'Polypotency' of technology and Technology as a 'form of life'

Question #5:

Think of your own example to illustrate what Sclove calls the 'polypotency' of technology. How, if at all, does your example help us to understand technology as a form of 'social structure'?

Sclove regarded technologies as 'polypotency' because of the fact that all technologies are associated with manifold latent social effects and meanings, and that it is in virtue of these that technologies come to function as social structure; that is technologies are potent or useful in many ways.

My own example to illustrative what Sclove calls the 'polypotency' of technology is"cutlass". Cutlass is a technological instrument which is primarily intended to cut grasses in the farm, but beyond this, cutlass is used for other various purposes - cut down trees, dig holes and carve wood etc. Like hammer, which Sclove used as an example of 'polypotency', technological cutlass equally possess the same qualities and attributes.

When a man uses cutlass for anything, he learns about the texture and structural properties of materials, he also exercises and develops his muscle, improve his hand eye coordination, generates noise. As he uses the cutlass and sharpens it from time to time, he stresses and wears the cutlass out. He equally acquire competence, confidence and approval as he uses it constantly. A he looks at the filed or the items he uses the cutlass for, he thinks cutlass as a symbol of self reliance. He is reminded of a goldmine that extracted the iron which was eventually refashioned by a Goldsmith. He thinks about somebody who chopped down a tree to make the handle of the cutlass.

The cutlass's immediate social and context of use varies, the man can work alone or works with others as a project. He may not earn a wage as well for using it in his farm, he may not choose his task. This man also see cutlass in different ways, it help reveal the world to him differently. His style of using his cutlass to weed or cut grasses reveal to others about his character, competence, and mood. Social conditions of the use of cutlass has some limitations. Cutlass also have only one handle, not designed to allow the type of class collaboration as it use in computer network.

The material result of man activity include food items from the farm, scrap wood, pieces of wood for fire making, strengthen muscles, and some inhalation of dust from the earth, perspiration and food stuff which become inevitable to hum existence in the world. Therefore cutlass, like a hammer and all technologies are polypotent in their social functions, effects and meaning.

Question #6

I strongly agree with Langdon Winner that we can understand technology as a 'form of life' in which humans and inanimate objects are linked in various kinds of relationships. Winner stated that some people employ technologies as simple tools for specific instrumental purposes to gain some advantages over nature and gain various economic benefits, once these have been obtained other things may happen. This he referred to as secondary, tertiary or other distant consequences of our actions, that have impacts on our social, cultural, political and environments. These are after effects, which are often more significant than the primary intended result.

Without any doubts, the introduction of technologies has exceeded the instrumental advantages and economic benefits of their use. It has impacted or affected our social life, cultural life, political life and our environment.

In those days, only the Executive Directors in a company have an electric typewriters with a secretary attached to him, while typists are grouped together in the typing pool, using manual typewriters, serving other officers. This development changed from electric typewriter to computers, but today computer has become the order of the day. It has become part of our life. There is no household without a computer set. Same as color television, which has faced out the black and white televisions. The HDTV has taken over the scene. The introduction of cable TV has become part of our life, and without a cable box, one might not be able to view even the other basic TV stations. These have invariably affected our social, culture and political life, including our environment.

The introduction of navigator is another example of technological innovation that has come to become part of our life. Recently the Mayor of New York is compelling all the cab drivers in the state to install navigators in their cars! This will definitely have unintended consequences that will affect our social, cultural, political life as well as our environment. The fact is that a whole new kinds of society is being created by the introduction of these technologies, and the attendant multiplicity of relationship between people and between human and technology is being created, which will in the long run remain with us and become part of our life.