By,Anna, Avtar, Chitira, Hui Ling, Li Yen

Technology and Culture

TECHNOLOGY

Definition:Knowledge or use of the mechanical arts and applied sciences in various fields.

CULTUREDefinition:Shared patterns of behaviour and interaction,

cognitive constructs and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization.

According to Damen, L. (1987), Culture is mankind’s primary adaptive mechanism.

Relation between technology and culture.

According to Baark and Jamison (1986), at any historical juncture, the “cultural critique of technology exists in society as an overall societal assesment of technological change” (p.4). Considering both the technological imperative as well as the cultural critique of technology, they have developed what they term is the technology and culture problematique.

TECHNOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE

CULTURAL CRITIQUE OF TECHNOLOGY

Gerhard and Jean Lenski (1995) argue that a society’s level of technology is crucial in determining what cultural ideas and artifacts emerge or are even possible.

Thus, they see a sociocultural evolution, or historical change in culture caused by a new technology, passing through four levels of development which are outlined in the next slide.

In a nutshell, technology plays a crucial role in the development of a culture as technology is the knowledge that people apply in adapting to their environments and this affects the behaviour of mankind in the process of adaptation.

Technology…the knack of so arranging the world that we need not experience it.

Homo Faber (1957) pt. 2