midterm exam: 2nd half of chapter 3

Question 1

True or False: No single approach adequately describes the complex interrelationship between technology and society?

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What can be said about theoretical perspectives on tech?

Answer 2

• Divergent perspectives each shed light on different aspects of technological society
• early theoretical perspectives represent simplistic views of this intersection
• More recent ones shed greater light on the relationship between technology and society

Question 3

What is the utopian view on technology?

Answer 3

• embrace technology as a new means of achieving progress and efficiency

-allows us to dominate and manage nature, leading to advancements in how we produce material goods

Question 4

What is the dystopian view on technology?

Answer 4

• technology “threatens established ways of life” and is thus seen as a regressive force
• View technology as hindering us to combat of key problems of our times

Question 5

Feenberg’s (1999) theoretical model distinguishes between what two central dimensions?

Answer 5

• Neutral vs Value-Laden
• Autonomous vs Human Controlled

Question 6

What is the Neutral vs Value Laden central dimension?

Answer 6

Neutral = tech as separate from human activity, with no effect on natural ends
- Neutralization of tech hinders any in-depth analysis of social change (50dollarsnotfiftyshades)

V-L = technology is actively shaping or being shaped by culture, politics, or social values
any new experience realized through technology is seen as progress for the entire human race
- eg. humans landed on the moon

Question 7

What is the Autonomous vs Human Controlled central dimension?

Answer 7

Auto = humans have little choice in deciding how the tech will evolve and diffuse in society
- tech propels and alters the development of social structures and cultural values
- once introduced into an environment - key factor in determining the direction of social change and progress

H-C = tech is controlled by humans and that it is a socially constructed entity, whose meaning and use is determined by human action
- people as having a choice in selecting and deciding how techs will be used, determining the value given to a particular tech

Question 8

What four theories did Feenberg (1999) identify that exist along the two dimensions that are tech-society intersection?

Answer 8

• Determinism
• Instrumentalism
• Substantivism
• Critical Theory

Question 9

determinisms 2 opposing views?

Answer 9

(1) Technological determinism = tech is the driving force in developing the structure of society and culture
- tech directs and shapes social interactions

(2) Social determinism = sees factors in society as creating specific uses of tech
- Social norms, attitudes, cultural practices, and religious beliefs are perceived as directly impacting how tech is used and what its social consequences are

neutral and autonomous

Question 10

instrumentalism?

Answer 10

• tech as a neutral tool or instrument whose purpose is to fulfill users’ specific tasks
• can be used for either positive or negative reasons depending on the moral intentions of the human agents who employ them
• evolutionary process in which technologies are the product of previous technological endeavours

human controlled and neutral

Question 11

substantivism?

Answer 11

tech brings forth new social, political, and cultural systems, which it then structures and controls

• tech act as an independent force and is uncontrollable by humans,
• Nature of the technology (used to liberate or destruct) predetermines how the tech will be utilized and its subsequent impacts on society
• eg. automic bombs putting fear in people

value laden and autonomous

Question 12

critical theory?

Answer 12

• Tech is the product of both technical and social factors
• understood within the context of its use and development
• process which directs a specific mode of living and understanding

technocracy = tech embodies the values, social structures, and goals of hegemonic elites
- ruling class dominates through the use of technologies that subserve their needs

participatory democratic actions offer an alternative to the technocracy through tactical resistance
- tech used for democratic aims

value laden and human controlled

Question 13

what is STS or science and tech studies?

Answer 13

interdisciplinary field that studies how scientific and tech changes intersect with society

Question 14

what are the 2 main challenges that STS confronts?

Answer 14

1. aims at conducting meaningful research at the micro and macro levels
2. neither embraces a fully utopian nor dystopian perspective of technology

Question 15

what are the 4 main characteristics of STS?

Answer 15

1. rejection of tech determinism
2. rejection of social determinism
3. holistic approach
4. qualitative methods

Question 16

STS rejects the notion of tech determinism where……

Answer 16

tech is perceived as the agent of social, political, cultural, and econ change

Question 17

STS rejects the notion of social determinism where……

Answer 17

the investor of technology alone drives technological progress without any consideration of the social system in which an investigation occurs

• society determines what tech is used and its consequences

Question 18

what does STS say in terms of taking a holistic approach?

Answer 18

intends to study the entire sociotechnical system and not just the social, political, cultural and econ dimensions separately

Question 19

why do STS use qualitative methods?

Answer 19

use to provide in-depth examination of sociotechinal system that generate rich descriptions
eg. case studies and ethnographies

Question 20

Social construction of tech advocates see human action as shaping tech

Answer 20

true

• new tech emerges and gather meanings through social norms
• tech object can acquire diff uses and values depending on social context

Question 21

what are the 4 key concepts that have emerged within SCOT?

Answer 21

1. relevant social groups
2. interpretive flexibility
3. closure and stabilitization
4. wider context

Question 22

what does the concept of “relevant social groups” entail?

Answer 22

• important due to their influence in attributing meaning to the artifact through interacting with likeminded social groups, who share a similar opinion about the artifact and its uses
• without social support, new or existing technology can fail to be adopted within a group, causing both new and older products to be out dated

Question 23

what happened in the video game case study?

Answer 23

main idea: how world of video games can be seen as a “heavily negotiated terrain of activity.”

social group: children as users and consumers in 4 themes

Question 24

what are the 4 themes players were configured to?

Answer 24

1. Easily amused - limited opportunities for interaction, customization, and communication
2. “At risk”– contained safety feature to restrict the content that children could see and to limit their interactions with other players
3. Nice player– idealized form of children’s play through reinforcement of rules around appropriate behaviour
4. Consumer–involved some kind of currency that allowed player to purchase additional features or vitrual items (get further in game)

Question 25

what is interpretive flexibility and what does it entail?

Answer 25

how artifacts are not neutral, but their meaning emerges in a socio-cultural context - flexibility in how ppl think of or interpret artifacts, and in how artifacts are designed

Question 26

what does closure and stabilitization entail?

Answer 26

- as artifacts become popular - flexibility decreases as artifacts meaning become embedded Closure = moment at which the relevant social group has reached a consensus on what the tool is all about Stabilization = when the tool has been assigned a very specific use

Question 27

what does the "wider context" entail?

Answer 27

how the sociocultural and political situation of a social group shapes its norms and values, which in turn influence the meaning given to an artifact - norms and values powerful for interpreting artifacts and giving value to society eg. electrics cars then vs now

Question 28

what is the actor network theory?

Answer 28

views everything in the world as a continuously generated effect of web of relations within which they are located - ability to examine active processes and interconnected relationships between human and non-human actors

Question 29

what is at the core of understanding these relationships?

Answer 29

network - relations with ppl, interactions with organizations and objects - characterized by size, concentration of resources and fragility

Question 30

Two types of contours examined within ANT:

Answer 30

1. Spaces of prescription - network with a clearly defined and recognizable centre, overall stable and follows pre-established norms and rules 2. Spaces of negotiation - networks where connections are constantly renegotiated by various social actors

Question 31

"heterogeneous network of aligned interests, including people, organizations, and standards"

Answer 31

actor network

Question 32

"Creating a body of allies, human and non-human, through a process of translating their interests to be aligned with the actor network"

Answer 32

enrolment and translation

Question 33

what are delegates?

Answer 33

actors who “stand in and speak for” particular viewpoints that have been inscribed in them

Question 34

what is the black box immutable mobile?

Answer 34

frozen network element with strong properties of irreversibility, and effects that transcend time and space

Question 35

what are the 3 main limitations of the actor network theory?

Answer 35

1. heterogeneous actors and networks 2. networks remain vague 3. macro structures are ignored

Question 36

heterogeneous actors and network explained:

Answer 36

- all actors have equal significance ignoring the role of human agency in decision-making - ignores relevance of power and economic interests in technological developments

Question 37

networks remain vague explained:

Answer 37

structure and composition of networks are not sufficiently described and so are the connections that link various actors

Question 38

macro structures ignored explained:

Answer 38

Fails to consider role of macro-level social structures, social norms, and cultural practices in shaping the network

Question 39

what does the theoretical framework of affordances tell us?

Answer 39

allows us to understand what features, functions, and characteristics of digital media facilitate what kinds of social and information possibilities and constraints Affordances = how computers, apps, and interfaces together create a range of action possibilities (to invite or suggest a user action)

Question 40

how does gibson coin "affordances"?

Answer 40

how features of the environment create opportunities for good or ill in terms of an object - design of objects interacts with a person’s mental model and thereby elicits specific opportunities eg. the design of the door affords it when it tells you want to do (whether to push or pull)

Question 41

what did norman say about "affordances"?

Answer 41

context of human–computer interaction to refer to how computers create a range of action possibilities

Question 42

what are the social and informal benefits of affordances of social media?

Answer 42

- allows us to understand the development of social norms in digital communication and the link these to features - affordances in the educational context - aid designers to map social and information behaviours to features

Question 43

what happened in the fake news study?

Answer 43

- social and information affordances of social media facilitate the propagation of fake news Clickbait - attracts more likes, shares, and forwards, leading to rapid dissemination across social networks - these stories are often shared or liked by family, friends, and other trusted network members