Co-production of society and technology
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The co-production of society and technology is the never ending cycle of technology and society influencing one another.
Co-production in everyday life
The co-production of society and technology has been occurring for hundreds of years. From the invention of the printing press, to the telephone, to the internet, and the many forms of computer-mediated communication, society and technology have been influencing one another. Just about every advancement that has been made in technology is due to the influence that society has had on it, and the technology that has been invented has significantly influenced every aspect of modern life.
There are an extraordinary amount of examples of co-production that can be seen in society today. One great example is the mobile phone. Ever since the invention of the telephone society was in need of a more portable device that they could use to talk to people. This high demand for a new product led to the invention of the mobile phone, which did, and still does, greatly influence society and the way people live their lives. Now basically everyone is accessible to talk to no matter where they are. This keeps people accountable and relied upon no matter where they are because they have no excuses for not keeping in touch.
Also, people in society often now feel much safer with cell phones in general. Whether there was a car accident, car trouble, or a personal injury; cell phones allow you to reach the proper authority in almost no time from any location. Plus, cell phones now have many options thanks to societal influence. For example, all cell phones are now accessible to the internet. This, in turn, has had a great impact on the lives of many people, for they can now do anything from checking their stock, e-mail, or even the score of a sporting event. With the popularity of instant messaging, cell phone creators even decided to incorporate Short Message Service (SMS). This is basically just a portable version of instant messaging. It allows people to text messages to each other without saying anything, only typing. This is very advantageous in situations where people are unable talk to one another, like class or meetings. A cell phone is just one of the many of examples of society influencing technology and vice versa, better known as the co-production of technology and society.
All these little changes in mobile phones, like internet access and SMS are further examples of the cycle of co-production. Society's need for being able to call on people and be available everywhere resulted in the research and development of mobile phones. They in turn influenced the way we live our lives. As the populace relies more and more on mobile phones, additional features were requested. They were implemented, changing the way mobile phones were used once again, precipitating new needs, perpetuating the co-production.
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