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Chapter Summary
The topic of Chapter 4 is the impact of social factors on the design of technology. Users of technology are often oblivious to the complexity underlying technological design because not much knowledge is available on how this process unfolds. The aim of this chapter, then, is to uncover these often hidden creative processes by examining developers’ visions and the challenges experienced in research and development (R&D), including the pressures that exist in R&D teams and the ways that innovation occurs in these teams. As well, Chapter 4 introduces the term “technopole” to describe specialized cities dedicated solely to technological innovation. Vancouver, for example, is presented as an example of a technopole that attracts software developers, artists, and investors. The chapter also examines in more detail the inner workings and the outer pressures of software development, which is one type of R&D that has come to occupy a central role in the world economy. Finally, the chapter examines how algorithms structure how we see the world and serve as tools of oppression.
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, you should learn to do the following:
- to look at how technology is designed and developed prior to users adopting it;
- to trace the emergence of technopoles and uncover their social significance in the context of modern cities and economies;
- to discuss the concept of the creative class and show how it is leading toward economic prosperity in post-industrial cities;
- to investigate the concept of research and development (R&D) and the pressures existent in the sector;
- to examine the inner workings and outer pressures of software development teams, in particular in the gaming industry; and
- to uncover the ways in which algorithms structure how we see the world and serve as tools of oppression.