COMS 203 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Raymond Williams, Andrew Feenberg, Technological Determinism

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Communications Studies
• Course: COMS 203
• Professor: Tamara Shepherd

Document Summary

Hype cycle" = innovations trigger +ive hype to peak of inflated expectations" then when doesn"t meet expectations, goes through ive hype & trough of disillusionment". The social shaping of technology: robin williams defined technological determinism = research & development have been assumed as self-generating. Technology is a social product, patterned by the conditions of its creation. Important to observe partial truth of technological determinism is once particular technologies widely adopted & uses, they acquire a degree of lock-in that shapes society & culture. 1: brian arthur, technology develops out of combinations of other technologies, science, design, innovation, economic, political & socio-cultural play a role in recombination of technological elements. Theories of information society: daniel bell believed rise of services economic/& growing use of computer-driven knowledge technologies central to post-industrial society" / information society". 3rd industrial revolution" knowledge & info strategic resources & transforming agents of society".