![]() ![]() Technology is the application of science to address the problems of daily life, from hunting tools and agricultural advances, to manual and electronic ways of computing, to today’s tablets and smartphones. Throughout this chapter, we will use our sociological imagination to explore how media and technology impact society. ![]() For example, how can Canadians be sure the news they hear is an objective account of reality, unsullied by moneyed political interests? Someone applying the interactionist perspective to technology and the media might seek to understand the difference between the real lives we lead and the reality depicted on “reality” television shows, such as the U.S., based but Canadian MTV production Jersey Shore, with up to 800,000 Canadian viewers (Vlessing, 2011). Someone applying the critical perspective would probably focus on the systematic inequality created by differential access to media and technology. A functionalist would also be interested in the manifest functions of media and technology, as well as their role in social dysfunction. For example, the web is both a form of technology and a form of media, and it links individuals and nations in a communication network that facilitates both small family discussions and global trade networks. How might we examine these issues from a sociological perspective? A structural functionalist would probably focus on what social purposes technology and media serve. These are some of the questions that interest sociologists. How does technology change our lives for the better? Or does it? When you tweet a social cause or cut and paste a status update about cancer awareness on Facebook, are you promoting social change? Does the immediate and constant flow of information mean we are more aware and engaged than any society before us? Or are TV reality shows and talent competitions today’s version of ancient Rome’s “bread and circuses” - distractions and entertainment to keep the lower classes indifferent to the inequities of our society? Do media and technology liberate us from gender stereotypes and provide us with a more cosmopolitan understanding of each other, or have they become another tool in promoting misogyny? Is ethnic and gay and lesbian intolerance being promoted through a ceaseless barrage of minority stereotyping in movies, video games, and websites? We are encouraged to tweet, text, or call in to vote for contestants in everything from singing competitions to matchmaking endeavours - bridging the gap between our entertainment and our own lives. ![]() Even television is no longer a one-way medium but an interactive one. We do not only use Facebook to keep in touch with friends we also use it to “like” certain TV shows, products, or celebrities. By thinking of everyone as fair game in networking for personal gain, we can now market ourselves professionally to the world with LinkedIn.Īt the same time that technology is expanding the boundaries of our social circles, various media are also changing how we perceive and interact with each other. Through the magic of Facebook, you might know about an old elementary school friend’s new job before her mother does. It has turned “friend” into a verb and has made it possible to share mundane news (“My dog just threw up under the bed! Ugh!”) with hundreds or even thousands of people who might know you only slightly, if at all. How many good friends do you have? How many people do you meet for coffee or a movie? How many would you call with news about an illness or invite to your wedding? Now, how many “friends” do you have on Facebook? Technology has changed how we interact with each other.
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