The social shaping of technology (original) (raw)
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2002
At a theoretical level, we would argue that the tensions are, at least potentially, creative -requiring continual reassessment both of research methods and interpretation, and of SST's rôle. It may be that these internal differences, and more profound schisms with other disciplines and approaches to the social analysis of technology (particularly `mainstream' economics [Stoneman 1992]), have impeded SST's cumulative theoretical growth: yet its empirical work has been remarkably fruitful (European Science Foundation/ESRC 1992). A range of explanatory concepts has recently begun to emerge, constituting an effective model of the innovation process. We briefly summarise some of its elements in Section 3. Since the final test of any research perspective is its ability to yield more adequate understandings, Section 4 reviews, by way of illustration, a range of recent research that addresses specific instances of the social shaping of information technology (IT). Finally we discuss some of the intellectual dilemmas in the field (Section 5), and conclude with some comments on possible future developments.
… Technology, Guiding Policy: Concepts, Spaces and …, 2002
developed by Callon, Latour, Law and others, followed the strategies and actions of central actors -system-builders or heterogeneous engineers -as they attempt to marshal the resources necessary for the project, particularly by enrolling other actors -locking them into appropriate roles -and appropriating the right to speak for them. A technology was conceived as an emerging and increasingly stabilised network of material and non-material elements. The nature of the project and the identities and interests of the actors involved are transformed as the network takes shape. ANT also developed useful analyses of the means by
The Social Shaping of Technology: A New Space for Politics?
Technikgestaltung zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit, 2003
The social shaping of technology (SST) perspective has developed as a response to techno-economically rational and linear conceptions of technology development and its consequences. It has brought together analysts from different backgrounds with a common interest in the role of social and political action for socio-technical change. Thus, SST is a broad term, covering a large domain of studies and analyses concerned with the mutual influence of technology and society on technology development. In this chapter we emphasise the political dimensions of social shaping, through a focus on the socio-technical processes entailed in technology development and change. Our perspective is based on the understanding that technological development is a social process. As such, it unfolds through processes with political implications, involving actors, occasions and strategies that help bring about technological change. Our intention is to pursue a broader view on the political dimensions of technological decision-making, and a broader treatment of socio-technical space, maintaining a focus on the inclusion and exclusion of actors, salient issues, and how they are dealt with and resolved.
The Social Construction of Technology: Structural Considerations
Science, Technology, & Human Values, 2002
Although scholarship in the social construction of technology (SCOT) has contributed much to illuminating technological development, most work using this theoretical approach is committed to an agency-centered approach. SCOT scholars have made only limited contributions to illustrating the influence of social structures. In this article, the authors argue for the importance of structural concepts to understanding technological development. They summarize the SCOT conceptual framework defined by Trevor Pinch and Wiebe Bijker and survey some of the methodological and explanatory difficulties that arise with their approach. Then the authors present concepts from organizational sociology and political economy that illuminate structural influences in shaping phenomena of interest to SCOT scholars. These structural concepts can be applied to the study of the design, development, and transformation of technology. The authors conclude that the limited amount of scholarship on structural fac...
Sociological Research Online, 2009
Construction of Technology (SCOT) has gained a great deal of popularity and positive attention for offering a coherent methodological approach to the study of technology design. Key among the strengths of this approach is SCOT's aim to open up the "black box" of technology, thus revealing the multiple social forces that influence and shape the life-course of a technology. SCOT has also received its share of criticism 1 . Among the criticisms received include the argument that SCOT underplays the importance of structural influences, in particular, the larger structural forces in society such as class, institutions, economic and political systems . Bijker (1995) has responded to these criticisms by developing the concept of a technological frame (TF), a "heterogenous concept" that accounts for material and nonmaterial structures that can influence socio-technical design (Bijker, 1993: 120-121).
The Social Shaping of Technology: Lessons for Eco-Innovators
Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 2010
The following discussion paper provides an overview of ways that insights from the interdisciplinary field of STS (Science and Technology Studies or Science Technology and Society) might assist eco-innovators in the IT sector. Drawing very broadly from the social shaping of technology literatures we have identified 4 interlocking themes we believe that eco-innovators should keep in mind to help promote their success: (i) The importance of building sustainable networks of people, things and knowledge; (ii) The significant role that is played by developing new forms of knowledge and expertise facilitated by ‗knowledge brokers or ‗knowledgeentrepreneurs'; (iii) The important roles that can be played by users in re-shaping technology in practical settings; (iv)The importance of conceptually situating plans for optimisation and the ongoing evaluation of their effectiveness within particular technological paradigms or trajectories.
Technology and Its Social Implications: Myths and Realities in the Interpretation of the Concept
The concept of technology as well as itself has evolved continuously over time, such that, nowadays, this concept is still marked by myths and realities. Even the concept of science is frequently misunderstood as technology. In this way, this paper presents different forms of interpretation of the concept of technology in the course of history, as well as the social and cultural aspects associated with it, through an analysis made by means of insights from sociological studies of science and technology and its multiple relations with society. Through the analysis of contents, the paper presents a classification of how technology is interpreted in the social sphere and search channel efforts to show how a broader understanding can contribute to better interpretations of how scientific and technological development influences the environment in which we operate. The text also presents a particular point of view for the interpretation of the concept from the analysis throughout the who...