The impact of technology artefacts on politics must be studied

livemint.com:

Technological innovations are not merely about efficiency or progress but are deeply intertwined with the dynamics of power and control. Few discussions are as thought-provoking as those on the politics embedded within technological artefacts. An intricate dance is observable between tech advancements and their socio-political ramifications.

Politics here does not refer to a particular political party or the political ethos of any country. It simply means arrangements of power and authority and the activities that occur within those. First, I’ll draw upon Adrian Daub’s book, What Tech Calls Thinking, and also touch upon Langdon Winner’s seminal work, ‘Do Artifacts Have Politics?’ from the anthology Technology and Society, edited by Deborah Johnson and Jameson Wetmore, to explore the inherently political nature of technological design and innovation.

This anthology has pieces that channel theories ranging from those of Schumpeter to Marx and Engels, so it offers a comprehensive view of the ramifications of technology beyond the mundane view of tech for tech’s sake alone. Daub’s book tackles the intellectual underpinnings of Silicon Valley’s ethos. It tries to make us reconsider the assumptions and ideologies driving innovations that shape our world.

He questions the narrative of innovative disruption that tech leaders champion, suggesting that such thinking often masks deeper political and economic interests. In his view, the ‘disruption’ of old businesses, the stuff of legend in global startup circles, is a sham. He claims the changes are nothing but points on a technological and social change continuum.