Talk:Science and technology studies

Definition&Concept:

Social constructions are human created ideas, objects, or events created by a series of choices and interactions.^[1] These interactions have consequences that change the perception that different groups of people have on these constructs. Some examples of social construction include gender, class, race, money, and citizenship.

The following also alludes to the notion that not everything is set, a circumstance or result could potentially be one way or the other. According to the What is Social Construction? by Laura Flores, "Social construction work is critical of the status quo. Social constructionists about X tend to hold that: 1) X need not have existed, or need not be at all as it is. X, or X as it is at present, is not determined by the nature of things; it is not inevitable Very often they go further, and urge that: 2) X is quite as bad as it is. 3) We would be much better off if X were done away with, or at least radically transformed." In the past we have seen that some "knowledge" or "facts" have been disproven as new knowledge comes a long and helps our society be better informed or educated on things that were once not questioned. Such "knowledge" includes the past concept of a correlation between intelligence and the nature of a human's ethnicity or race (X may not be at all as it is).^[2]

Examples:

The intention of high-wheel bicycle is to get a higher translational velocity over the ground via replacing the front wheel with a lager-radius wheel. However, this attempt lead to the unstable of riding experience and potential harm. For young athletes and enthusiastic youth, this bicycle means passion. However, for some elder and women, they worry about the issue when a large wheel hit a piece of brick or stone, when rider try to check the wheel, the sudden check usually threw the rider over the handle bar. Therefore, a technological innovation or progress caused some unintended and undesired consequences. The social construction of safety caused the design of the bicycle to change to a more safe design. ^[3]

[Extended copy/paste from Bijker's essay on Bakelite removed for copyright reasons. Please do not copy/paste large blocks of text anywhere on Wikipedia. See WP:COPYVIO for more information.]^[4] --Ryan (Wiki Ed) (talk) 19:36, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

^{[refgroup 1]}

Our group has conducted extensive research on the STS concept,“technosocial.” Since there isn't a clear definition on the Science, Technology, and Society Wikipedia page, we propose adding the definition we have developed. In addition, we've compiled examples that relate to our definition, some of which, we would like to add. Additionally, we've formulated many related concepts of technosocial that will help Wikipedia users better understand how “technosocial” fits into the topics of STS.

Definition:

"Technological action is a social process."^[1] Social factors and technology are intertwined so that they are dependent upon each other. This includes the aspect that social, political, and economic factors are inherent in technology and that social structure influences what technologies are pursued. In other words, "technoscientific phenomena combined inextricably with social/political/ economic/psychological phenomena, so ‘technology' includes a spectrum of artifacts, techniques, organizations, and systems." ^[2] Winner expands on this idea by saying "in the late twentieth century technology and society, technology and culture, technology and politics are by no means separate."^[3]

Specific Examples:

Ford Pinto^[4]- Ford Motor Company sold and produced the Pinto during the 1970’s. A flaw in the automobile design of the rear gas tank caused a fiery explosion upon impact. The exploding fuel tank killed and injured hundreds of people. Internal documents of test results, proved Ford CEO Lee Iacocca and engineers were aware of . The company decided to ignore improving their technology because of profit-driven motives, strict internal control, and competition from foreign competitors such as Volkswagen. Ford Motor Company conducted a cost-benefit analysis to determine if altering the Ford Pinto model was feasible. An analysis conducted by Ford employees argued against a new design because of increased cost. Employees were also under tight control by the CEO who rushed the Pinto through production lines to increase profits. Ford finally changed are public scrutiny. Safety organizations later influenced this technology by requiring stricter safety standards for motor vehicles.

DDT/Toxins^[2] - DDT was a common and highly effective insecticide used during the 1940’s until its ban in the early 1970’s. It was utilized during World War 2 to combat insect-borne human disease that plagued military members and civilian populations. People and companies soon realized other benefits of DDT for agricultural purposes. Rachel Carson became worried of wide spread use on public health and the environment. Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring," left an imprint on the industry by claiming linkage of DDT to many serious illness such as cancer. Carson's book drew criticism from chemical companies who felt their reputation and business threatened by such claims.. DDT was eventually banned by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after a long and arduous process of research on the chemical substance. The main cause for the removal of DDT was the public deciding that the benefits any outweighed potential health risk.

Autopilots/Computer Aided Tasks (CATs) ^[2] - From a security point of view the effects of making a task more computer driven is in the favor of technological advance because there is less reaction time required and computational error than a human pilot. Due to reduced error and reaction times flights on average, using autopilot, have been shown to be safer. Thus the technology has a direct impact on people by increasing their safety, and society affects the technology because people want to be safer so they are constantly trying to improve the autopilot systems.

Cell Phones^[2]- Cell phone technology emerged in the early 1920’s after advancements were made in radio technology. Engineers at Bell Laboratories, the research and development division of AT&T discovered that cell towers can transmit and receive signals to and from many directions. The discovery by Bell Labs revolutionized the capabilities and outcomes of cellular technology. Technology only improved once mobile phone users could communicate outside of a designated area. First generation mobile phones were first created and sold by Motorola. Their phone was only intended for use in cars. Second generation mobile phone capabilities continued to improve because of the switch to digital. Phones were faster which enhanced communication capabilities of customers. They were also sleeker and weighed less than bulky first generation technology. Technologically advances boosted customer satisfaction and broadened cell phone companies customer base. Third generation technology changed the way people interact with other. Now customers had access to wifi, texting and other applications. Mobile phones are now entering into the fourth generations. Cellular and mobile phones revolutionized the way people socialize and communicate in order to establish modern social structure . People have affected the development of this technology by demanding features such as larger screens, touch capabilities, and internet accessibility.

Internet^[2]- The internet arose because of extensive research on ARPANET between various university, corporations, and ARPA (Advanced Research Project Agency), an agency of the Department of Defense. Scientist theorized a network of computers connected to each other. Computing capabilities contributed to developments and the creation of the modern day computer or laptop . The internet has become a normal part of life and business, to such a degree that the united nations views it as a basic human right. The internet is becoming larger, one way is that more things are being moved into the digital world due to demand, for example online banking. It has drastically changed the way most people go about daily habits.

Concepts related to Technosocial:

Technoscience^[2]-The perception that science and technology are intertwined and depend on each other.

Technosociety^[5]- An industrially developed society with a reliance on technology.

Technological Utopianism^[6]- A positive outlook on the effect technology has on social welfare. Includes the perception that technology will one day enable society to reach a utopian state.

Technosocial Systems^[7]-Technosocial Systems are people and technologies that combine to work as heterogeneous but functional wholes.

Classifications of Technosocial:

Technological Optimism^[8] - The opinion that technology has positive effects on society and should be used in order to improve the welfare of people.

Technological Pessimism^[8]- The opinion that technology has negative effects on society and should be discouraged from use.

Technological Neutrality^[7] -"maintains that a given technology has no systematic effects on society: individuals are perceived as ultimately responsible, for better or worse, because technologies are merely tools people use for their own ends."

Technological Determinism^[7]- “maintains that technologies are understood as simply and directly causing particular societal outcomes."

Scientism^[9]- The belief in the total separation of facts and values.

Technological Progressivism^[9]- technology is a means to an end itself and an inherently positive pursuit.

• Technosociety dictionary definition | technosociety defined. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/technosociety

• Technological utopianism. (2015, March 18). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_utopianism

• "Design by Society: Science and Technology Studies and the Social Shaping of Design", Edward Woodhouse and Jason W. Patton, Design Issues, Volume 20, Number 3 Summer 2004.

• Woodhouse, E. (2013). In The Future of Technological Civilization (Revised ed., pp. 1-258).

• Hochschild, J., Crabill, A., & Sen, M. (2012, December 1). Technology Optimism or Pessimism: How Trust in Science Shapes Policy Attitudes toward Genomic Science. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/msen/files/hochschild_crabill_sen.pdf

• Kleinman, D. (2005). Science is Political/Technology is Social: Concerns, Concepts, and Questions. Maryland: Blackwell.

• Winner, L. (1993). Artifacts/Ideas and Political Culture (pp. 283-292). Troy, New York: Rensselaer.

• Goldman, S. (1992). No Innovation Without Representation (pp. 148-160). Troy, New York: Rensselaer.

• Dowie, M. (1977, October 1). Pinto Madness. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1977/09/pinto-madness?page=2

• Lyles, D. (2014, May 2). Cultivating Optimism. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from https://technosciencepeople.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/cultivating-optimism/

• A classic critique of techno-optimism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://newtechnologyandsociety.org/

I noticed several of you are copy/pasting sources into the talk page. This is a big copyright problem, even if you cite the source. Please remove any big blocks of copy/pasted material and be sure everything is cited. It's not as strict as it is in the article, but copyright applies to every page on Wikipedia. If you do not remove it, I or someone else will have to.

Also, there are a lot of resources available to help student editors. I work for the Wiki Education Foundation and would like very much to be able to contact your professor. Could you either direct him/her to email (ryan [at] wikiedu [dot] org) or give me a name/institution to look up? Thanks. --Ryan (Wiki Ed) (talk) 13:10, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Follow-up: Thanks to Martin75gk for providing some information about the course. I removed the most egregious of the copyright issues and replaced it with an italicized explanation. --Ryan (Wiki Ed) (talk) 19:38, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

"Although, Garrett Hardin was not an scholar, the concept of Tragedy of the Commons still applies to science, technology and society.[11] The internet is a science, technology and society example where tragedy of the commons is relevant as physical resources that are being exploited gets protected by legislation, the internet is a free market which is easily exploitable such as privacy." What? What are you trying to say? GangofOne (talk) 00:32, 23 July 2015 (UTC)

I propose that Science studies be merged here into Science, technology and society. The text in the Science studies article is lower quality and can be better explained in the context of this article. The merge should not cause any problems as far as article size or undue weight is concerned. There is an old circa 2005 discussion of the relationship between these articles at Talk:Science_studies#Science_and_technology_studies.2C_not_Science_studies. This line from the concluding argument there for having two separate articles is telling: "There still are science studies departments -- UCSD, for instance, that don't do much with technology." If you browse to UCSD's web page today, you will find that they are offering a "Minor in Science, Technology, and Society" (). -hugeTim ^(talk) 15:34, 29 December 2015 (UTC)

• Oppose: In the lede of science, technology and society it says "science and technology studies, is a branch or offspring of science studies". Science studies also investigates other areas related to science. Also while the science studies articles is more concerned with the methodology and history (etc.) of the field this article here is more about the findings etc. Additionally the article would be too long, people would have a harder time getting info on "science studies" and I don't see the advantage of merging them. --Fixuture (talk) 19:32, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
• Agree with proposal Key professional academic associations in the field integrate Science Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (e.g. 4S, EASST, APSTSN). Discursively, these fields are closely related. The merging might require some major re-organisation, such as pushing some subsections to their own pages.Ingmar.lippert (talk) 16:06, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
• Support: The STS article is in need of a big overhaul, it's in bad shape. It's my area of specialty but I am not in a position to overhaul it at this time. I'd be happy to assist someone else with the task as I can. I agree with Ingmar.lippert that the two topics are compatible enough to merge and they are often considered one and the same. The most common label for these types of studies is STS. Meclee (talk) 03:23, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
• Oppose: The science studies article is in better shape than this one, which is a mess. While related, there is sufficient historical and contemporary difference between the two to maintain the two separate articles, in my opinion. DA Sonnenfeld (talk) 10:14, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
• Oppose: Science studies comprises a very specific research interest that arose as a cultural trend around the beginning of the 20th century. I think it's relatively clear that science studies as a phenomena was very focused on questioning the practice of science, and the impact of its practice on society, as opposed to STS which is concerned more with the way society interacts with science and technology. These two disciplines, while related, have distinct cultural origins, in my opinion, and the opinions of many others. --Shibbolethink ^{(♔ ♕)} 13:53, 11 October 2016 (UTC)

Hi everyone, I've proposed the creation of WikiProject STS in order to address the issues of this and other articles, as well as to provide continuing updates for STS news and STS analysis of issues in science, technology, and governance. Please take a look at the proposal and provide commentary on it, and let me know if you'd be interested in contributing in some way! Mathmitch7 (talk) 04:03, 16 November 2017 (UTC)

It's pretty clear to me that these pages need to be merged. The last vote on this subject (in 2016) was 3 to 2 against, but since the page was renamed we should vote again. --Wikiman2718 (talk) 17:25, 30 May 2019 (UTC)

• Comment: I don't see any problem with the merger, but as I perused this article I noted that it seems to be a mashup of very different topics, and if Science studies is merged into this article it would be a good opportunity to consider reorganizing the article: for example, the "Professional associations" and "Journals" sections could be moved toward the end of the article, somewhere after the "Important concepts" section, and the "Important concepts" section could use a lengthy introductory paragraph tying together all of its subsections and briefly explaining how, if at all, they have been integrated in STS. Last December, I wrote at Talk:Science studies § Skewed citation pattern in this article: "This article seems overly reliant on citing 'Social studies of volcanology: knowledge generation and expert advice on active volcanoes' by Donovan et al., which is currently the first item, and mostly frequently cited item, in the reference list. In many of the places in this article where Donovan et al. are cited, a more general text about science studies (instead of this text that is specifically about social studies of volcanology) would be more appropriate." That citation problem should be fixed before or during the merger. Do not simply copy the other article's problem into this article! Biogeographist (talk) 14:56, 1 June 2019 (UTC)

I just moved the "Professional associations" and "Journals" sections toward the end of the article as I suggested in my earlier comment above. Biogeographist (talk) 19:26, 3 January 2020 (UTC)

• As something similar has been proposed before, this needs to go through the WP:MERGE process, which includes a thread on the science studies talk page and notices on both pages. Otherwise, just a ping to participants in the previous proposal: @Hugetim, Fixuture, Meclee, DASonnenfeld, Ingmar.lippert, and Shibbolethink: — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 16:29, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose. A reasonable question to ask (and some excellent suggestions, above, for improving both articles). But I remain of the opinion that, while clearly related, there is sufficient distinction between Science studies, Technology studies, and Science and technology studies for the three to remain separate, cross-referenced articles. As with any field, one can conceive of an overview article plus articles on subfields. In this case, science studies and technology studies are sufficiently distinct as to merit their own articles: I would see it as a three-way Venn diagram rather than a hierarchical relationship. My two cents... Kind regards, DA Sonnenfeld (talk) 14:24, 5 July 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose - While the name has changed, I don't think much about the actual content of the article has. So I remain opposed for the reasons stated previously.--Shibbolethink ^{(♔ ♕)} 04:01, 7 July 2019 (UTC)
• Comment: It would really make more sense to vote on merging science studies AND technology studies with this article than just science studies alone. It wouldn't make sense to merge one and not the other. --Wikiman2718 (talk) 16:40, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
• Comment: And don't forget Logology (study of science), which may be the Poland-centric doppelgänger of Science studies. Logology (study of science) should be part of the conversation as well. In principle I don't see any conceptual problem in merging Science studies, Technology studies, and even Logology (study of science) into Science and technology studies. They are all covered by the same professional association, Society for Social Studies of Science (and similar regional associations and special interest groups within the major disciplinary associations). I see "STS" and "science studies" as essentially synonymous. (More precisely: The term "STS" can replace the term "science studies" in just about any sentence except when dealing with technology without science.) But the devil is in the details of merging: To merge them all would be an enormous amount of work requiring much expertise. And rewriting is required. I doubt that there is enough will to do the work necessary to complete the merge even if everyone were to agree that it should be done. @Wikiman2718: I would like to hear your opinion, if you have one; you proposed the merger, but you haven't put forward an argument. Biogeographist (talk) 02:21, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

I'm not exactly an expert here, but my thoughts on the issue are pretty similar to yours. I'd like to hear what @Nihil novi: has to say about logology. --Wikiman2718 (talk) 06:14, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

I'd like to at least get it in good enough shape so we can remove all the tags that are plaguing it, maybe make it a bit more streamlined and with less of a "list" feel... and a few more things to bring out some of the key ideas in this important sub-field. If anyone's still around who's into this, please holla at me here. If I don't hear anything I might just start doing stuff as the moment takes me. Would be nice to work with someone on it though. Cleopatran Apocalypse (talk) 13:44, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

I am watching the article. Also note that Science studies is in bad shape and needs help too. (I added the cleanup tag to that one.) Biogeographist (talk) 16:01, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 11 January 2022 and 22 April 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Mxnicpixie (article contribs). Peer reviewers: SilverScreen'sSilverLining.

The primary illustration on this article is a photo of some object in the London Science Museum. It's described as a "communications artifact", with no further elaboration. It looks like a cable winder; if that's what it is, then it is indeed a communications artifact, in the sense that it's man-made, and might be concerned with communication.

But I have no idea why it is in this article. I would like to remove it; I don't think any illustration is appropriate for an article on this topic, although I could be persuaded. But this topic is extremely abstract, and I doubt that a photo of any concrete artifact is helpful as the main article image. MrDemeanour (talk) 16:33, 2 November 2022 (UTC)

I don't know why this section appears in the article. Nothing in the section explains why TOTC has anything to do with Science and Technology Studies, and TOTC is essentially an issue in social relations, not science or technology.

I propose to delete the section.

MrDemeanour (talk) 16:39, 2 November 2022 (UTC)

The tragedy of the commons is an idea that is used in STS too. I think the current citations illustrate that reasonably, although more could be added. I support keeping this section. Bondegezou (talk) 17:07Science and technology are related in that science is the study of the natural world, and technology is the application of scientific knowledge to create devices and solve problems:

Science The systematic study of the natural world through observation and experimentation. Science explores new knowledge and makes predictions.

Technology The application of scientific knowledge to create devices that solve problems and carry out tasks. Technology can be useful or harmful.

Science and technology are closely related, and it's difficult to separate the two. Technology can be used to do science, and the accelerated discoveries of modern science have enabled technology to expand human capacity.

Science, technology, and society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the creation, development, and consequences of science and technology.

2 November 2022 (UTC)

at the moment, the page seems to have two sections that list STS journals. That seems unnecessary and confusing. However, both provide different helpful information:

- internal wiki links

- external links

Both should be maintained; but the two lists should ideally be integrated. Ingmar.lippert (talk) 16:40, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

I suggest we remove now the marker

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2014)

for 94 inline citations seem sufficient. Ingmar.lippert (talk) 18:33, 31 March 2025 (UTC)

Done. Bondegezou (talk) 08:59, 1 April 2025 (UTC)