Notes
from Chapter 18: Society
and Technological Change
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The
ideas and examples referenced below are notes compiled by Robert Keel from his reading of Volti, Rudi. 2014. Society and Technological Change. 7th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. They are intended for classroom
use.
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Technology and Its Creators: Who is in Charge of Whom?
- Technology is
a human creation
- One distinctive
feature of the human race is that it creates technologies to extend its natural
capabilities
Technological Determinism
- Technological
Determinism is the belief that technology acts as an independent force
in our lives and thought.
- If this is true,
we have become the servant of technology rather than its master.
- Technology does
have a significant impact
on almost every area of our lives.
- BUT,
a purely technological deterministic view is perhaps unwarranted, it takes technological change as a given.
Technological
Advance and Cultural Lag
- W. F.
Ogburn (Sociologist, 1930s): Attributed increase of black migration
from the South to technology: the automatic stoker.
- Allowed for
production of more powerful locomotives (longer trains and the jobs associated
with the railroad).
- Developed concept
of Cultural Lag: Habits,
thoughts, values, and social arrangements often fail to change at the same
speed as technological innovation.
- This theory
is not without its flaws:
- Social, economic,
and political processes play a part in technological advance.
- Demonstrating the connection between technological change and socio-cultural change can be difficult (spread of automobile ownership and sexual behavior in the early 20th century, violence on TV and its influence on behavior, spread of ICTs and the impact on social skills).
- When does society "catch up"?
- Not all technologies
are fully accommodated into culture (work and gender roles).
- Some technologies
reach widespread acceptance quickly, while others languish.
- Issue of the assumption of a unified socio-cultural system perhaps some groups do not value particular technologies--is this "lag"?
- Also, the implicit
notion that technology is progressive while social cultural
elements stand in the way of progress is unrealistic.
Convergence
Theory
- Closely associated with
technological determinism.
- Opportunities and demands
presented by modern technology promote the convergence of all societies toward
a single set of social patterns and individual behavior.
- Technological development
requires a fixed series of steps and stages that all countries must follow.
- Technology imposes
similar organizational constraints on a society.
- In response to technological
imperatives, values and behavior patterns reflect the rational approach
to life that was described in the first chapter of Volti book.
- Implicit is the expectation
that technological advance in non-Western countries will result in cultural
homogenization (Modernization Theory).
- "Backward" countries
will take on the "superior" technology.
- Some countries, such
as China, have had great resistance to this notion: China has overall hostility
toward foreign technology.
- Third World countries
often view foreign technology with apprehension as well. They fear it will
disrupt traditional values and practices.
Does technology
destroy all existing social and cultural patterns?
- This fear is
unwarranted to a large extent.
- Japan: has
maintained traditional values and beliefs in spite of rapid technological
change (Baseball in Japan).
- Brazil: Oil
workers hold values more similar to farmers in their country than oil workers
in India or Ghana.
- Cultural Hybridization.
"Clearly
there are no rigid compulsory relationships between a modern industrial economy
and the entirety of its complex, multifaceted environment. Rather there is a
wide range of links, direct and indirect, tight and loose, exclusive and partial,
and each industrializing society develops its own combination of elements to
fit its traditions, possibilities, and circumstances." David Landes (quoted in Volti, page 354)
Technological
Change and Social Relationships
- "Society"
and "Culture" are not objective, neatly organized entities
- There are dominant
groups, subcultural groups, in-groups, and out-groups that influence and are influenced by technology
"In
considering the influence that technology in general or any single technology
has over human affairs, it is therefore necessary to consider not only the technology
and its presumed imperatives, but also the key human agents of the
technology, the organizations in which they operate, and how these influence
the course of technological change." (page 257 4th edition)
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Questions (pages 363-364):
-
Which 20th Century technology has produced more changes
in our lives: Television or Automobile? What have their consequences been? Are these consequences
solely due to these technologies, or have these technologies interacted with
other sources of change?
-
Which technologies seem to confront the greatest amount
of cultural lag? Why? Are lags necessarily bad? Do they serve
any constructive purpose?
- All the world's large steel mills, airports, and power
plants use very similar technology and look pretty much the same. Does
this suggest the activities that take place inside them are the same?
How might cultural differences manifest themselves?
- Globalization has enriched our cultural lives and has brought a number of economic benefits. At the same time, it has been the source of a fair number of disruptions, some of them, like lost jobs, quite serious. Should anything be done to restrain globalization? Is it even possible?
- McDonald's fast food restaurants have spread around the world. They are all about the same--food, decor, ambiance. Is McDonald's a harbinger of a U.S.-based universal world culture? What sort of forces stand in opposition to it?
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URL:
http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/280/soctechchange/soctech18.htm
Owner: Robert O. Keel: rok@umsl.edu
Last Updated:
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:53