Technology: the driving force of culture in a society
The theory that provides a causative link between technology and a society’s nature.
UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
Technological determinism is the theory that technology is the primary force of our culture, that it shapes human life and induces cultural and social change. During the 1960s, communication theorist Herbert Marshall McLuhan became widely renowned for his studies of the influence of mass media on thought and behavior. He coined the statement “The medium is the message,” which means that the form a message is conveyed (print, visual, musical, etc.) defines how it is received. McLuhan argued that new electronic media (such as radio, television, films, and computers) could have far-reaching sociological, aesthetic, and philosophical consequences, eventually altering our views of the environment.
STRONG POINTS
- Knowledge is delivered more quickly through digital news sources.
Headline news are quickly covered online by multiple digital media outlets compared to traditional newspapers that arrive at the front door the following day.
- It saves time for something else.
Newer technology brings simplicity to society for them to focus on other things. A person can, for example, deposit a check using their smartphone instead of going to the bank.
- Technology shapes us. It creates amazing tools and resources, putting useful information at our fingertips.
Our lives have also become easier, faster, better, and more enjoyable due to technological advancements.
LIMITATIONS
- Print may eventually become extinct.
According to a Pew Research Center study, U.S. newspaper circulation fell in 2018 to its lowest level since 1940.
- It may take a long time for society to catch up to new technology, which may be costly.
Not everyone has the same means to have the latest smartphone or access to the internet’s highest speed. Learning technological advances will take time for people of all ages.
- Do we want to build technology that surpasses us, dominates us, and take over us?
This scenario has been depicted in several science fiction films.
