Politics & Technology

Though I found this reading rather hard to follow because I had a hard time staying interested (this book does not do a whole lot for me) I do understand what they are trying to say (at least I think) by Technology being Political. The comparison they used on page 175 where they talk about how just like politics through legislative laws change and establish frameworks that endure over a long span of time, technology too, creates a framework that also endures over a long span of time. Both of these things change and influence how we live our lives.

I also think that saying that people who believe technology is political cannot believe that technologies are neutral is wrong. I do not believe, and the readings from this class so far, have only made me feel stronger about this, that there is one specific way to categorize ALL technology. I feel that it depends on many factors including the time, the technology being used, the reason it is being used, and the person who is using it. I feel that technologies can be considered neutral and non-neutral. I feel that technology can be political as well, but I do not agree that you can only legitimately support this view if you are someone who believes in the non-neutrality of technology.

Another aspect of this chapter that I found interesting, and I definitely agree with, is when they talk about (yet again) efficiency being the bottom line. They use the example of how technology affects the environment, and the first thing that came to my mind is the car. Even though we may show great concern for how the exhaust affects the environment, and progress is being made with improving the eco-friendly vehicles, the main concern is still efficiency. If the eco-car is not as efficient as the car that uses gas (or even convenient) than regardless of how concerned we are about the environment, humans (for the most part) will not sacrifice even a little bit of efficiency to do better for the environment. To most people, this would mean digressing in our technological progress.