Interpretive flexibility – the capacity of a specific technology to sustain divergent opinions – has long been recognized as playing an important role in explaining how technical artefacts are socially constructed.
What is the relationship between interpretive flexibility and closure in the context of technology?
At the basis is the concept of interpretative flexibility, meaning that technologies are open to more than one interpretation by different relevant social groups; the existence of social mechanisms that lead to a closure of the controversy at a second stage, and finally the relation of such closure mechanisms to ‘the ...
What does interpretive flexibility mean?
Interpretative flexibility means that each technological artifact has different meanings and interpretations for various groups .
What is Scot in STS?
Social construction of technology (also referred to as SCOT) is a theory within the field of Science and Technology Studies . Advocates of SCOT—that is, social constructivists —argue that technology does not determine human action, but that rather, human action shapes technology.
Is a bike a technological artifact?
The theory of social construction of technology (SCOT), also known as technological determinism, applies to how we are able to interpret the bicycle from both a historical and modern standpoint. ... The meaning given by a relevant social group actually constitutes the artifact ” (Bijker p 77).
Society drives technological change, while changing technologies in turn shape society . ... The relationship between technology and society is reciprocal. Society drives technological change, while changing technologies in turn shape society. Technological decisions should take into account both costs and benefits.
How technology and society have mutually shaped each other?
Mutual shaping suggests that society and technology are not mutually exclusive to one another and, instead, influence and shape each other. The term mutual shaping was developed through Science and Technology Studies (STS) in an attempt to explain the detailed process of technological design. ...
What is closure and stabilization?
Closure focuses on the “meaning attributed by different relevant social groups to an artifact” while stabilization focuses on the “ development of the artifact itself within one relevant social group , in terms of the modalities used in its descriptions”.
For example, your school exists as a school and not just as a building because you and others agree that it is a school. If your school is older than you are, it was created by the agreement of others before you. In a sense, it exists by consensus, both prior and current.
What does Bijker mean when he refers to relevant social groups and interpretive flexibility ? Interpretative flexibility means that each technological artifact has different meanings and interpretations for various groups . ... What is the role of both Research and Development (separately) in technological development?
Social constructivism focuses on the collaborative nature of learning . Knowledge develops from how people interact with each other, their culture, and society at large. Students rely on others to help create their building blocks, and learning from others helps them construct their own knowledge and reality.
The relevant social groups are presented as all those groups of people that are involved in or affected by a technological development , and which relate that technology to certain problems that can be addressed and also agree broadly on how this can be done (Pinch & Bijker, 1987).
What are the different types of theoretical perspectives?
Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective . These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa.
What is technological determinism theory?
Social theory. Overview. Technological determinism (TD), simply put, is the idea that technology has important effects on our lives . This idea figures prominently in the popular imagination and political rhetoric, for example in the idea that the Internet is revolutionizing economy and society.
How did Bicycles impact society?
The bicycle made a lot of changes to society. Some of them are: When it was invented, it prompted the building of roads long before cars were thought of , thus also creating road signs, maps, etc. ... Bicycles reduced the dependence on horses for transport and help commuters get around quicker.
What is artifact in sociology?
A cultural artifact, or cultural artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users .
