Society and Technology Review Guide Reification the separation of technology from the social world Reification is the hazard of technology Technology transforms social relationships and technologies are socially constructed Technology is incorrectly associated with progress Marx technology heavily impacts social relations deterministic perspective Durkheim technology will bring solidarity in due time Technological Determinism the belief that technology dictates social structure and relationships the theory that technology drives history o o o o o o o Technological determinism is a reductionist theory Reductionist Thought o Hand mill determines social relations feudalism Hand mill lord cannot work land alone serfs work Steam mill industrialism Steam mill capitalists need factory works serfs become wage laborers Neutrality Dimension of technologically deterministic thought technologies are neutral and not embedded within social relations a lot like reification Low lying bridges Winner s critique of neutrality assumption low lying bridges seem like nothing but they actually discourage public transit hence black and poor community Low lying bridges show how technological change is actually influenced by human motives Billiard Ball Model of Technology indirect impact of technology on social relations Ex medical technology prolongs life first world population gets older more women women vote against war 1st world countries don t go to war while 3rd world countries do US Healthcare Technology the US thinks technology leads to progress so we spend a lot of our money on high tech healthcare but we lack low tech preventative measures This is why we are good at curing cancer but have high obesity rates The impact of industrial technologies on the environment Elliott the impact of industrial technology is mediated by social relations Industrial technology causes disposal culture in consumers deregulation in government etc which all lead to environmental degradation The impact of nanotechnology on society o Nanotechnology study design application of devices systems at nano level o Nanotech should be concentrated on important issues but instead is focused on trivial matters i e dust repelling mattresses The impact of broadband internet on society Broadband internet should be used to disseminate knowledge ensure public safety etc but instead is used to watch Netflix and YouTube OLPC one laptop per child Shows technologies expected outcomes vs real outcomes problems 1 affordability in countries targeted 2 problems with laptop design 3 realities of student use and 4 flawed expectations Digital Dualism the belief that real and online life are separate o Utopian vision of virtual communities everyone a pamphleteer everyone can voice their own opinions ideas on the internet Boero Pascoe our bodies are given meaning and are subjected to scrutiny online which limits our freedom to be anything we want to be in these virtual worlds Sidenote our bodies can also be examined for authenticity online too Offline gender norms shape online gender specific communities and vice versa o Men s prostate cancer online groups are informational rather than emotional however when men go on women s breast cancer online groups they become more emotional on and offline illustrates how online shapes offline world Proteus Effect a phenomenon in which the behaviors of an individual within online worlds is affected by the visual characteristics of their avatar i e taller character better performance Shows how online personas shape offline behavior Social Capital the benefits tangible and intangible that we get from our social networks to one another Like resources jobs ideas access to people and support Key indicator of social connectedness in US Size of core discussion networks how many people you discuss important matters with on a regular basis o o Diversity of networks if any of these people are not in your family Between 1985 and 2004 the GSS reported that core discussion networks have decreased from 2 94 to 2 08 about 1 3rd and both kin and non kin confidants declined but more so non kin not family members Putnam claims that technology like iPod s causes this social isolation Malcolm Gladwell social tech fosters shallow weak ties o Gladwell s view helps Putnam because it shows how technology can cause social isolation Sherry Turkle even though we communicate more this communication is shallower TCSS technology causes social isolation technology allows people to avoid the messier aspect of other s lives o Hochshild flextime is utilized but not flexplace because relationships at home are messy Keith Hampton looks at 2008 PEW study to claim that although core discussion networks have decreased in size technology does NOT cause social isolation o While ICTs could cause shallow ties they do not because we only use ICTs to communicate with people we already see face to face regularly Hence ICTs actually strengthen social ties Glocalization finding that most ICT communication happens between geographically close people o Glocalization counters TCSS thesis because it finds that technology leads to stronger ties rather than weaker ties Reductionist perspective TCSS technology leads to weak ties is proved wrong by glocalization Broker of social relations person thing that acts as an intermediary between two parties Pre internet brokers family friends school All but friends decreased as brokers over 20th century Post internet era 1995 pre internet brokers go down while internet emerges Thin markets gays lesbians middle aged gays The internet is efficient for brokering thin market relationships Supports utopian view that the internet is unprejudiced because it fosters interracial different religion and different social class origin relationships Public Sphere a stage where people present their views to government technology economic cost structure organizational forms cultural consumption practices Example print media Four elements of democratic communication synthesis intake filtering independence SIFI Hub Spoke Model passive consumption of information as finished product Represents one way communication mass media communication Pros cons of mass media public sphere Pros independent resists governmental influence professional due to journalism and universal visibility good at synthesizing statements about matters of public interest Cons limited intake because one way communication leaves out views too concentrated of power 10 TV