Social Shaping of Technology

The social shaping of technology (SST) is a broadly defined term used to identify the approaches that emerged in the mid-1980s with the aim of understanding the significance of technology in society and the influences of the broader social context on technological innovation. SST approaches developed as a critique of types of technological determinism and of linear models constructed to explain innovation. They are thus characterized by considering technology as the result of broader processes where technical, cultural, and social aspects are interwoven and mutually influence one another. SST constitutes one of the traditions that make up the core of science and technology studies (STS). It has also become popular in other sectors, such as media and communication studies, organization and work studies, everyday life ...