Transcript Technology and the Transformation of Society

Chapter 14:
Science and Technology
“We have arranged things so that almost no one
understands science and technology. This is a
prescription for disaster. We might get away with it
for a while, but sooner or later this combustible
mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up
in our faces.”
—Carl Sagan, astronomer and astrobiologist
Science and Technology
Introduction
• Science
– The process of discovering, explaining, and
predicting natural or social phenomena.
• Technology
– Activities that apply the principles of science
and mechanics to the solutions of a specific
problem.
Science and Technology
Introduction
• Automation
– Dominant in an industrial society, the replacement
of human labor with machinery and equipment
that is self-operating.
• Mechanization
– Dominant in an agricultural society, the use of
tools to accomplish tasks previously done by
hand.
• Cybernation
– Dominant in a postindustrial society; the use of
machines to control other machines.
The Global Context:
The Technological Revolution
• The world is a much smaller place than it
used to be, and it will become even
smaller as the technological revolution
continues.
• In 2011, the Internet had 2.1 billion users
in more than 200 countries with 240 million
users in the United States.
The Global Context:
The Technological Revolution
• The decline of U.S. supremacy in science and
technology is likely to be the result of several
interacting forces:
– First, the federal government has been
scaling back its investment in research and
development.
– Second, corporations, the largest contributors
to research and development, have begun to
focus on short-term products and higher
profits as pressure from stockholders mounts.
The Global Context:
The Technological Revolution
• Decline of U.S. Supremacy Cont’d:
– Third, developing countries, most
notably China and India, are expanding
their scientific and technological
capabilities at a faster rate.
– Fourth, there has been a drop in science
and math education in U.S. schools,
both in terms of quality and quantity.
• STEM: An acronym for science
technology, engineering and mathematics.
Sociological Theories of Science and Technology
Structural-Functionalist Perspective
• Science fulfills the need for an assumed
objective measure of truth.
• If society changes too rapidly, problems
may emerge.
• Cultural lag is a condition in which the
material part of culture changes faster
than the nonmaterial part.
Sociological Theories of Science and Technology
Conflict Perspective
• Technological advances are motivated by profit.
• Funding of research is determined by dominant
groups.
• Science and technology also further the interests
of dominant groups to the detriment of others.
• Finally, conflict theorists as well as feminists argue
that technology is an extension of the patriarchal
nature of society that promotes the interests of
men and ignores the needs and interests of
women.
Sociological Theories of Science and Technology
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
• Knowledge is relative, it changes over time
and between societies.
• Scientific “truths” are socially constructed
and result from interactions between
scientists, researchers, and the public.
• Who becomes involved in what aspects of
science and technology is socially defined.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Technology and the Workplace
• Some technology lessens the need for supervisors and
makes control by employers easier.
• Technology can also make workers more accountable by
gathering information about their performance.
• Technology is also changing the location of work.
– Telecommuting has increased as the result of several
interacting social forces over time.
– Telepresencing, a much more technologically
sophisticated version of teleconferencing, allows lifesized participants in the virtual presence of one
another to realistically communicate through
broadcast quality sound and images.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Technology and the Workplace
What Do You Think?
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Technology and the Workplace
• Robotic technology has also revolutionized
work.
• Ninety percent of robots work in factories,
and more than half of these are used in
heavy industry, such as automobile
manufacturing.
• Technology has also changed the nature
of work.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
The Computer Revolution
• More than 76.6 percent of American households
own computers.
• Desktop ownership has decreased since 2006,
and the proportion of Americans who own laptop
computers has increased from 30 percent to 52
percent between 2006 and 2010.
• Globally, Israel has the highest rate of computer
ownership (122 computers for every 100 people),
and Honduras has one of the lowest, with just 2.5
computers for every 100 people.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• The internet is the international
information infrastructure (a network of
networks) available through universities,
research institutes, government agencies,
and businesses.
• Web 2.0 is a platform for millions of users
to express themselves online in the
common areas of cyberspace.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• E-commerce is the buying and selling of
goods and services over the Internet.
• Despite a slowdown in the economy, or
perhaps because of it, online business-tocustomer sales increased 2.1 percent
between 2008 and 2009, and now
represent 47 percent of all retail sales in
the United States
What Do You Think?
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• Health and Digital Medicine
– The Internet acts as the third most likely
source of health information preceded only by
health professionals, and friends or family
members
– Most online searches result in useful
information that affects health care decisions,
including decisions about seeing a doctor,
how to deal with a specific disease, and diet
and exercise information.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• Games and Entertainment
– Over half of all Americans play video games,
although less than a quarter play video games
online;
– Only 9 percent play massive multiplayer online
games (MMOG) such as World of Warcraft, and
less than 2 percent have visited a virtual world
such as Second Life (Lenhart 2008).
– Video games are big business, a $25.1 billion
industry in 2010.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• Politics and e-Government
– Technology is changing the world of politics.
In 2010, approximately 73 percent of U.S.
adult Internet users went online to find news
or information about the 2010 midterm
elections, or to send or receive political
messages through e-mail, instant messaging,
Twitter, and the like.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Information and Communication Technology and the Internet
• Social Networking and Blogging
– Social network sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) and blogs
comprise a sector of the Internet called membership
communities. Membership communities have changed
in recent years in three substantively significant ways.
1. First, the number of people who visit membership
communities has increased. In 2010, Facebook
topped 500 million members around the world.
2. Second, the amount of time members spend at a
membership community site has grown dramatically.
3. Finally, who joins membership communities is
changing.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• Genetics
– Molecular biology has led to a greater
understanding of the genetic material found in
all cells, DNA, and with it the ability for genetic
screening.
– Gene therapy involves identifying defective
or missing genes to get a healthy duplicate
and transplant it to the affected cell.
– Genetic engineering is the ability to
manipulate and alter the genes of an
organism.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• Food and Biotechnology
– Genetic engineering is the ability to manipulate the
genes of an organism in such a way that the natural
outcome is altered.
– Genetically modified (GM) food, also known as
genetically engineered food, and genetically modified
organisms involve this process of DNA
recombination—scientists transferring genes from
one plant into the genetic code of another plant.
– In the United States, genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) are in an estimated 80 percent of all
packaged food sold in the United States and Canada.
Genetically Engineered Food
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• Reproductive Technologies:
– The evolution of “reproductive science”
has been furthered by scientific
developments in biology, medicine, and
agriculture.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• In in-vitro fertilization (IVF), an egg and a
sperm are united in a laboratory dish or test
tube.
• Abortion: The removal of an embryo or fetus
from a woman’s uterus before it can survive on
its own.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• Therapeutic Cloning
– Uses stem cells from human embryos.
– Stem cells can produce any type of cell in the
human body.
– Stem cells have been used for repairing
spinal cord injuries in mice, allowing them to
walk normally.
Technology and the Transformation of Society
Science and Biotechnology
• Stem Cell Research
– Christopher Reeve,
stage and movie actor
best known for his
portrayal of Superman,
was a longtime advocate
of federally funded
research on embryonic
stem cells.
– He died on October 10,
2004, at the age of 52.