Article : How Are Media Born and Developed ? By Brain Winston
How Are Media Born & Developed
1. What does the author mean by "technology is not neutral"?
A) What are the different meanings of the terms "technological determinism" and "cultural determinism"?
B) Give some examples of technological determinism and cultural determinism?
C) What is emphasized in a technological determinist accounting of history?
D) What is emphasized in a cultural determinist accounting of history?
E) Does the author support a cultural determinist or technological determinist perspective?
F) Which perspective do you support? Why?
What are the differences implied when using the terms "invention" or "development"?
A) What is a "supervening social necessity"?
B) What is the "law of the suppression of radical potential"?
C) How can the pattern of supervening social necessities and the suppression of? radical potential be applied to the history of radio or television development?
D) Come up with an example of how one of these ideas might be applied to more? recent technologies or technologies emerging today.
5.? this story of the development of color film to support an argument. What argument is he supporting with this example from the development of color film? The author describes the development of color film from a cultural determinist perspective. He uses
6. As an example of how cultural factors influence technological development, the author discusses the cultural factors that may have prevented Arab astronomers from the image-making potential of the camera. What are these cultural factors?
7. After reading this chapter, how would you characterize traditional accounts of the development of the telegraph, telephone, radio, television, cable, computers, the internet -- Cultural determinist or Technological determinist? What leads you to the conclusion you have
reached?
8. What is your personal reaction to any of the ideas presented in the chapter? Your interpretation about what this might imply about technologies today -- or tomorrow?