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IS 376 Resisting Technology: Issues and Effects

IS 376 Resisting Technology: Issues and Effects. Dr. Kapatamoyo 09/11/2014. Active vs. Reactive Resistance. Layers of Interaction. Technology Determinism Utopia and Dystopia Social and Psychological Factors Collective identity Politics / Representation Theoretical Frameworks.

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IS 376 Resisting Technology: Issues and Effects

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  1. IS 376Resisting Technology: Issues and Effects Dr. Kapatamoyo 09/11/2014

  2. Active vs. Reactive Resistance

  3. Layers of Interaction • Technology Determinism • Utopia and Dystopia • Social and Psychological Factors • Collective identity • Politics/ Representation • Theoretical Frameworks

  4. Technology Determinism • Technological determinists view technology • as an autonomous force, • beyond direct human control, and • as the prime cause of social change (Chandler, 1995). • Determinists view the expansion of technology as • Discontinuous, • Technological growth not as a gradual, evolutionary process, but as a series of revolutionary leaps forward (McCormack, 1994). • Determinists commonly have either a radically utopian or radically dystopian opinion on technology (Kaplan, 1996).

  5. Utopia vs. Dystopia • Utopian determinists believe that technology is • a positive and uplifting force that will, over time, mitigate or eliminate most or all of the ills that afflict humanity. • That technology is leading society towards an ever more utopian existence. • Dystopian determinists believe • that technology is an inherently evil, or dehumanizing, force that will lead, inevitably, to the moral, intellectual, or physical destruction of humankind

  6. Dystopia Cases • Cases of dystopia have appeared when individuals of groups disrupt the cultural, political, economic status quo to make a point, by using whatever technology they have at their disposal, e.g., • Luddites and neo luddites. • Amish • WikiLeaks, • Anonymous, etc.

  7. The Hacker • What about Hacking? • A hacker is • ”a person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities" and one who is capable of • "creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.” • But why would someone do this?

  8. 1) Hacktivism • Hacktivism: • A fusion of politics and activism. • A policy of hacking, phreaking or creating technology to achieve a political or social goal. • “Forges conscience with technology and girds us against the disagreeable nature of conflict. It allows us to mount better arguments, rally unseen allies, and take on any tyranny” (by Oxblood Ruffin of the Cult of the Dead Cow).

  9. 2) CyberActivism • Use of Information and Communication Technologies, e.g., e-mail, list-servs, and the Web, by individuals and groups to • Communicatewith large audiences, • Galvanizing individuals around a specific issue or set of issues • And attempt to build solidarity towards meaningful collective actions.

  10. Origins • Changes in patterns of information, knowledge, and cultural production are changing • and that the way information and knowledge are made available can either limit or enlarge the ways people can create and express themselves.

  11. Observed Outcomes • Successful outcomes transform existing structures of • Cultural, • Economic, and • Political power

  12. Success or Failure Success is not measured in terms of the achievement of absolute concrete goals or concessions from those in power, but rather a transformation of consciousness and a source of moral vision and voice.

  13. New Social Movements • Accompanying the emergence of “post-industrial” societies, in which advanced technology and service-based economies are centrifugal, has been the rise of “new” social movements (NSMs), which • Are based on identity-issues and operate at the grassroots level; and • Consist of networks of relations between a plurality of actors, a sense of collective identity, and shared conflictual issues.

  14. New Social Movements Because the ties between new social movement actors are flexible, participants are able to reach wide and heterogeneous audiences that can organize from different angles to form broad coalitions across various movement domains.

  15. New Social Movements • Groups that are marginal and blocked by the prevailing institutions can link together and cooperate in ways that transcend these institutions. • Such movements create “subversive invisible connections across state boundaries and the established channels between them…these interstitial networks translate human goals into organizational means”.

  16. Collective Action Dilemma • Because in Post industrial environment; “participation within social movements is considered a goal in itself”. • Consensus on key issues is hard to get. • People can join and leave anytime (no ideology). • No regard for hierarchy, so actions will happen outside of the framework.

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