Technology, Innovation, Power, and Social Consequence (original) (raw)
Related papers
2016
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed our lives significantly over the last few decades, and they will continue to do so. ICTs influence the way we live, work, and organize. These changes we are facing as societies (and as individuals) bear positive and negative side effects that concern academia as well, since science and research serve a function in and for society. What kind of academic field do we need to meet these challenges of the information age? Many different research approaches have emerged over the last decades that aim at explaining, shaping, and forecasting social change related to an increasing penetration, miniaturization, and convergence of ICTs. tripleC suggests the designation of this research area as ICTs-and-Society to indicate its broad perspective. The term ICTs itself is broad enough to capture Internet, Web, Web 2.0, Social Media, Social Networks, new mobile technologies, ambient technologies, etc. Society too, can refer to society at large, or to certain aspects, of society, such as economy, ecology, politics, culture, etc., and includes both individuals and organizations. The fact that "ICTs-and-Society" involves the disciplines of information and computer science, economics, sociology and political science, psychology and philosophy, etc., and additionally transcends the academic boundaries and at least affects, if not integrates, stakeholders from politics, economy, organizations, and individuals, suggests that ICTs-and-Society is a transdisciplinary field of research par excellence.
The Effects of Technology and Innovation on Society
2012
Various models of the information society have been developed so far and they are so different from country to country that it would be rather unwise to look for a single, allencompassing definition. In our time a number of profound socio-economic changes are underway. The application of these theories and schools on ICT is problematic in many respects. First, as we stated above, there is not a single, widely used paradigm which has synthesised the various schools and theories dealing with technology and society. Second, these fragmented approaches do not have a fully-fledged mode of application to the relationship of ICT and (information) society. Third, SCOT, ANT, the evolutionary- or the systems approach to the history of technology when dealing with information society – does not take into account the results of approaches studying the very essence of the information age: information, communication and knowledge. The list of unnoticed or partially incorporated sciences, which focuses on the role of ICT in human information processing and other cognitive activities, is much longer.
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.
The social shaping of technology
Research policy, 1996
This paper reviews the growing body of research that explores 'the social shaping of technology' (SST) -how the design and implementation of technology are pattemed by a range of 'social' and 'economic' factors as well as narrowly 'technical' considerations. It shows how researchers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds were brought together by a critique of traditional conceptions of technology (for example, 'linear models' of innovation that privileged technological supply or restricted the scope of social inquiry into technology to assessing its ' impacts'). Though their analytical frameworks differ to a greater or lesser extent in terminology and approach, some explanatory concepts have emerged, and constitute an effective model of the innovation process. Here, it is suggested, SST offers a deeper understanding and also potentially broadens the technology policy agenda. These claims are assessed through a review of recent research into specific instances of social shaping, particularly in relation to information technology. Finally the article discusses some of the intellectual dilemmas in the field. Though the intellectual cross-fertilisation has been creative, points of tension and divergence between its constituent strands have resulted in some sharp controversies, which reflect upon the theoretical and policy claims of SST.
Communicating Power: Technological Innovation and Social Change in the Past, Present, and Futures
in response to a call for proposals on "Technology, Innovation, and Society" (hereafter TIS) from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Graduate Research at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. Focusing on category two (How does technology change the balance of power in society?), we were awarded a grant by the University of Hawai`i Foundation and agreed to a year-long research term commencing on January 1, 2012. In our research prospectus, we proposed to examine how communication technologies have contributed to changes in the structure of societies, and hence to the distribution of political power, in the past, at present, and in four alternative futures. We also proposed to rely on a survey and analysis of existing studies for our research into the past, produce original research on several contemporary events, utilize Futures Studies techniques of forecasting and scenario modeling in order to develop and present the possible four alternative futures, and develop a gaming platform based on our research. Journal of Futures Studies with significant contributions to the game from Aaron Rosa. Dr. Dator was responsible for the theoretical and historical portions of our research from the evolution of human language through the advent of television and the Internet. His research focused on how technologies shape what it means to be human with specific focus on dramatic shifts that sparked dramatic social change. Yee was responsible for gathering and analyzing information about contemporary communication technologies and their impacts from social media to emerging technologies. Her research emphasized the rise of new media and the nascent effects of communication technologies on various scales from bioengineering to big data. Sweeney took responsibility for research on theories of power and for the development of the game. His research examined modes of power that accounted for both the social and material aspects of technologies as well as methods and best practices for developing gameplay. Rosa contributed to gameplay by designing both the digital and actual artifacts used in the game, including the development of the mobile augmented reality (MAR) interface.
A Taxonomy of Theories about ICTs and Society
tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, 2010
How is the relationship between ICTs and society to be conceived of? And how is the relationship to be evaluated? These two questions form the basis upon which an ideal-typical categorisation of different theoretical approaches can be built. The scheme presented here allows to be aware of advantages and disadvantages of certain ways of theorising.
The Role Of Technology and Innovation In The Framework Of The Information Society
information society, 2012
The literature on the information society indicates that it is a still-developing field of research. It can be explained by the lack of consensus on basic definitions and research methods. There are also different judgments on the importance and the significance of the information society. Some social scientists write about a change of era, others emphasize parallelism with the past. There are some authors who expect that the information society will solve the problems of social inequalities, poverty and unemployment, while others blame it on the widening social gap between the information haves and have-nots. Various models of the information society have been developed so far and they are so different from country to country that it would be rather unwise to look for a single, all-encompassing definition. In our time a number of profound socio-economic changes are underway. Almost every field of our life is affected by the different phenomena of globalization, beside the growing role of the individual; another important characteristic of this process is the development of an organizing principle based on the free creation, distribution, access and use of knowledge and information. The 1990s and the 21st century is undoubtedly characterized by the world of the information society (as a form of the post-industrial society), which represents a different quality compared to the previous ones. The application of these theories and schools on ICT is problematic in many respects. First, as we stated above, there is not a single, widely used paradigm which has synthesized the various schools and theories dealing with technology and society. Second, these fragmented approaches do not have a fully-fledged mode of application to the relationship of ICT and (information) society. Third, SCOT, ANT, the evolutionary- or the systems approach to the history of technology – when dealing with information society – does not take into account the results of approaches (such as information science or information systems literature or social informatics, information management and knowledge management, communication and media studies) studying the very essence of the information age: information, communication and knowledge. The list of unnoticed or partially incorporated sciences, which focuses on the role of ICT in human information processing and other cognitive activities, is much longer.