Technological Determinism

Technological Determinism, also known as Medium Theory, is a theory that states that technology is the agent of social change. Technology is the force behind the development of society and our culture. The theory explains the relationship between technology and society. It also explains that society will always be affected by the technology. According to Jennifer Slack and J. McGregor Wise’s book “Culture & Technology: A Primer”, the authors explain technology as the central consideration in the development of modern culture. They also point out that technology plays the central role of cultural change. Langdon Winner also describes technological determinism as the belief that technological change is the single most important source of change in a society. 

Technology is important in today's world because it serves a variety of functions in many of the most important aspects of modern society, like education, communication, business and scientific progress. A perfect example of technological determinism today is the invention of the internet. Especially in this generation, it has become a huge part of people’s lives. With the internet, people have access to communications, information, forms of entertainment, and opportunity. In recent times, the internet has grown more than it had done since it was invented. According to nbcnews, the internet is the world’s largest and most unruly library, it’s also a global news channel, social club, research archive, shopping service, town hall, and multimedia kiosk. It would be hard to imagine the world without internet. The internet still continues to improve and influence our evolution today.  

Another example of technological determinism is the invention of the cellphone. Cellphones have changed the way that people interact with each other. In fact, the cellphone nowadays have been said to be a tool that makes people anti-social and that it makes people lose communication. All thanks to the cellphone, people are able to contact and reach people from different parts of the world, at any place and at any time. Worried parents no longer have to worry about the safety of their children because they can ensure their children are safe when given a cellphone, people in the professional world are able to do business even away from the office, emergency services can be reached with just one call away. Cellphones also changed the way people multitask; they can refer to maps and gps’s for directions, use the internet when looking for information and take pictures of precious moments. Indeed, the cellphone has made people’s lives easier.

Third example of technological determinism is the invention of the computer. The computer has changed our lives completely; especially in the academic world and the medical industry. In the medical industry emerging technologies and computer developments have been of significant advantage. The life support systems all run using computers. Additionally, the records and databases of the patients can all be saved once in computers and accessed each time the patient visits the hospital. The availability of useful medical information on the Internet has also impacted the medical field; patients and doctors use the Internet as a source of useful medical and health care information.

Technology impacts society both in positive and negatives ways. Although the pros outweigh the cons, it is how people use technology that determines the impact either positively or negatively. With the examples given, it is made clear that technology affects the way individuals communicate, learn, and think; that indeed there is a relationship between society and technology. It helps define society and determines how one interacts with others on a daily basis. It continues to change our values and choices. Just like words, technology can either break us or make us. As long as new technologies and innovations are introduced to society, society will continue to change.