Technology and Society
Social Networks, Work, and Inequality
Published on 30. October 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-19-543783-6 (ISBN)
Description
Technology-whether crude tools in the Stone Age or smart phones in the twenty-first century-has always found its way into our everyday lives, as we work and play. But how does that technology influence and change our society? In Technology and Society, a new text in the Themes in Canadian Sociology series, author Anabel Quan-Haase examines those places in which technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, work, and inequality. The text also places an emphasis on experiential learning, serving as a bridge between abstract, theoretical thinking about technology and real-life events and experiences: issues and examples plucked from readers' daily realities clearly illustrate the history and concepts that form the foundational chapters of the book. The result is an action-oriented volume, one that initiates curiosity and sparks a desire to know more about technology and society: what the tools we use are, where they come from, and how they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form with others.
Technology-whether crude tools in the Stone Age or smart phones in the twenty-first century-has always found its way into our everyday lives, as we work and play. But how does that technology influence and change our society? In Technology and Society, a new text in the Themes in Canadian Sociology series, author Anabel Quan-Haase examines those places in which technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, work, and inequality. The text also places an emphasis on experiential learning, serving as a bridge between abstract, theoretical thinking about technology and real-life events and experiences: issues and examples plucked from readers' daily realities clearly illustrate the history and concepts that form the foundational chapters of the book. The result is an action-oriented volume, one that initiates curiosity and sparks a desire to know more about technology and society: what the tools we use are, where they come from, and how they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form with others.
Technology-whether crude tools in the Stone Age or smart phones in the twenty-first century-has always found its way into our everyday lives, as we work and play. But how does that technology influence and change our society? In Technology and Society, a new text in the Themes in Canadian Sociology series, author Anabel Quan-Haase examines those places in which technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, work, and inequality. The text also places an emphasis on experiential learning, serving as a bridge between abstract, theoretical thinking about technology and real-life events and experiences: issues and examples plucked from readers' daily realities clearly illustrate the history and concepts that form the foundational chapters of the book. The result is an action-oriented volume, one that initiates curiosity and sparks a desire to know more about technology and society: what the tools we use are, where they come from, and how they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form with others.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
12 photos (b&w); 12 tables (b&w); 17 figures (b&w); 1 map (b&w)
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
402 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-543783-6 (9780195437836)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Anabel Quan-Haase is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies as well as the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, where her work and teaching focuses on the technology and its effects on society, as well as computer-mediated communication. She is also the director of the Sociodigital Lab, which explores how information and communication technologies lead to social change. Some of her current projects involve examining the impact of the e-book and electronic networks of exchange on humanist scholarship, 'breakup 2.0' (ending relationships in era of digital communication), facets of serendipity in everyday chance encounters, and the media's role in disaster early-warning systems in Brazil. She has also authored numerous book chapters and journal articles on instant messaging, social networking, information technology, and internet use.
Anabel Quan-Haase is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies as well as the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, where her work and teaching focuses on the technology and its effects on society, as well as computer-mediated communication. She is also the director of the Sociodigital Lab, which explores how information and communication technologies lead to social change. Some of her current projects involve examining the impact of the e-book and electronic networks of exchange on humanist scholarship, 'breakup 2.0' (ending relationships in era of digital communication), facets of serendipity in everyday chance encounters, and the media's role in disaster early-warning systems in Brazil. She has also authored numerous book chapters and journal articles on instant messaging, social networking, information technology, and internet use.
Anabel Quan-Haase is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies as well as the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, where her work and teaching focuses on the technology and its effects on society, as well as computer-mediated communication. She is also the director of the Sociodigital Lab, which explores how information and communication technologies lead to social change. Some of her current projects involve examining the impact of the e-book and electronic networks of exchange on humanist scholarship, 'breakup 2.0' (ending relationships in era of digital communication), facets of serendipity in everyday chance encounters, and the media's role in disaster early-warning systems in Brazil. She has also authored numerous book chapters and journal articles on instant messaging, social networking, information technology, and internet use.
Content
PREFACE ; OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ; ABBREVIATIONS ; CHAPTER 1 THE TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY? ; TECHNOLOGY AS MATERIAL SUBSTANCE ; TECHNOLOGY AS KNOWLEDGE ; TECHNOLOGY AS PRACTICE ; TECHNOLOGY AS TECHNIQUE ; TECHNOLOGY AS SOCIETY ; MAKING SENSE OF DEFINITIONS ; TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY ; BOX 1-1 CHALLENGES IN THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY ; CONTEMPORARY DISCUSSIONS OF TECHNOLOGY ; SIMULATION ; AUGMENTATION ; BOX 1-2 AUGMENTATION THROUGH WEARABLE COMPUTING: THE BIRTH OF THE CYBORG ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 2 TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; TECHNOLOGY AS ENCOMPASSING THE PAST ; BOX 2-1 DIGGING TECHNOLOGY: TOOL USE IN THE STONE AGE ; THE EARLY BEGINNINGS OF TECHNOLOGICAL INGENUITY ; ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY: BASIC RESEARCH ; THE AWAKENING OF THE MIND THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: THE RENAISSANCE ; THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: REVOLTING AGAINST TECHNOLOGY ; ELECTRONIC TIMES: HOT AND COOL MEDIA ; BOX 2 2 CINEMA AS A PROPAGANDA TOOL IN SOCIETY ; THE INFORMATION SOCIETY ; IPOD CULTURE ; CELLPHONES AS EMPOWERMENT ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON TECHNOLOGY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; UTOPIAN VERSUS DYSTOPIAN VIEWS OF TECHNOLOGY ; THEORIES OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY ; NEUTRAL VERSUS VALUE LADEN ; BOX 3 1 THE NEUTRALITY OF GUNS ; AUTONOMOUS VERSUS HUMANLY CONTROLLED ; FOUR THEORIES OF THE TECHNOLOGY-SOCIETY INTERSECTION ; SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES (STS) ; SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF TECHNOLOGY (SCOT) ; BOX 3 2 THE CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR IN 1970S FRANCE ; ACTOR NETWORK THEORY (ANT) ; BOX 3 3 DISCOVERING PASTEURIZATION ; SOCIAL INFORMATICS ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; CHAPTER 4 TECHNO-SOCIAL DESIGNING ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; DESIGN OF TECHNOLOGY ; SYSTEMS THEORY ; TECHNOPOLES: CENTRES OF INNOVATION ; BOX 4 1 SILICON VALLEY: CENTRE OF INNOVATION ; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D) ; INVENTION ; INNOVATION ; IMITATION ; GLOBAL R&D ; SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ; INDUSTRY ; TASKS ; CULTURAL MILIEUS ; BOX 4 2 DESIGNING SOCIAL NETWORK SITES ; TEAM STRUCTURE ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 5 THE ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ; CUTTING EDGE SOCIETIES: INVENTING AND COPYING TECHNOLOGY ; THE CLASSIC MODEL OF THE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS ; ELEMENTS IN THE DIFFUSION OF TECHNOLOGY ; THE INNOVATION-DECISION PROCESS ; BOX 5 1 DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF THE QWERTY KEYBOARD ; CHANGE AGENTS ; BOX 5 2 THE ROLE OF CHANGE AGENTS IN THE INNOVATION-DECISION PROCESS ; ADOPTION CATEGORIES ; TOOLS OF THE FUTURE: MARKETING RELATIONS WITH EARLY ADOPTERS ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 6 THE LABOUR OF TECHNOLOGY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; LUDDITES: THE EARLY STRUGGLES WITH TECHNOLOGY ; TECHNOLOGY AND THE DIVISION OF LABOUR ; THE NETWORKED ORGANIZATION ; BOX 6 1 KME: A CASE STUDY OF A NETWORKED ORGANIZATION ; THE IMMATERIAL LABOUR OF TECHNOLOGY ; THE VALUE OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT ; BOX 6 2 FACEBOOK AS WEB 2.0 IMMATERIAL LABOUR ; THE PRODUSER ; THE PRECONDITIONS OF PRODUSAGE ; KEY PRINCIPLES OF PRODUSAGE ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 7 TECHNOLOGY AND INEQUALITY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ; EARLY STUDIES OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ; POLICY INTERVENTION VIS-A-VIS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ; CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ; LOOKING BEYOND THE ACCESS DIVIDE ; THE GLOBAL DIGITAL DIVIDE ; FIXED LINES ; CELLPHONES ; INTERNET ; BROADBAND ; BOX 7 1 CLOSING THE GLOBAL DIGITAL DIVIDE: ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD ; CHINA'S MOVE TOWARD DIGITIZATION ; TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ; CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 8 COMMUNITY IN THE NETWORK SOCIETY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; WHAT IS COMMUNITY? ; INDUSTRIALIZATION AND COMMUNITY ; SOCIAL ISOLATION IN AMERICA ; TV AND THE DECLINE OF SOCIAL CAPTIAL ; REVISITING COMMUNITY IN THE INTERNET ERA ; BOX 8 1 SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE INTERNET ERA ; TRANSFORMING THE PUBLIC SPHERE ; THEORIES OF THE DEMISE OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE ; THIRD PLACES ; BOX 8 2 SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 9 TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; EARLY BEGINNINGS OF MEDIATED COMMUNICATION ; AMERICA CALLING: THE IMPACT OF THE TELEPHONE ; PENETRATION OF MEDIATED COMMUNICATION ; RELATIONSHIPS ONLINE ; ROMANCE ONLINE ; BOX 9 1 BREAK-UP 2.0 ; DEATH AND VIRTUAL MOURNING ; VIRTUAL MOURNING ; BOX 9 2 65_REDROSES: THE COMMUNITY AROUND EVA MARKVOORT ; VIRTUAL STRANGER LOSS ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 10 THE SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; DEFINING SURVEILLANCE ; CAPITALISM ; RATIONALIZATION ; POWER ; THE PANOPTICON ; THE NEW SURVEILLANCE ; REALITY TV ; BOX 10 1 BIG BROTHER: THE ACT OF BEING WATCHED ; DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE ; BOX 10 2 INFORMATION REVELATION ON FACEBOOK ; COUNTER-SURVEILLANCE ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; CHAPTER 11 ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF TECHNOLOGY ; LEARNING OBJECTIVES ; INTRODUCTION ; CENTRAL THEMES OF THE BOOK ; THE SOCIOTECHNICAL APPROACH ; TECHNOLOGICAL INEQUALITY ; SOCIAL CHANGE ; ETHICAL AND MORAL DIMENSIONS OF OUR TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY ; NEUTRALITY OF TECHNOLOGY ; BOX 11 1 AK-47: QUESTIONING NEUTRALITY ; TECHNOLOGY AS HUMAN DESTINY ; BOX 11 2 FUKUSHIMA AND DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ; TECHNOLOGY AS PROGRESS ; CONCLUSIONS ; QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THOUGHT ; SUGGESTED READINGS ; ONLINE RESOURCES ; NOTES ; GLOSSARY ; REFERENCES ; INDEX