social powers, technologies and social orders mold each other and it is false to say that a period will come when the general public fall behind technology (Brown and Duguid 79). Even though there would be definite imperatives and breaking

Technological determinism is a term developed by Marshal McLuhan, a theorist in the study of new media. By technological determinism, McLuhan refers to technology having the power to change societies and influence our cultures. In this essay I will argue that technology does have the power to change society and influence a civilization, using ideas put forward by Marshal McLuhan. I will also discuss the debate around technological determinism recognizing the claims made by Raymond Williams that society shapes technology as we look back at its emergence and their subsequent control.

Techno-optimist or techno-pessimist? That is the question. Technology throughout time has no doubt changed our way of life. Travelling to destinations quicker, curing new diseases, or figuring out how to cease a wide famine are examples of how technology has made advances over time. The solutions that scientists create spark a tool that others cannot live without. But what if these technologies bring out negative effects rather than their desired purpose? Sometimes, innovators create new inventions that bring unintended consequences. It could range from less communication face to face, side effects from new medicines, or pollute the earth’s atmosphere.

Technology is used on a daily basis to accomplish specific tasks or interests. Modern technology increases human capabilities and this technology has evolved with years. Technology simplifies life in so many ways and everyone defines technology in their own way. They’re new types of technology on the market, this technology simplifies our daily lives. They’re endless demands as consumers of technology, people use technology to accomplish simple tasks every day. Technology’s used in business, education, communication, healthcare, entertainment and so much more. There’s an unquestionable impact of technology on society. Whether considering the plow, vaccinations, or the internet, technology has had a huge impact on society. While not every advance benefits society, there’s many positive effects of technology. Modern technology makes life more convenient now more than ever. Modern technologies like broadband internet makes it possible to access relevant information at any time anywhere. Today’s technology makes it simple for students to learn from anywhere through online education and mobile education, which improves the education system. It also improves the health system, most hospitals have implemented modern technology in surgical rooms, which may reduce the number of mistakes made by doctors. Modern technology’s more convenient than when it was simpler because, it provides an easy way to access information, improves the education system, and it improves the health system.

Technology has played an integral part in shaping society in many different ways. Throughout history, technological inventions have changed everything from the way humans are clothed and fed to the very ways we communicate and interact as a species. Examining the effects technology has on society illustrate both how technology shapes culture and society and how society can affect future technology. This can be seen by examining a few of the major technological innovations in human history followed by a look at a new technology and how it may shape future society.

With this new glass of Merlot by my side, I sit and wonder at the amazement of technology. Each velvety sip opens me up in my corner a little more just as technology has done so for the world. But now I must go off and ponder further on into an important philosophical question of whether this technology, endless as it has come to be, should be considered as a thing that has brought out the best or the worst in society. How complex a question! Surely I could easily look back fondly and count the many ways that technology and its manifold presence has been nothing but a blessing, not only to facilitating human kind, but also our intrinsic pursuit of society. But now, as easy as that might be, it would be a more healthy venture to play the