Technological Determinism vs. Social Constructionism in History

Introduction: Technology and the Course of History

Technology has certainly had an impact on the history of humankind. Not only have the devices and processes that have emerged from technological advancements left their mark, but so has the relationship of technology to politics, economics, science, and the arts. Technology has affected how people interact with one another, and since history is a record of those interactions, technology has fundamentally shaped history itself.

Not surprisingly, historians have adopted different approaches to examining the effect that technology has on history. Essentially, two approaches have emerged to dominate the field: technological determinism and social constructionism.

Technological Determinism Explained

The essence of technological determinism is that the introduction of new technology changes society and that these changes are often unexpected. For example, proponents of technological determinism would argue that the introduction of the printing press transformed society from one driven by oral communication into a society driven by writing and literacy, or that the introduction of the automobile caused society to shift away from urban centers and toward a suburban lifestyle.

Proponents of technological determinism believe that it is technology that determines how members of society behave and act, and that it is how members of society react to technological change that dictates how history develops — not that technology develops in reaction to the behavior and needs of society. Technological determinists believe that technology drives the economic forces in society, and that those economic forces in turn shape society as a whole. By extension, technological determinism also shapes the broader course of history.

Social Constructionism as a Counterargument

Critics of technological determinism have gained recognition in recent years. Their chief argument is that such an approach is far too simplistic and ignores the interrelationship between society and technology. In response to these criticisms, the social constructionist approach has emerged. Social constructionism views technology as developing in response to societal needs, but it cautions the observer to take a critical stance toward how one understands or views the world. It warns that one should be suspicious of assumptions and of how the world appears.

In applying this theory to history, social constructionists argue that how events develop during a specific period depends on the social and economic circumstances in existence at that time. In understanding history, therefore, it is important to recognize the factors affecting society at any given moment and to appreciate that a combination of relative factors determines how history unfolds — as opposed to the simple introduction of new technology, as technological determinists would argue.