Determinative the Development of Technology - Research Paper Example

The Development of Technology is Determinative College: The Development of Technology is Determinative: Its Expansion Occurs beyond the Ability of Human Freedom to curtail it. The deterministic nature of technology is an issue that has garnered a lot of interest in the contemporary society. Following a tremendous growth of the technology, the society has become wary of its control over technology. Scholars have raised the question whether it is the society that shapes technology or the whether it is the reverse. While it is possible to recognize human efforts to improve technology through scientific research and discovery, it is clear that technology is getting out of control of the society and the society is subject to it. As technology grows, people are forced to conform to the demands and the development of this technology if they have to remain relevant. Technology has shaped the business, education, medicine, research and even social landscape. Unfortunately, the society has little control over technology and they have to conform to its changes. On this note, it is clear that development of technology is determinative and its expansion occurs beyond the human freedom to curtail it. In the contemporary world, it is clear that there has been rapid change in technology altering all social relations globally. The evolution of technology underpins the shift towards an information society, which is the relevant social structure today. Technology has changed in the social, medicine, agricultural, political, and business sector. The great focus on scientific research has led to the emergence of new technologies that are beyond human control. The internet and computer technology have completely change the business environment, while the environmental technology has changed the farming and treatment procedures. The development of sophisticated weapons such as nuclear bombs has changed the way people relate to each other. Oliver (2011) has raised the question whether it is the technology that conforms to the social structures or its converse. In his argument, this scholar puts it clearly that the society is too sluggish to put up with the technological changes that are happening each day. On this note, it is the society that is tasked with conforming to the emerging issues that come along with this super-fast technological change. As such, the social construction depends on the changes that result from technology and not the reverse. On this note, it is the determinative nature of technology that requires that the people change and conform to the changes in technology. The agenda of technological determinism evolved right from the time of early philosophers such as Karl Marx. Karl Marx expressed the idea that business transformation is dependent on technological changes in the immediate environment. Technology is one of the relevant tools that are employed in the business environment to eject efficiency in firm performance. Therefore, the business managers are dependent on technology to shape their own business strategies. They have little freedom to control the development in technology but can only conform to it (Calnitsky, 2012). This argument of Karl Marx has been embedded in the argument that support that technology is by nature determinative. In the contemporary business environment, organizations are expected to remain dynamic, detect changes in market technologies and adopt the technological demands within their environment. For instance, in the era of the internet technology, firms will demand more technologically competent employees to ensure that they can handle the various technology systems that exist within the organizations. Today, any organization that remains unresponsive to technological changes is in the risk of failing. On this note, technology shapes the business strategies in the business environment, and the managers have a role to conform to the rapid changes in technology. A number of authors have evaluated the role that the society plays in shaping technology. The argument of these scholars is that the innovativeness of the society breeds a technology that they cannot control. Technology development is a result of the society efforts and endeavours to explore nature and venture into research that can reveal new and efficient platforms for a decent human life. For instance, medical research comes up with new treatment procedures that can be used to add efficiency in medicine. However the consequences of this research are not always the same as the expectation of researchers. For instance, the development of the genetical technology has become an uncontrollable matter in the society. Although there has been a great force that has opposed the proliferation of this technology in the agricultural sector, it is beyond human control and people have been forced to succumb to this technology. It is now the genetical technology that determines the nutrient content of what people eat and the consequences they have to bear for this cause (Calnitsky, 2012). On this note, although man plays a great role in developing technology, they have little control over this technology once in rolls out. The determinative nature of technology has been analysed as either hard or soft determinism. The proponents of hard determinism of technology states that technological advancements act in such a forceful way that they regulate the social activity of human beings. This implies that the society reorganizes its structure to satisfy the demands of the technology. The autonomous nature of technology overrides the society structures that inhibit the promotion of technology (Vermaas, 2011). For instance, the development of technology in the business environment will impact the society structure by demanding more skilled employees and practitioners. For instance, the society will have to acquire this technology if they intend to be employed in these sectors. On the other hand, the soft determinists state that human beings have a chance to control the outcomes of technology. Although technology dictates the way people have to live, they have a choice to decide the kind of lifestyle they need to adopt with this technology. However, social determinists agree that technology guides the evolution of the human beings and that the society does not have any free will to shape technology. The implication of this is that the human control over technology is limited. Other researchers have sought out to implore the extent to which human beings can determine the outcome of technological changes. Vermaas (2011) reflected on the idea that technology is neutral; neither good, nor bad. The arguments of those who support the idea that technology is neutral argue that technology is only subject to the way human beings use it. For instance, nuclear technology is an advancement of the weaponry whose effect is subject to the way human beings use it. If they use it badly it becomes a harmful technology otherwise it remains neutral. This points out to the fact that human beings and the actions have a great influence on the way technology impacts on the society. However, this argument is invalid to a great extent. For instance, the emergence of dangerous weapons underpins the society fear that now prevails across the world. All countries in the world are wary of terrorism and have constructed better internal security networks to save the lives of their citizens. The emergence of guns has become a source of social insecurity in the world. In the US, the motion on gun control has led to the emergence of a new social structure where the citizens own guns for personal security. On this ground, it is possible to categorize technology as either bad or good and the human decision plays little role in influencing the consequences of its use. From a critical lens, it is acceptable that the society constructivist is a result of rapid technological change. From the social point of view, the society social structure today has been redefined by changes in technology (Vermaas, 2011). The evolution of the internet and the social networks has resulted to new social structures within the contemporary society. Through social networks, people can communicate from their remote locations without having to be physically together. Social sites such as Skype provide video conferencing interfaces where people can have both visual and audio communications. This is a new social structure where people do not have to meet to share or even hold meetings. The internet technology has expanded the social structure beyond the national boundaries. For instance, it is possible for any person in Facebook to be friends with any other person from any location in the world. The technology and not the people have say on the formation of social structure in the modern society. This shows that technology shapes the society and people have little power to limit its proliferation. The proponents of the social determinism theories have come up with counter argument suggesting that the technological deterministic have judged the society wrongly by advancing their theories. They feel that the idea that the society forms a part of the passive consumers of technology is wrong and unacceptable. Social determinists argue that the society plays a great role in shaping the way technology is utilized and the consequences it has on the world (Hrubec & Brabec, 2011). For instance, the government sets regulations that control the proliferation of technology in their countries and even its utilizations. For instance, social sites such as Facebook and Twitter that have led to moral corruptness in the society have been controlled in some countries. Countries such as China have developed internet censorship and blocked social sites such as Facebook that are likely to interfere in the moral, political and moral balances that exist in the society. However, these authors admit that the society cannot entirely control the utilization of technology and that to a great extent it the society conforms to rapid technological changes. Technological changes results to changes in social, political and business structures and the people have to conform to these changes. In conclusion, the determinative nature of technology underpins the changes in the society structures in the contemporary society. The technology changes in such a rapid rate that the society has to change to keep up with the new impacts it has on social structures. Although technological development is a result of human efforts, it is clear that the people with consume it semi-passively with limited control over its utilization. The development of new weapons, internet, computers, mobile phones and other advances results to change in social structures. Notably, human beings have little control of the use of technology and their freedom to curtail it is overridden. As technology spreads very fast, it breeds a new society and requires that people change to ensure that they remain relevant in the dynamic society. Any efforts of the society to control the technology are limited and cannot entirely change the consumption of technology. For instance, the government efforts to control technology use have little impact on the society and may lead to new social adjustments. On this ground, it is true that the society structure is subject to the technological autonomy. References Calnitsky, D. (2012). Technology and Social Theory. Canadian Journal Of Sociology, 37(4), 446-449 Hrubec, M., & Brabec, M. (2011). Beyond the Civilizational Crisis: On Determinism. Perspectives On Global Development & Technology, 10(1), 94-112. doi:10.1163/156914911X555134 Oliver, M. M. (2011). Technological determinism in educational technology research: some alternative ways of thinking about the relationship between learning and technology. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(5), 373-384. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00406.x Vermaas, P. E., (2011). A philosophy of technology: From technical artefacts to sociotechnical systems. San Rafael, Calif.: Morgan & Claypool Publishers. . Read More