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    1 Technology, Power and Change

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    Ishmayne Shawarrma
    This document discusses technology, power, and how they relate. It defines technology as tools developed by humans to satisfy needs, and notes that technology shapes society and is interwoven with power relations. Power is the ability to influence and control others, which can be achieved through coercion like force or threats, or persuasion to convince others. Sources of power come from symbolic resources like authority or knowledge, or material resources like wealth, resources, weapons. Technology can enhance the power of some groups over others and be used to structure society according to certain power dynamics.

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    1 Technology, Power and Change

    Uploaded by

    Ishmayne Shawarrma
    36 views17 pages
    This document discusses technology, power, and how they relate. It defines technology as tools developed by humans to satisfy needs, and notes that technology shapes society and is interwoven with power relations. Power is the ability to influence and control others, which can be achieved through coercion like force or threats, or persuasion to convince others. Sources of power come from symbolic resources like authority or knowledge, or material resources like wealth, resources, weapons. Technology can enhance the power of some groups over others and be used to structure society according to certain power dynamics.

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    Introduction lecture to the course at Ryerson POL507.

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    This document discusses technology, power, and how they relate. It defines technology as tools developed by humans to satisfy needs, and notes that technology shapes society and is interwoven with power relations. Power is the ability to influence and control others, which can be achieved through coercion like force or threats, or persuasion to convince others. Sources of power come from symbolic resources like authority or knowledge, or material resources like wealth, resources, weapons. Technology can enhance the power of some groups over others and be used to structure society according to certain power dynamics.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    36 views17 pages

    1 Technology, Power and Change

    Uploaded by

    Ishmayne Shawarrma
    This document discusses technology, power, and how they relate. It defines technology as tools developed by humans to satisfy needs, and notes that technology shapes society and is interwoven with power relations. Power is the ability to influence and control others, which can be achieved through coercion like force or threats, or persuasion to convince others. Sources of power come from symbolic resources like authority or knowledge, or material resources like wealth, resources, weapons. Technology can enhance the power of some groups over others and be used to structure society according to certain power dynamics.

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    of 17

    Technology, Power and Change

    Schedule
    What is Technology? Why study Technology? (i) It is invisible (ii) It is part of society (iii) It is part of power relations What is Power? (i) Coercive power (ii) Persuasive power Sources of Power: Symbolic and Material Power Politics

    What is Technology?
    Technology is a broad term dealing with the development of tools produced to satisfy a socially constructed need, the use of those tools by humans and the effects of those tools in society.

    What is Technology? Art


    The development of tools requires a degree of abstract thinking and creativity not found in most animals. A dog sees a big rock and avoids it while fetching a balI. Humans look at a big rock and see many things: a weapon of war to crush skulls, a building block for something that will shelter them from rain Material we might carve into a sculpture to decorate our homes or to express how we are feeling.

    Why study technology? It is invisible


    Technology appears as the natural, the norm, the alwaysalready. We are rarely asked to think analytically about technology and ask questions about individual and collective impact in society. Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian philosopher who coined the notion of the global village, wrote: We risk a peculiar form of self-hypnosis, a syndrome whereby people remain as unaware of the psychic and social effects of their technologies as a fish of the water it swims in. Precisely at the point where a technological and mediainduced environment becomes all pervasive and changes our sensory balance, it becomes invisible

    What Study Technology? It is Part of Society


    Technology is an integral part of our society Society is more than one individual. Societies are characterized by numerous patterns of relationships between individuals and groups of individuals Society the totality of interdependent relationships that bind individuals to much larger grouping of humans. A society allows its members to achieve needs or wishes they could not fulfill alone. Society means that your needs and wants are interdependent with the needs and wants of others. You may have different needs and wants than other people, but you nonetheless rely on other people in numerous ways (for a wage, for security, for love, for identity, for a sense of community/belonging, for food and shelter, etc.).

    Why study technology? It shapes society


    Large-scale technological systems precede our birth. We are born into a society interwoven with complex technological systems (warfare, automobiles, computers, automation). We live in a society in which our ancestors and our ancestors ancestors made choices about technological systems; we inherit the history of technology; our present society is shaped by the technological systems that came before us; but our technological future is yet to be determined. We have choices. But our choices require us to understand technology in society. We have a chance to apprehend, predict, and influence technological forces shaping us but if we continue in our technological trance, we will be their tools. (McLuhan, 2001: 106).

    Why study Technology? It connects with power


    Technology is an instrument of exercising and maintaining power in society; it can enhance the power of its users, enabling them to do things they could not otherwise have done while limiting the power of others. Technology can be used to enhance the symbolic and material position of some groups in society over others Technology can be used to order the social world in accordance with certain power interests and relations.

    Power
    What is power? All power entails a relationship between two or more entities (people-to-people/firm-to-firm/firm-to-consumer/state-tostate/state-to-firm/state-to-citizen/man-to-woman/parent-tochild, etc). An action by one entity limits or enables the action of the other. Power is the ability to influence and shape the behaviour of others. Power is the ability of A to make B do what B would not otherwise have done on Bs own volition. Power is the ability to get someone to do something they would not otherwise do.

    Power
    The outcome of power relationship is: CONTROL and/or CHANGE Power entails the capacity to control and/or change existing human relationships or circumstances. How to control or change?

    Types of Power: Coercion


    Coercion: the use of superior strength, often in the form of physical strength or weapons, to force others do what you want. (power by force) 1) the use of threats (do this or else there will be consequences fear motivates obey the law or you will be fined or sent to jail; support war or else you will be personally at risk of dying in a terrorist attack) 2) punishment (discipline of others when they do not obey taking away privileges/economic sanctions you didnt wash the dishes so you dont get your allowance this month; you dont accept our policies so we will stop trading with you) 3) Brute force (physically attacking, harming or killing people to get what you want a bully beats up a kid in the playground to get his lunch money; a state invades and occupies another state to control its resources)

    Types of Power: Persuasion


    Persuasion persuading others to want what you want (power by consent) 1) Moral authority (convincing others to support you and to want what you want; make them believe that you and your way are right and good; attract them). 2) Exchange (exchange and reward possibilities; person A does the bidding of person B because of something person A will do in return; you do this, you get that. (the basic wage-relation in market economies)

    Sources of Power: Symbolic Resources

    1. Subjective symbolic resources (i) authority (the perception that the powerful have a right to be powerful or that a CEO or prime minister is fit to lead); (ii) knowledge (talents and skills) (knowledge is power) (iii) character (charisma, attitude, status, prestige)

    Sources of Power: Material Resources

    2. Objective material resources: (i) Control of wealth or property (money is power) (ii) Control of natural resources and populations (iii) Control of media & information (iv) Control of weapons

    Power Politics
    Power is unevenly distributed/diffused in society. We do not all have equal power. We may want something, but learn we do not have the meanssymbolic or materialto get it. But we can try. Some people and groups have more power than others. Power often results in conflicts of interest; different people/organizations want different things; when there are obstacles to achieving what they want, they struggle.

    Power is resisted
    The use of power always causes a backlash. People dont like being coerced or persuaded to do things against their will. We live in a society and world of diverse and competing power interests, where symbolic and material resources are not shared or divided equally amongst the population. The empowerment of one person, group or state often entails the disempowerment of another person, group or state.

    Technology and Power


    Technology is an instrument of exercising and maintaining power in society; it can enhance the power of its users, enabling them to do things they could not otherwise have done while limiting the agency of others. Technology can be used to enhance the symbolic and material position of some groups in society over others Technology can be used to order the social world in accordance with certain power interests and relations.

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