Suggestions or explanation how can I apply Critical Theory of Technology in my thesis.
Hello,
Please check the following:
Technical Politics: Andrew Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology by Graeme Kirkpatrick, Manchester University Press , 2020
Instrumental Theory Instrumental theory offers the most widely accepted view of technology. It is based on the commonsense idea that technologies are "tools" standing ready to serve the purposes of their users. Technology is deemed "neutral," without valuative content of its own. But what does the "neutrality" of technology actually mean? The concept usually implies at least four points: 1. The neutrality of technology is merely a special case of the neutrality of instrumental means, which are only contingently related to the substantive values they serve. Technology, as pure instrumentality, is indifferent to the variety of ends it can be employed to achieve. This conception of neutrality is familiar and self-evident.
I am not familiar with Feenberg's theories, but on wikipedia it say that one of his criticisms is that not enough people are involved in the decision-making process behind technology production.
There are a lot of myths about how social media affect reality, however. Even if activists groups tap into that eco-system, their success or failure is affected by algorithms, even hidden agendas, perhaps motivated by money or politics. Social media platforms are complex, huge. Remember Cambridge Analytica? When you go online, there are all sorts of hidden systems we never see: content delivery systems, social media algorithms, search engine optimizations, bot nets etc. All these systems can and are manipulated in different degrees by skilled operatives. Some systems also double as surveillance platforms. This duality is reflected in the fact that your data is central to the social media business model. Your data is facebook's cash. Which means that your data is a commercial product. Like any other product, it must be harvested, stored and handled. In the past, only dubious agencies did such a thing, but now this is part of every day reality. And it is useful. Even if facebook themselves should be careful, anyone can harvest the data from facebook. Don't put your phone number on facebook. Trust, me I tried. You will be flooded by spam.
I am not saying they all are evil, or following some master plan. But is fact that these systems do exist, and are exploited. The first thing every webdesigner knows is that going online is nothing. Getting noticed is another matter all together. Webdesign is therefore different than online marketing, and promotion. These are different skills. Whenever some bimbo teenage blogger with duck mouth and huge breast-implants makes a million dollars in ad revenues, she is no fool, but a marketing genius. Even if she should be a tool for commercial interests, the money is in her bank account.
I have also noticed that something I read a few years back is increasingly becoming more and more true. When the internet was created, everyone though that freedom would blossom, the state less relevant. What we are seeing now is that the traditional power structures have conquered the internet. You cannot survive financially or technologically online outside the huge systems: google, youtube, instagram, facebook, cloudflare (or similar networks). You can set up a blog, but who will read it? Bloggers are migrating from independent sites into social media. And I think it goes beyond shunning, I think the systems are actively exploited to target users. Buy a pair of shoes, and see how many weeks you are stalked by shoes online. Just that this happens means that there is a system that makes this possible. What else can you do with this system?
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