Technological determinism is a theory that suggests that technological developments shape and control human behavior and society as a whole. This theory was popularized by Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher and communication theorist, in the mid-20th century.
According to McLuhan, new technologies have a profound impact on society and culture, often leading to major societal changes. He believed that each new technology, whether it be the printing press or the internet, creates a new medium of communication that shapes the way we think and interact with the world around us. McLuhan argued that these new technologies do not simply facilitate communication, but rather they create new ways of thinking and understanding the world.
One of McLuhan's most famous ideas is the concept of the "global village," which refers to the idea that new communication technologies have the ability to connect people across the globe in a way that was previously unimaginable. McLuhan believed that the global village created by these technologies would lead to a more interconnected and harmonious world, where people from different cultures and backgrounds could easily communicate and share ideas.
However, McLuhan also acknowledged that new technologies can have negative consequences, as they can lead to a loss of traditional ways of life and cultural practices. For example, the introduction of the printing press led to the mass production of books and a proliferation of information, but it also led to the decline of oral traditions and the loss of certain cultural knowledge.
Overall, McLuhan's theory of technological determinism suggests that new technologies have a significant impact on society and culture, and that they shape the way we think and interact with the world. While these technologies can bring about positive changes and increased connectivity, they can also lead to the loss of traditional ways of life and cultural practices.
Technological Determinism: Theoretical Stances
Location in Eight 8 Primary Communication Theory Textbooks: Anderson, R. Snyder approached the aspect of technological determinism in his concept: 'politics of inevitability'. University of California Press. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. The 'interiorization' of writing is typically seen as leading to thinking which is more rational, logical, abstract, detached, decontextualized and critical than thinking prior to the acquisition of literacy. Grand theories ignore the importance of socio-historical contexts. Ong 1982 argued that writing fundamentally changed human society forever allowing it to break free from the limits imposed by the oral transmission of knowledge.
Technological Determinism
The sacrifice we make for this enhancement is an unnoticed auto-amputation that, combined with and Narcissistic desire and a bit of virtual phantom limb syndrome, forces us to both marvel at our feat and simultaneous experience strong senses of detachment and, eventually, conflict. Knowledge was held exclusively in the mind and human history was shared through the generations like a big game of telephone. Technoculture: From Alphabet to Cybersex. Jonathan Benthall argues that 'a complete historical analysis of any technology must study the reciprocal action between technical and social factors - "social" including economic, political, legal and cultural' Benthall 1976, p. Rather than acknowledging that a society or culture interacts with and even shapes the technologies that are used, a technological determinist view holds that "the uses made of technology are largely determined by the structure of the technology itself, that is, that its functions follow from its form" For example, we could examine why Romance Novels have become so dominant in our society compared to other forms of novels like the Detective or Western novel. Regarding numbers, he held that every individual in a theater enjoys all those others present.
Technological Determinism
Voluntarist stances can be somewhat naive in overlooking the issue of unpredicted, unintended consequences. SM connects people across cultures, religions, and boundaries and let them feel members of a single community. This meant that these books could be mass-produced for the wider public. Social Limits to Economic Theory. Clearly, some societies benefitted more from writing Western Europe than others African nations. According to Winner, technology is not the slave of the human being but rather humans are slaves to technology as they are forced to adapt to the technological environment that surrounds them. In his influential book The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man, McLuhan argued that the invention of the printing press was a decisive technological breakthrough that changed human society forever.
Marshal McLuhanÂ’s Technological Determinism Theory in the Arena of Social Media
Journal of Communication, 55, 71—84. It is the tool of money that enables men to take a trip of the world and serve as spreader of information, wisdom and culture. Feudalism remained the dominant mode of political and social organization in European society for nearly a millennium White, 1962. Pew internet and American life project report. As a matter of fact, I'm completely ready to junk any statement I've ever made about any subject if events don't bear me out, or if I discover it isn't contributing to an understanding of the problem. They say that technologies such as writing or print or television or the computer 'changed society'.
