The Social Shaping of Technology: A New Space for Politics?

Abstract

The social shaping of technology (SST) perspective has developed as a response to techno-economically rational and linear conceptions of technology development and its consequences. It has brought together analysts from different backgrounds with a common interest in the role of social and political action for socio-technical change. Thus, SST is a broad term, covering a large domain of studies and analyses concerned with the mutual influence of technology and society on technology development. In this chapter we emphasise the political dimensions of social shaping, through a focus on the socio-technical processes entailed in technology development and change. Our perspective is based on the understanding that technological development is a social process. As such, it unfolds through processes with political implications, involving actors, occasions and strategies that help bring about technological change. Our intention is to pursue a broader view on the political dimensions of technological decision-making, and a broader treatment of socio-technical space, maintaining a focus on the inclusion and exclusion of actors, salient issues, and how they are dealt with and resolved.