Technological determinism is a theory that suggests technology is the force which shapes society. In Lister et al technological determinism is looked at differently by different theorists. Some argue that technology does infact drive society, where as some argue that technology is interwoven into our society. What do people think? I think that technology is a force which shapes society, or at least influences and shapes some major parts of society. The invention of television for example has had an influence on the way we live today. Before television society was a more get out there and doing society where leisure activities were going for walks, reading books, doin crafts, etc. However, now instead of going for a walk or reading a book, the majority of people I know watch television as a way of relaxing. Television has become their leisure time activity. Another example of where new technology is shaping and changing our society is with the invention of telephones. Before telephones were invented, people used to write letters as a way of communicating to one another, but now letter writting is a form of communication that is dying out because people find it a lot easier and quicker to make a phone call than to write a letter. I know I definetaly prefer to phone people than writting to them! However even after saying this, I find that now that instant messaging and emails are becoming more popular in our society..phone calls are not as frequent as they used to be and people use websites such as Facebook to keep in contact with one another...do people agree with this? And therefore this is a way in which new technology is radically changing the way we live?
Emily xx
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
i totally agree with you Emily on the whole "technology is a force which shapes society" i find myself adapting to what everyone else is doing through new media, for example when msn became popular (i was about 12) i used it everyday after school, now i don’t use it so much, probably because it doesn’t seem so new anymore, facebook is popular now and i find myself sending messages online instead of through my phone, much cheaper. We as a society have become lazy with letter writing, when i receive a letter id appreciate it more than what I would a text, because of the rarity, that doesn’t mean that they’d get a letter back in return, I think a phone would just do the job. Lol.
Do you think, then that Technological determinism might be a working theory to some extent, but which allows for the flexibility of fashion and fads before it plunges ever forward shaping and patting society into shape?
Post a Comment