"Do artifacts have politics?”
This question has provoked many to look for different dimensions of technology. Technologies hold specific forms of power and authority and should be taken seriously as their own political phenomena. Technologies are socially shaped by human actors, institutional choices and political power. They are not neutral instrument of social and economic progress but rather they have well defined political agendas.
For example: The increased deployment of nuclear power facilities leads society towards authoritarianism. This states the presence of technology as being political.
Politics is defined as-
“arrangement of power in human associations as well as the activities that take place within those arrangements” -Winter.
When reflecting on some of the claims about technology's impact on society; such as the factory system, automobile, telephone, radio, television, space program, and of course nuclear power, the central idea seems to be that these things have all been described as democratizing. The idea of control over nuclear plants and technology holds to that of a big responsibility and wouldn't work in a democratic society, is again another example of technology dictating politics. The machines, structures, and systems of modern material culture can be accurately judged not only for their contributions of efficiency and productivity, not merely for their positive and negative environmental side effects, but also for the ways in which they can embody specific forms of power and authority.
Politics is defined as-
“arrangement of power in human associations as well as the activities that take place within those arrangements” -Winter.
When reflecting on some of the claims about technology's impact on society; such as the factory system, automobile, telephone, radio, television, space program, and of course nuclear power, the central idea seems to be that these things have all been described as democratizing. The idea of control over nuclear plants and technology holds to that of a big responsibility and wouldn't work in a democratic society, is again another example of technology dictating politics. The machines, structures, and systems of modern material culture can be accurately judged not only for their contributions of efficiency and productivity, not merely for their positive and negative environmental side effects, but also for the ways in which they can embody specific forms of power and authority.
“When we accept certain technology ; We should realize and receive it in the same sense of a legislative act or political founding that establish a framework for public order that will endure over many generations” -Winter.
There are numerous accounts and examples where technology had some type of influence or power to guide society in certain directions. I would like to discuss the power of Social Network Service in influencing the society.
A Social Network Service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact- share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks across political, economic, and geographic borders.
Social networking tools serve as a quick and easy way for the government to get the opinion of the public and to keep the public updated on their activity. Audience reach and public acceptance make social networks a medium to which campaigns must attend. In 2006, campaigns began to view these sites as a means to distinguish themselves from each other and potentially re-energize grassroots political organizing. Recognizing the potential of social networking sites, all of the presidential candidates in 2008 have established a presence on Facebook and acquired a significant number of supporters.
“In the first week of January 2008, which included the Iowa caucus date, Democratic Senator Obama had the most supporters on Facebook with 205,872, a big bump up from 172,205 at mid-December. The Obama campaign was the first and possibly only one so far to employ Facebook in an explicitly strategic way by asking supporters whose networks included friends in Iowa to send them a reminder about attending the Iowa caucus”.
Demonstrating a causal connection between online strategies and votes identifies social networking sites’ potential as an essential tool in enhancing the democratic process. This way, specific features of the social network service could provide a convenient means of establishing patterns of power and authority in a given setting.
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MANEKA
BT09B009
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