While reading this article, and the chapter in the book, I found myself thinking, that we have been over this in class, just in a different way. It is obvious that technology is a huge part of our lives, and society, but can it really be considered politics? First with this particular situation we should look at the definition of politics as defined by Winner. He states, “By the term “politics” I mean arrangements of power and authority in human associations as well as the activities that take place within those arrangements. For my purposes here, the term “technology” is understood to mean all of modern practical artifice, but to avoid confusion I prefer to speak of “technologies” plural, smaller or larger pieces or systems of hardware of a specific kind.” Now we know that based on ones beliefs there is no right answer to what is the right definition and how it is to be used. Although, do we as a society allow for new technologies and our own inventions to take power over us, with the idea that technologies have politics?
To consider if they do or not, I feel one has to look at who they are as an individual. One has to realize if they are allowing the technologies in their life have power over everything else. I think that we give the power to allow the technologies or artifacts to take over our lives little by little. We are the agents in this situation, allowing for it to happen. This also brings up the situation of the guns, and the saying that technology is neutral, and it’s all in how we use it. Winner said, “It is obvious that technologies can be used in ways that enhance the power, authority, and privilege of some over others, for ex ample, the use of television to sell a candidate. In our accustomed way of thinking technologies are seen as neutral tools that can be used well or poorly, for good, evil, or something in between. But we usually do not stop to inquire whether a given device might have been designed and built in such a way that it produces a set of consequences logically and temporally prior to any of its professed uses.”
In addition, yes, technologies do influence cultures, as Winner said, in the way they work or communicate; I feel that society chooses to use the technologies to help achieve their work goals, although it may not be necessary. In conclusion, I agree with Winner when he says that technologies are powerful, and useful. Although I do not agree with him in saying that it is considered politics. Yes, new technologies are useful and make our lives easier but it doesn't mean that we should be allowing them to have power over us as a society.
in some important sense, i feel winner is making a point very different from yours -- that the political implications of technologies are registered at the social level, not the individual level. Do we as individuals really have a choice about how we receive electric power? no. not unless we opt for those egalitarian solar panels. and you know what, most of us cannot afford them!
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