Technological Determinism and Technological Somnambulism.

Technological Determinism and Technological Somnambulism.

Introduction

Technology is a broad term referring to the process by which tools, instruments, services, and machines are created on invented by use of skills, knowledge, and techniques that manipulate the environment to meet the needs of people and make work much easier and more efficient (Olohan 270). Technology has both negative and positive effects on society. The adverse effects are often overlooked, and people focus mainly on the positive side.  Several theorists such as Langdon winner have come up to exploit the effect technology has on the social, democratic, and environment that are not taken into consideration. Winner considers technology as a humanmade aid to human activities. The assistance can be instrumented, such as computers and guns, techniques, and systems such as educational and agricultural systems that work hand in hand to make work and life easier and comfortable for a man (Winner 13). Winner looks into the effects and nature of technology on society.

Most of the people who use technology are not so much interested in criticizing it because advancement in technology is seen progress in society. Most politicians base their arguments on the improvement of technology to lure people into voting for them. The accomplishments of technology are only taken into account, and the drawbacks not taken into consideration. Another reason why most people don’t criticize technology is that it is viewed as being neutral. It can be used either to do good or harm. Whether it does good or bad is determined by the user; therefore, technology is neutral as it is not bad or good.

In a real sense, technology is not neutral. Technology is responsible for the structure of the organization and the thinking of humans. Technology not only makes work efficient for men but also reshapes the true meaning of activities and their purpose. An example is the introduction of a biochemical analyzer in a hospital not only makes diagnosis easier but also changes the people’s view things, and their real purpose is altered (winner 147).

When a new form of technology is built, the normal functioning of human activities is changed, further instructions are formulated, and a new world starts being constructed. The side effects are bot evaluated as people concentrated on the primary purpose of the technology, which is to make work efficient. Technology is responsible for modernization. Human evolution is attributed to technology. Technology changes peoples’ lives completely. The changes include thinking, feeding and sleeping patterns, dressing, social relationships, and ideas of self. For example, in the last few decades, people identified themselves with the vast lands and herds of cows they owned, but today, people identify themselves with tools of technology. How many cars they own, how expensive their mobile phones are, and how many followers they have on social media.

 Difference between technological Determinism and technological somnambulism

In his book “the whale and the reactor,” Winner discusses two main aspects of technology: sleepwalking, also called technological somnambulism and Technological Determinism. Both ideas or viewpoints explain the consequences or effects of technology on society. Technological Determinism was first coined by an American socialist by the name Thorstein Veblen in the period between 1857 to 1929. Winner coined the term technological somnambulism.

Technological Determinism

Technological Determinism is a reductionist concept that technology influences the culture, structure, and history of a society. Technology is the driving or principle force behind changes in society. Technological innovations are inevitable, and thus society is bound to change. Two significant ideas come up when discussing technological Determinism (Doe 1048). The idea that technological development flows a path that can be predicted and traced that politics and culture have little effect. The second idea is once a new technology has been introduced, the society organizes itself to support the latest technology.

Two primary forms of technological Determinism exist. The soft and hard types. Hard Determinism suggests that technology develops on its own without any social interruptions. Technology controls social activity, and the meaning of the event as Hard Determinism acts as a potent force. The society is compelled to put in place plans that meet the needs of the technology (Ratulo et al. 1837). The community has no freedom to make decisions about technology output. Soft Determinism examines the interaction of technology with social and political issues. Soft Determinism still shows that technology is the cause of change in society but also suggests that man has a choice to determine what the outcome of the technology will be. It does not indicate the existence of a free will, but one can predict the outcome.  William Fielding suggested another form of soft Determinism in 1922, which states inventions that lead to advanced technology come with consequences, and man or humans must adjust to it. A cultural Lag presides the adjustment

Technological Determinism is often subject to criticism. Technology never imposes itself on people. The man decides to create technology, and he is the one to decide whether to use it or not. Technology requires people to participate freely. It does not take into consideration the choices that might arise during transformation. Technological change will take place either we like it or not. The only option left is for people to accept it (Winner 16). Change is inevitable.

An example of technological Determinism is the invention of a gun. The design of firearms has led to several changes in society. It has changed the way wars are fought. Before the invention of weapons, wars were fought using spears and arrows. Colonizers had arms while the countries being colonized and weaker weapons one of the reasons African countries were defeated. The resolution of disputes has changed since the introduction of guns. Users of arms require minimal training. This has led to increased crimes. The guns can be accessed by everyone and anymore, leading to killings and insecurity. One can fire at a distance, making identification a challenge.  Courts no longer hang victims of crime; instead, they are short, which is more comfortable and less time-consuming. Nuclear energy used to make nuclear weapons is the next form of defense to be used in war.

Technological somnambulism

Mostly used in the philosophy of technology.  Somnambulism is technically inferring to the engagement in activities with little interest and being unaware of the impacts it has on society and the immediate environment (McDonagh and Oliver 60).  When it comes to technology, people are uninterested in seeing the effect, especially on the negative side, as they concentrate more on the merits. Several factors contribute to the noctambulism; these are the view that technology is a neutral tool that can be used for the wrong or right function; hence, technology is neither good nor bad; it depends on how the user manipulates it. Since technology is viewed as a tool, it postulated that it could be easily separated from humans. The lifelong consequences are dealt with.

Another factor for somnambulism is the separation of the manufacturers who make and developers technology from the uses of technology. Inventors, engineers, and maintenance specialists are changed with developing technologies. They know the working principles; in case of breakdowns, they can troubleshoot where the problem is and come up with a solution. Users of technology don’t know anything about it (Ratulo et al., 1842). They use a tool and, once finished, return the instrument. For example, a driver uses a car to move from one place to another; in case of breakdown, they take the vehicle to a mechanic to repair it since he doesn’t know anything about cars. Since the mechanic understands the working of a vehicle, he fixes it. The users of technology have little to no information about technology. All they do is use technology and let it slide. In case of any problem or breakdown, they can do nothing about it.

The technology builds a new world’s around us. Innovations and interventions cause the development of a society different from the old culture that was in existence. Patterns of human activity are changing (McDonagh and Oliver 63). For example, before advancement in technology, people could walk long distances on foot, mobile phones were not readily available, natural herbs were used for medication. With the improvement in technology new, a wide range of unique activities has developed. Communication is faster using mobile phones, emails. Conventional medicine is replacing herbal medicine, and modern transport systems have been developed. People are less concerned with the consequences of technology as they are being swayed by the technology due to tremendous profits and efficiency experienced.

An example of technological somnambulism is internet communication. People become so much addicted to the use of phones for communication through various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. People are ever busy with their phones and become insensitive to the environment around them. With time the physical form of communication such as face to face talk becomes cumbersome for people as they are used to Talking while behind the screen. They cannot express themselves people and can quickly fail interviews. Those who don’t have smartphones and laptops for communication are seen as being weak and out of date. People grade themselves with the number of followers they have on social media and how expensive their gadgets are. The side effects go unnoticed but appear later in life. Communication online can also lead to cybercrime, a crime that was not on existence, while technology was not advanced. Cybercrime has changed the way of life of people. Password is used to protect accounts from being hacked and stealing of information which could be shared on social media. Laws are being enforced against perpetrators of cybercrime. Victims of cybercrimes have psychological, emotional, and physical effects that hinder performance in full potential at their work and school, leading to an economic slowdown.

Why sleepwalking is a problem according to Langdon Winner

People don’t reflect or think about the effects technology has on the people and the society at large. Little or no attention is paid to changes that occur in the structure of society and human existence due to technology. Consideration is only paid to whether technology is efficient in service delivery, and the profits made are tremendous. The effects of technology are often chronic. They come up or are seen when its too later as side effects. No evaluation is carried out on any pending innovations to find out the danger of the pause.  People enter contracts with technology whose terms of service are revealed later when the contract is signed. People involved cannot do anything about the agreement even if they realize some faults later on because they have appended their signatures.

Conclusion

Langdon Winner understands technology to be the instruments, techniques, and systems that provide humanmade or artificial aid to human activity. He discusses two theories on technology: technological somnambulism and Technological Determinism. Determinism is that technology is responsible for the changes that occur in society, while somnambulism is the idea that changes occur in the community due to technology and go unnoticed. Winner rejects the idea of Determinism as change is bound to happen, and nothing can be done about it but to accept as it comes. He also concludes that people should not sleepwalk in the process of redefining our society and lives.

 

 

 

Work Cited

Dafoe, Allan. “On technological determinism: A typology, scope conditions, and a mechanism.” Science, Technology, & Human Values 40.6 (2015): 1047-1076.

McDonagh, Adrian, and Oliver McGarr. “Technology leadership or technology somnambulism? Exploring the discourse of integration amongst information and communication technology coordinators.” Irish Educational Studies 34.1 (2015): 55-68.

Olohan, Maeve. “Technology, translation, and society.” Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 29.2 (2017): 264-283.

Rotolo, Daniele, Diana Hicks, and Ben R. Martin. “What is emerging technology?.” Research Policy 44.10 (2015): 1827-1843.

Winner, Langdon. “Where technological determinism went.” Visions of STS: Counterpoints in science, technology, and society studies (2001): 11-17.