Technology and Society

Technology and society from a social science perspective

Technology and Society: Social Sciences Lens

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash Image: People protesting for science.

We can observe and consider technology and society through several lenses like history, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The lens of social sciences brings a unique perspective from the other lenses. It focuses on the social and political implications of new technologies on society.

The lens of social sciences uses a set of theories, ideas, and concepts to explain the interactions between human beings and technology (Adams & Sosland, p. 8). There are four major theoretical perspectives in social sciences that look at technology and society relations: functionalism, interpretivism, critical theory, and social constructionism.

Functionalism is “the belief that society consists of various parts or institutions that work together to better the whole society.” All parts of society are dependent on each other and contribute to the whole system. It assumes that social institutions are suited for one another, works well together, and “act as functional prerequisites of society.”

Functionalism focuses on three major parts of society: social institutions, occupations and vocations, and technology.