1. Environmental, Social, Legal, Ethical and Geopolitical Considerations

2. Technological System Technologies are not isolated, separate devices
An individual technology becomes workable only when it is one part of a larger system (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts)
Examples: washing machine, missile

3. Example of Technological Impacts
Stirrups and feudal society
Once you can fight well from a horse, then you need a way to support this expensive way of waging battle (so, must realign society to support elite mounted warriors)
Changing technology is one of many factors that affects society: political, economic, and cultural forces also exert influence

4. Does Society Always Choose the Best Technology
Apple OS and Linux vs. DOS/Windows
Power Generation (coal fired, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.)

5. Impact of Engineering
From who does the engineering, and what kind of tasks they do, to what kind of influence do they have…
Just talked a little bit about who does the engineering. Now, what is it they actually do?

6. “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” by Langdon Winner
How is the “goodness” of a technology measured?
Contributions to efficiency and productivity
And also…
Positive and negative environmental side effects
Manner in which they facilitate or re-establish certain power structures
When is stuff more than just stuff?
First line of article” In controversies about technology and sopciety, there is no idea more provitactive than the notion that technical things have political qualities

7. “It’s not the technology; it’s how it’s used”
A “thing” can’t have politics
Technology is neither inherently good nor bad
People have politics, and people use the technology to achieve certain ends
The social or economic system in which the technology exists is more important
Fair enough in that we need to look beyond the social impact of a technology. We also need to look beginf techniucal things to see the social circumstances of their development, deployment, and use.

8. New York City (Long Island) Bridges then…

9. And now.

10. The Hutchinson Parkway

11. Inventions as Extension of Social Order
Example: Overpasses on the Long Island parkways
Over 200 of them
As little as nine feet of clearance
Built to discourage the presence of buses on the parkways
Buses are public transportation: class issues
Builder (Robert Moses) also blocked extension of the Long Island Railroad to provide Jones Beach access

12. Design for Politics Example: Broad boulevards of Paris.
Built by Napolean
Prevent street fighting
Example: UT Austin student union public space
Built in 1960’s and 1970’s
Prevent student riots
Example: Soviet architecture.
Large plazas
Broad boulevards
Huge scale of blocks, government buildings
Soviet: non user friendly. Awe inspiring. Larger than life scale. Literally. unapproachable

13. Myth of Efficiency as Motivator
Technological Application has many justifications
McCormick factory example, pneumatic molding machines. Inferior quality at higher cost. Installed to force high skilled, unionized workers out.
Not all designing for social uses is intentional
Not all intentional: activists for the disabled

14. How Do We Measure “Good?” Or “Better?”
Economic costs and benefits:
jobs created, income generated, etc.
Environmental impacts
pollutants distributed, cancers created
Risks to public health and safety
exposure to natural disaster impact, “unsafe at any speed”
“Consequences for the form and quality of human associations”

15. Choices are Made, or, We Make Choices
Importance of introductory stages of a technology
Every decision is based on assumptions -- often unexamined assumptions
Centralized vs. decentralized technologies

16. Consequences of Technology