Technological determinism

During the symposium on Wednesday, Elliot raised an interesting point on technological determinism. This theory postulates that technology is the force that shapes society. This coincided with what I read in the David Weinberger reading, Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web.

Over the course of history, we’ve seen new technologies sprout every year, every day. Someone somewhere is always cooking up new gadgets, new gizmos, new concepts never before seen or heard of. We’ve witnessed the birth of the printing press, the book, the television, the phone and so on. Has our society been altered through these technologies? Or were these technologies created as byproducts of our progressing society?

While I think it works both ways, I’m currently only able to come up with lucid examples for the former. (For the latter, stay tuned.)

Using the example of online shopping, Weinberger drew fascinating connections about the Internet and how it has affected him as a person. Online shopping had spoilt him; the Internet had manipulated both space and time, shortening the “distance” and time needed to travel from one “store” to the next. In real life, you would have to walk or drive from store to store, whereas on the World Wide Web, all you’d have to do is wiggle your fingers and click on hyperlinks. Simple.

I feel you, David. The immediacy of the Internet has made me more impatient. In real life, this sort of immediacy is simply unreal. You don’t order pasta at a restaurant and expect to dig in within seconds. But I do.

Technology has impacted my life so greatly I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if I hadn’t had access to a television, a computer and a smartphone. I’m not set on any career path in particular, but since I was in my late teens, I’d always gravitated towards journalism, photojournalism, documentaries, social issues, etc. This was probably because I had watched the news (note: television), read the papers (note: printing press) and subsequently discovered what was happening across the globe. My knowledge expanded beyond what could have been limited to my hometown, my country, a tiny community. And I was fascinated.

When I bought my first camera at 16, I began to visually document the world around me. With the Internet, I discovered the portfolios of incredible music and fashion photographers. Enchanted, I took a swing at music and fashion photography. Last year, I managed to shoot at a couple of gigs and briefly veered into the world of fashion photography. When people ask what my hobbies are, I say photography. Now what would I have said if the camera hadn’t been invented?