Langdon Winner (1993): Upon Opening the Black Box and Finding It Empty: Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Technology
The Social Construction of Technology, or Social Constructivism, is a theory introduced by Wiebe Bijker and Trevor Pinch. The theory proposes that the development of technology is an interactive sociotechnical process within relevant social groups (e.g users, producers). As a methodology, social constructivism analyses artefacts in the context of society and explores the dynamics of technological change. According to Pinch and Bijker (1987), social constructivism is “fundamentally a sociological approach towards technology”. This school of research attempts to understand the mechanisms behind different social groups’ interpretations of technological artefacts.
In his article titled “Upon Opening the Black Box and Finding It Empty: Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Technology”, Langdon Winner (1993) presented a critique of social constructivism; noting that while there are definitely positive facets of social constructivism, there are also significant complications with the methodology. The aspects of social constructivism that he finds valuable include its conceptual rigor, its concern for specifics and its attempts to provide empirical models of technological change that better reveal the actual course of events (Winner, 1993). Despite this, Winner is adamant about the narrow confines of the social constructivist perspective. In his article, Winner (1993, p. 368) explores four specific limitations of social constructivism:
A disregard for social consequences: Social constructivist writing explains how technologies come to be, however it ignores the consequences of technologies and the impac...
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Winner, L. (1993). Upon Opening the Black Box and Finding It Empty: Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Technology. Science, Technology And Human Values, 18 pp. 362-378.
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The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 86-96. Print.
...been put on the technological platform itself and the infrastructure of it, and too little on the social and cultural context of the citizens and users. Communtes basically can not be created with technology if the social and cultural networks are not there, and if users do not see the benefit or are not motivated for using the technology” (Bondebjerg 9)
When it comes to the definition of technology in their articles, both Carr and Cascio have similarities and differences. Both authors are debating about the use of technology in today’s society. Both of their articles touch base on the ideals of “what technology is” in their perspectives. Carr believes that technology is making us want the quick path to information or common knowledge and says the Internet is “a machine designed for the efficient and automated collection, transmission, and manipulation of information”. Cascio also believes th...
Dyson, F. (1997, 11 5). Technology and Social Justice. Retrieved 11 25, 2013, from Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs: http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/archive/nizer_lectures/004.html/_res/id=sa_File1/4th%20Nizer%20Lecture%20-%20entire%20PDF.pdf
Technological determinism “sees technology as the cause of cultural and social change” (Morris, 2013). Within technological determinism, there are two different types. Hard technological determinism is “an oversimplified, cause and effect explanation for social change” (Johnson, 2013). Soft technological determinism views “technology is one of many social factors that drive social change” (Johnson, 2013). Viewing the Internet as one of the many factors in shaping social change is a technological determinist view. Young a...
“The Social Construction of Facts and Artifacts” is about "integrated social constructivist approach towards the study of science and technology"(pg 399). The author's Pinch and Bijker discuss that even though it has been a practice to separate science and technology, but they are hugely connected because of this they might benefit from each other. The authors discuss about the three main parts of science and technology termed as "Sociology of science", "the science technology relationship" and the "technology studies".
Richtel, M. “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price,” New York Times, 2010. Retrieved on December 1, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
This is magnanimously echoed by Mackenzie & Wajcman, who state that technology can only be understood as the product of social preferences, bureaucratic mandates, and economic pressures. The import from this statement is that social shaping of technology proponents are concerned mainly with the social forces that give rise to certain technologies, rather than the social effects that result from certain technologies. The social constructivist aspect of the social shaping of technology theory is a great way to demonstrate how technologies inadvertently emerge from procedures of choice and negotiation between relevant social groups to realize the social interests they
The first thing consumers see with new devices are how they can benefit and make everyday tasks easier . What is left in the dark are the negative side effects of the hottest new devices. Winner is trying to warn us throughout his work of the dangers of sleepwalking through our use of technology. The hardest thing to accomplish is waking us all up from this “technological somnambulism.” Winner cites the work of social scientists trying to awaken the user from this sleep, but instead of analyzing the social impacts of this technological revolution, they look at it as a cause and effect relationship . To effectively look at the social impacts of technology, one must put the lifeform that is technology under a microscope. Technology is everywhere and in everything. Put one piece of technology at a time under the microscope and an analysis of the social impacts can be
Sanders, Ralph. (2000). Technology in a Paradigm Century. Available: http://www.cosmosclub.org/web/journals/2000/sanders.html. Last accessed 2nd Feb 2013.
Today, Americans are faced with the increasing change of technology in our everyday life. Sometimes the change happens and we do not realize how it affects our lives. I think it is always a good idea to talk to someone that is older than yourself, like your grandparents to remind you of the times in their younger years. Hopefully, that will open your eyes to the changes we face in this generation and the generation to come. In this chapter, the author explores the relationship of changing technology to changes in both the environment and social institutions.
Technology is changing how we think and act at younger ages. The term “technology” doesn’t only mean manufacturing processes and equipment necessary for production, it also defines a social space and could be a social problem which makes a real impact on social reality. Different types of social software affect a variety of aspects and have both positive and negative impacts. It's important to be aware of how a digitally-driven life is changing our education, sense of self, relationships, social interaction, consumerism, and ways of doing business around the world.
The first area where technology and society relates most is communication. People in a society must pass information from one person to another to maintain order. Traditionally, information dissemination was done using inefficient methods such as the messengers and would take long time before it reached to the intended recipient depending on the distance. Technological advancement that resulted in introduction of more efficient means of communication such as mobile phones and computers led to contextualization of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This had a direct impact on the society as now information could be disseminated amongst a larger group and in the contemporary wo...