A social shaping perspective on the development of the world wide web

Abstract

This article uses the Social Shaping of Technology (SST) framework to analyze the case of a Canadian internet company called iCraveTV, which captured broadcast television signals off the air and retransmitted them over the internet. The case study identifies and discusses the social and legal mechanisms by which relevant social groups can exert substantial force on the development of the web. The example of iCraveTV directs attention to questions about the interactions of domestic and transnational forces in the shaping of internet and world wide web technologies. The article concludes that the path of development of the internet and the world wide web remains open to potential intervention and regulation.