From crude tools in the Stone Age to smartphones in the twenty-first century, technology has always had a pervasive role in human life. In this timely study, Anabel Quan-Haase examines the places where technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, communication, work, power, and inequality. The result is a broad yet efficient overview of the tools we use, where they come from, and how they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form with others. This fully revised second edition includes a new chapter on gender and technology, increased coverage of the history of technology, classical theories, and ethical considerations throughout.

Table of Contents:
Preface ; Overview of the Book ; Acknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; 1. The Technological Society ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; The Social and Ethical Dimensions of Studying Technology ; Contemporary Discussions of Technology ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 2. Technology in Society: A Historical Overview ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Why Study the History of Technology ; The Stone Age: The Early Beginnings of Technological Ingenuity ; Ancient Technology: The Development of the Scientific Method ; The Renaissance: The Awakening of the Mind through Technology ; Enlightenment and Revolution: Systematic Knowledge in Action ; The Industrial Revolution: Revolting against Technology ; Electronic Times: Hot and Cool Media ; The Information Society: The Bits and Bytes Revolution ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 3. Theoretical Perspectives on Technology ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Utopian versus Dystopian Views of Technology ; Theories of Technology and Society ; Science and Technology Studies (STS) ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 4. Gendered Technology ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Talking about Gender and Technology ; Household Technology ; Gender and IT Use and Skills ; Women Working in the IT-related Fields ; Technology and the Body ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 5. Techno-Social Designing ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Technological Design and How it Intersects with Society ; Technopoles: Centres of Innovation ; Global Technopoles ; The Role of Research and Development (R&D) ; Understanding the Social Millieu of Software Development ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 6. The Adoption and Diffusion of Technological Innovations ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Technological Innovations: The Process ; The Classic Model of the Diffusion of Innovations ; Classifying Adoption Categories ; Marketing Relations with Early Adopters ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 7. The Labour of Technology ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Luddites: The Early Struggles with Technology ; Technology and the Division of Labour ; The Role of the Prosumer ; Makerspaces: The DIY Community Gone Viral ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 8. Technology and Inequality ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; The Digital Divide ; The Global Digital Divide ; Critical Perspectives of the Digital Divide ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 9. Community in the Network Society ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; What Is Community? ; Social Capital and Its Relevance to Community ; Revisiting Community in the Internet Era ; How Is Technology Transforming the Public Sphere? ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 10. Technology-Mediated Social Relationships ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Early Beginnings of Mediated Communication ; North America Calling: The Impact of the Telephone on Social Relationships ; Penetration of Mediated Communication: The Impact of the Internet on Social Relationships ; How Has Technology Affected Our Relationships? ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 11. The Surveillance Society ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; Defining and Understanding Surveillance ; Foucault's Analysis of Power Relations in Society ; Technology's Role in the New Surveillance ; Defining Privacy ; Counter-Surveillance as a Means of Personal Resistance ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; 12. Ethical Dimensions of Technology ; Learning Objectives ; Introduction ; The Book's Three Central Themes ; Ethical and Moral Dimensions of our Technological Society ; Electronic Waste ; A Society of Overload ; Conclusions ; Questions for Critical Thought ; Suggested Readings ; Online Resources ; Glossary ; Notes ; References ; Index