Theoretical Background

Overview

Technology is embedded in our lives. From the earliest stone axes to the latest hand-held personal communicators, humans have always been creating tools to extend our abilities and accomplish tasks more easily. At the same time, our relationship to technology is often characterized by discomfort, incomprehension or alienation. We need technology to survive, yet resent the powerlessness we feel when faced with tools that seem baffling or beyond our control. Why should something so essential to our existence be so upsetting? Is there any way to move to a more positive understanding of technology?

People feel powerless with regard to technology because they do not have the chance to participate in directing technological futures. (Harwood Group 1991) Typically, people are told that technical decision making should be left to the "experts"; that without the proper technical training the issues would be too complex. Achieving a more positive understanding of technology will require redefining technical design processes to be more inclusive. My argument for how this might work is summarized here and explained in more detail below.

A sociopolitical view of technology says that there are social, political, and economic barriers to including individuals and communities in technological development. Changing the way in which technologies are designed requires more substantial social change. User-centered design practice has developed many promising techniques to incorporate users of technology into the development process. However, these methods are almost always used in organizations that are trying to sell more technology, so their primary motivation is not to increase participation for the benefit of the community. Additionally, user-centered design still operates on the model of technical professionals directing development. True community input into technical design will likely require turning to models of participation drawn from community building work, such as asset-based community development and the democratic technology movement.

Overview | Sociopolitical Technology |
User-Centered Design | Participatory Design | Engaging Community

Contents | Introduction | Background | Methods | Description | Conclusion | References