Essay on Technological Determinism

The Technological Somnambulism by Langdon Winner Claims on the events of how the society is deciding and assuming the concept of technology and classifies it into two categories. The first classification involves that making of the technology while the second group revolves around the use of technology. During the making of the technology, different issues arise, and it involves a long process before the creation. Question s such as how long it will take and how much it will cost start emerging, and this is now the method assumes the next category on how it is meant to develop and benefit the society as a whole.

However, for the technological determinism, it involves a reductionist process or theory that looks into the provision of causative bonds and links between the nature of the society and technology. The theory explains who or what should deliver a controlling power in social happenings and affairs. Mostly, it questions the degree to which the human activities and incidents are influenced by the factors and events of technological factors. Within the concept of technological determinism, the notion behind technology assumes that is the force that drives culture in the community and society and also goes further and determines that stages and course of history among other essential implications.

Moreover, both concepts define the ability of technology to influence the society cultures and also the human activities with their behaviors. In their description, one may distinguish technological determinism from technological somnambulism in that, technological determinism acts as an agent with the power to control the human activities while technological somnambulism defines on the concept of the society implementing the use of these technologies.

Technological determinism may cover a series of occurrences whereby the involved technology may be in a hard form or soft form. As for this case, it gives details based on a hard type of technology since they are dominant and irresistible. The example involves cell phones. Cellphones are a technology since they entail most of the scientific arts that in one way or the other impact the practices and happenings in the society. Also, cell phones do not only impact the community by their implementation but even concerning their usage as their change is dominant. In one way or the other, it affects the daily life in different ways whereby they may be positively or negatively depending on the position of the occurrences. People can now interact with each other regardless of the distance among other things. The technology has improved interaction and communication all over the world. As a negative implication, the technology is deteriorating the morals of the society at different perspectives which in most cases are hard to realize.

Additionally, thinking of the object as technology is surprising since people are already used to the use. Most of the humans cannot go a day without looking into their phones which had made them a part of the society and the society can no longer do without them. This everyday object affects the definition of technology considering different assumptions. The technique involves science that changes and develops the use of things or practices, for instance, weapons used today in war. With the predicament concerning cellphones being a technology, it is dominating the society and affecting the people by getting them attached to the object. As a result, it implies technology as an application that manipulates human life. Correspondingly, the ability of an occurrence to impact the activities of the people and the society as a whole may gain definition as a technology.

Human activities may gain the definition of the technologies. For instance, technology aims at developing the happenings and events within the society by giving them a better life. It entails the invention of simpler and better ways to tackle happening which conform to every assumption of the functions of technology. Thus, techniques help shapes and define the human activity by ensuring the provision of better approaches to things and also influencing the perception of the human events.

On the other hand, technologies reflect significantly and reinforce cultural values. The lives of people are becoming dependent on these changes and advancements in technology. The technology strengthens cultural values whereby, it confirms the ability to build a better society and community. On several occasions, things happen that harm the cultural values, especially technology. However, considering and weighing in between the disadvantages and the advantages, the techniques have helped reinforce social laws. For example, in the healthcare delivery in the different cultures, education, among other ways that develop and upgrade the contexts of life.

To sum everything up, technology renders both positive and negative changes to the involved cultures. Positively, technology advancements are simplifying the way things are done, which in return results to saving time, increase productivity, streamline interaction, and also improve education and healthcare. Negatively, these technologies are delivering laziness in the cultures, creates dependence on certain things that may lead to addiction, may affect the environment and also render risk both in health and relations.