Technological Determinism in Modern Era Research Proposal

Technological Determinism in Modern Era - Research Proposal Example The changes in technology resonate with societal changes because the process now affects the way humans feel, operate and think. This is attributable to communication and technological developments that dictate the way that people communicate and their effects on the messages sent across and received (Hickman, 2010, p. 78). Hard and soft technological determinism Hard technological determinism advance specific consequences that are either highly probable or inevitable while determining the development agenda and social organization of institutions. This requires specific conditions that are either sufficient or necessary. Apparently, sufficient conditions require unitary causes while necessary conditions require some additional preconditions as companions. Weak technological determinism is the most accepted technological status. It portends on the adoption of some technological orientations that only facilitate or enable the utilization of relevant potential opportunities for consump tion by some communities. It presumes that technology should only shape the structure of the society, but not the outcome of their actions. Many scholars recommend this form of technological determinism. Over the past few decades, the movement in technological developments has been so fast. The technologies of yesteryears continue to be rendered irrelevant with the emergence of innovations. For instance, a number of years ago, communication involved writing and printing of materials. This took a long time to reach the recipients so that by the time they get the information, it is outdated already. Such events as death or wars could have escalated while this information is still on its way to the recipient. Then there was the innovation of television that changed the communications industry by providing the most recent and up to date information that not only oriented people on social situations but also updated people on weather conditions gave information on new products. Televisio ns also enabled the relaying of video clips that can now be shot and aired so that an average person can get first-hand information on important world events. This way, technology has contributed to altering how society and people feel. Today, people will watch television clips on different happenings around the globe and give their opinions on whether there are justifications or not for the acts. For instance, conflicts and tensions between or within countries normally elicit different opinions from a cross section of the society. Through this technology, helps shape the society in particular orientations (Hugh & Reynolds, 2001). The innovation of cell phones was also a major technological change that influenced significantly on the societal implications. Additionally, cars and airplanes technologies ensured that families could spread out and still keep in touch with each other over long distances. Using cell phones, people could possibly talk across boundaries and even continents without having to write letters that would take long periods to reach the destinations. Therefore, cell phones managed people to meet their societal needs by allowing convenience in communication irrespective of the distance between the communicators.