MGTA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Substantivism, Technological Determinism, Instrumentalism

• School: UTSC
• Department: Management
• Course: MGTA01H3
• Professor: lewiskaye

Document Summary

Week 7 oct 25,2016 communication technology and society: theory and practice. Overview of today: thinking about technology, technology and western society, media convergence , the internet and digitalization. Recap of last class: why study audience, six theoretical approaches to the audience. How do devices fit into society: connected to social, political, and economic structures, enabling communication across time, across space, and with an unlimited number of interlocutors , Slack and wise (2007: technologies are inherently social and cultural, technologies are products and practices that assume their specific form thanks to their particular connections. Williams (1974: technology reflects the overall organization of the society in which it exists. Instrumentalism : technology is a value-neutral tool that helps us achieve our goals more efficiently; a means to an end. Technological determinism : technology operates according to an inherent , internal logic; it can be explained without reference to society.