Agreement with and concerns over Technology Determinism
When people just step into a new research field, it is likely for them to change the side they stand or the faith they believe from time to time as fresh ideas are continuously absorbed, and me is no exclusion.
In last week's post, I negated the dominant power of technology, saying that the power of it is entitled by society and people. While after learning about Technology Determinism Theory in last session of ICT course, I could see exact examples of revolutions initiated by technologies and thus got the point of this controversial theory. For example, some materials or chemical elements were found in coincidence and only after studying them carefully could scientists determine what contributions they would make to our society. Such technologies are not constructed in our daily social practices but their emergence may hugely change our daily life. As for IT technology, it is also easy to find cases that techniques or concepts go far beyond our everyday needs. With portable devices invented, we find our study, entertainment, work and communication are facilitated a lot. Equipped with a light MacBook for the classes and a smart phone for daily life, adding a tablet at most for some recreation, lots of people including me would ask for no more.
That said, technologies do have determinism to some extent, and that's what we ought to concern carefully about. Big data, for example, has changed the researching method or range of service in so many fields while it also bring about some side effects which are articulated in Critical Questions for Big Data: Provocations for a Cultural, Technological, and Scholarly Phenomenon. Do we give too much credit on the objectivity and accuracy to the outcome of big data analysis? Do we give the outcome its context to correctly understand what happens? Do we add our own biases in choosing, filtering or explaining data and what about the data errors? How do we eliminate the inequalities in access to the database? So many new questions appear along with the emergence of technologies, while technology is obviously not the one to blame. Even if technology determines the forward direction of our voyage, we are the one to steer the ship, manage the speed and reach the destination. And in doing so, The Reader-to-Leader Framework suggest a helpful perspective. Encouraging users to shift their roles from readers to leaders not only help producers make bigger influence, but also help ourselves to seize more initiative when dealing with technologies.
In last week's post, I negated the dominant power of technology, saying that the power of it is entitled by society and people. While after learning about Technology Determinism Theory in last session of ICT course, I could see exact examples of revolutions initiated by technologies and thus got the point of this controversial theory. For example, some materials or chemical elements were found in coincidence and only after studying them carefully could scientists determine what contributions they would make to our society. Such technologies are not constructed in our daily social practices but their emergence may hugely change our daily life. As for IT technology, it is also easy to find cases that techniques or concepts go far beyond our everyday needs. With portable devices invented, we find our study, entertainment, work and communication are facilitated a lot. Equipped with a light MacBook for the classes and a smart phone for daily life, adding a tablet at most for some recreation, lots of people including me would ask for no more.
But at the annual new products conference of those technological companies, your ideas about advanced technologies are still refreshed. Google glasses teach you to recognize the strangers you meet; iWatch teaches you to monitor your own health; Tesla tells you without license you may be able to use your car in the future; and now iPhone X offers you to unlock your device with your face. These technologies create new necessities for us and change our life style, hopefully they would realize some revolution (if they do better than Google glasses).
That said, technologies do have determinism to some extent, and that's what we ought to concern carefully about. Big data, for example, has changed the researching method or range of service in so many fields while it also bring about some side effects which are articulated in Critical Questions for Big Data: Provocations for a Cultural, Technological, and Scholarly Phenomenon. Do we give too much credit on the objectivity and accuracy to the outcome of big data analysis? Do we give the outcome its context to correctly understand what happens? Do we add our own biases in choosing, filtering or explaining data and what about the data errors? How do we eliminate the inequalities in access to the database? So many new questions appear along with the emergence of technologies, while technology is obviously not the one to blame. Even if technology determines the forward direction of our voyage, we are the one to steer the ship, manage the speed and reach the destination. And in doing so, The Reader-to-Leader Framework suggest a helpful perspective. Encouraging users to shift their roles from readers to leaders not only help producers make bigger influence, but also help ourselves to seize more initiative when dealing with technologies.
Hi Joan,
ReplyDeleteVery insightful post. I agree, it is so fascinating to learn the compelling reasons for both technological determinism and the opposing social viewpoint. My views are evolving as well (though I find myself still, despite much vacillation, somewhere in the middle).
I, like you, am also amazed at how new technology will advance us in the near future as much as we advanced when bulky desktop computers became highly mobile laptops, then phones and tablets. It feels like we are poised on the brink of a second computer revolution; I eagerly look forward to better health tracking through devices like the Apple Watch (I also read that earbuds can actually read heart rate quite well through the pulse of blood vessels in the delicate inner part of the ear, and think that Apple Watch and other fitness bands are just the beginning--for example, wearable tech such as long-sleeve fitness shirts and fitness tights that can gather and transmit much more data than a watch on a wrist). I believe solar will continue to advance until every sunny roof has a panel on it, reducing fossil fuel consumption. And yes, the next wave of "Google glasses" with full-fledged AR capabilities will be coming in the next several years or so!
With so many devices spreading ubiquitously in society (and constantly gathering data), it does seem to pose many questions about big data. It almost feels like a new form of technological imperialism is on its way. For example, Russia's cyber-meddling with the American presidential election and the crippling computer ransomware hacks seem to portend a future where the most advanced cyber-militaries will enjoy a frightening advantage. North Korea, which presumably hacked Sony Pictures a while ago for releasing the comedy film making fun of Kim Jong Un, would seem to be putting major efforts into their cybermilitary in order to achieve military competitiveness with the US.
In addition, having learned about Facebook and the way its founder, Eric Zuckerberg, spoke and behaved, I am highly skeptical of corporations' use of big data. It is too easy to eschew widely-shared, communal values for the sake of individual/corporate greed. Only when Facebook received major backlash for its overstepping of boundaries did FB and Zuckerberg retreat and begin to truly respect its userbase.
Whenever anyone hears the phrase "big data" or "data science", it feels like the beginning of the 49ers Gold Rush, evoking a spirit of anticipation at technological rewards that will cascade over all of society. However, I agree with you in that it is of the utmost important for society to monitor ethics, defend the rights of users, and enforce the rule of law in the realm of big data (and deep learning, an incredibly powerful new field that relies heavily on large amounts of data).
Daniel Ahn
Hi Daniel,
DeleteI really enjoy reading your comment as it is full of insightful thoughts and innovative ideas. I just want to make minor correction that Facebook's founder is Mark Zuckerberg, not Eric. When I read that sentence, I felt so surprised and had to Google to double check my memory :).
I am on your side. Thank you for your detailed explanation about how new technology advance our life by providing specific examples. I always believe that there is a mutual influence between human/ social needs and technology. The most important thing is how human decide to put technology in use in various fields in our life. But I hardly came up with accurate examples. Thank you! Therefore, I can't agree more with your saying "Even if technology determines the forward direction of our voyage, we are the one to steer the ship, manage the speed and reach the destination".
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