[Air-L] Technology as ideologically neutral?

[Jeremy Blackman]

Great to hear that you're focusing on this Charles. It's something I've
noticed too - general discourse seems to have swung too far the other
way now, describing technology as neutral, when in fact, social plug-ins
and the very nature of website architecture (just like real-world
architecture) influences behaviour, to varying degrees. And is designed
with certain ideologies in mind.

Neil Postman jumped to my mind - especially 'Amusing Ourselves to
Death'. In the most recent reprinting, the 25th anniversary of its
publication, his son writes an interesting prologue, comparing 1984 and
Brave New World's differing viewpoints, basically re-iterating Postman's
claim that Huxley was closer to the truth in his prediction (at least in
developed, tech-rich westernised worlds) - that technology would
ultimately blend in to everyday living and users would question the
underlying mechanics less and less. Thus dumbing down public discourse,
homogenising. 

Jaron Lenier's 'You are not a gadget' is a fun (provocative) read too.

Regards,
Jeremy.


Jeremy Blackman
Senior Cybersafety Specialist
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation
Level 1, 256 Clarendon Street | PO Box 5192
South Melbourne VIC 3205
t. 03 9697 0627 | f. 03 9690 5644 | m. 0438 066 625
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Jeremy Blackman
Senior Cybersafety Specialist
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation
Level 1, 256 Clarendon Street | PO Box 5192
South Melbourne VIC 3205
t. 03 9697 0627 | f. 03 9690 5644 | m. 0438 066 625
w. www.amf.org.au | Follow us on Facebook



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-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Janet Sternberg
Sent: Friday, 6 July 2012 12:04 AM
To: Air list
Subject: Re: [Air-L] Technology as ideologically neutral?

Greetings, and thank you for reminding us of this important issue.

Regarding the notion that technology in general is not ideologically
neutral, the late Neil Postman immediately comes to mind, as well as
other scholars such as Jacques Ellul, who have been identified with the
intellectual tradition Postman led, media ecology. Two relevant classics
which have stood the test of time, although they don't mention the
Internet specifically:

Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. 
New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Ellul, J. (1964). The technological society (J. Wilkinson, Trans.). New
York: Vintage Books. (Original work published 1954)

Regards to all,
Janet

Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Communication and Media Studies
Latin American and Latino Studies
Fordham University
Bronx, NY 10458-9993 USA
718-817-4855 voice | 718-817-4868 fax
jsternberg at fordham.edu | janet.sternberg at nyu.edu
http://www.media-ecology.org/



Charles Ess wrote:
> Dear AoIRists,
> I'm trying to gather both accessible and, to some degree, "landmark" 
> or foundational literature that can be used to (gently) challenge a 
> view I keep encountering in certain circles lately - namely, that 
> technology in general and the Internet in particular is "ideologically
neutral".
> 
> Such a view was around in the U.S. in the early days of the Internet -

> but countered in at least two ways; those who took up Social 
> Construction of Technology and related theory from ST studies, 
> including discussion of "affordances", etc. - and then the very
ideological claims (roughly:
> California libertarian technological utopianism) that went from claims

> such as "the internet interprets censorship as damage, and routes 
> around it" to claims that the Internet embedded and fostered specially

> U.S. (neoliberal) values of individualism, freedom of expression, and
free market capitalism.
> 
> For better and for worse, however, my impression is that in our 
> communities, at least, the recognition that the technologies embed and

> foster specific cultural values and communicative preferences (as I 
> like to put it on the basis of the CATaC conferences) has been more or

> less a given for quite some time.  Hence, having to re-visit and 
> re-establish these understandings for those for whom this recognition 
> is apparently quite new is a bit of a challenge.
> 
> Any suggestions for literature, etc., would be most appreciated.
> 
> Many thanks in advance,
> - charles ess
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