Theorising Media Technology

Question 1

Understand:
Technological determinism
Social construction of technology
Social shaping of technology
Domestication

Question 2

Technological determinism

Answer 2

• Often leads to dystopian views
  E.g chat GBT takes over all jobs
  E.g no power over checking social media
  Hard determinism: technology carries all of the power
  Soft determinism: technology has most power, but other factors at play
  ‘Media choice’: people make strategic choices about what media they choose (usually rational)

Question 3

Social constructivism

Answer 3

Knowledge is created by social interactions - often used in classroom settings
E.g talking in seminars is social constructivism approach
- epistemology (theory of knowledge)
- conversation and collaboration
- everything is a social construct
- emerged as response to technological determinism: tech doesn’t control us, we control tech

Question 4

Cons of social constructivism

Answer 4

• are things really subjective? E.g explanations for urges to look at our phones
• social and cultural construct?
• can we really make meaning of everything?
• is technology really neutral?

Question 5

Social constructivism and bike analogy

Answer 5

Neutrality : a bike is neutral and it is all about how we use its parts
- you can use a bike in so many different ways: take it apart, sit on it, transportation, decoration etc.