Does technology control society or does society control technolog?

Part 1

My ongoing research has found that development and creation of new technologies has, and continues to have a detrimental effect on our culture and society. I’ve also discovered that the two can also influence each other in a kind of symbiotic relationship.

I have also found that the conventions that culture and society place on these technologies evolve over time just as the societies and technologies evolve. Moreover, some of the effects new technology can have are often unanticipated ones but can often be as important as the intended effect of the technology.
Take the printing press for example. The news papers of 100 years ago are hugely different to those of today. The conventions we know today like the headline, front page story, advertising space etc have evolved over the intervening period from the first printing run till now.

A more recent example would be the internet. Originally developed for the military, the internet came into its own with the dot com boom in the 90’s. It’s developed from a few hundred basic pages displaying information and small images to today’s internet, which with the development of far greater internet speed, and innovative coding and new software, a highly multimedia and personal experience.

Looking back at history, it doesn’t take long to find examples of technologies changing cultures. We have historical ages that reflect technological development. E.g. the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, Iron Age and more recently the industrial revolution.

However the industrial revolution was wholly different to the others because it fundamentally changed society and culture. The mass explosion of new technologies, knowledge & understanding began to challenge traditional norms and values. The social fabrics began to change. While the unfavoured lower classes remained an undesirable part of society, they became an essential driving force behind the revolution as they became proverbial cogs in the mighty industrial machine.

It wasn’t long before both the upper and lower classes realised the potential and power of the lower classes. The upper classes realised that without the lower classes to work in their factories they couldn’t make any money. The lower classes in tern realised their potential power and that they could ask for more from their employers, thus unions where born.

We now live an age where everyone has realised the potential of technology and continued technological development, be it to make our lives easier, furthering the understanding of the universe, economic gain or national security.

It is the last 2 that are most prevalent in today’s culture. So it is no surprise the biggest financial backing for furthering technological development are governments. Entire government agencies have been specifically dedicated to research, like America's National Science Foundation or the UK’s scientific research institutes. Research and development into new technologies has become one the biggest investments both in government and large corporations.


But it is still the individual, the everyday consumer that continues to have a huge influence over technology. History has shown that many technologies have developed to make our lives easier. The ability to complete more tasks in less time. This is a notion that continues to appeal to society. The resulting effect is that a society that has the power to control the level and direction of technology through the consumer choices they make.

But what a society enjoys the most in choice. Choice has fuelled modern consumerism. You only have to go as far as your corner shop to discover this. At one time, you went down your local shop and you would buy a tin of soup because that was the only tin of soup being produced, now you go down the shop and you have a good half a dozen at least. With all this choice, would you still want to live in a world where you are essential told what you buy?