Exploring Technological Determinism in Technology Philosophy

The purpose of this study is to find out the implications of technological determinism by discussing the views of how technological development can change society and culture. The implications of technological determinism are as follows. First, the common structure of technological determinism has the categories of strong determinism and soft determinism. In particular, soft technological determinism proposes the possibility that society can change in a specific direction while technology interacts with other areas of society. Second, attitudes toward technology make the difference in technology determinism. Philosophical differences in technology are differences in attitudes towards technology, and these differences are important from a policy and decision-making point of view and affect perceptions of risks and opportunities. Third, even if strong technological determinism that does not impute technology as an autonomous agent is rejected, a soft technology deterministic view or emphasizing that technology power is a secondary change agent still presents a dilemma for human responsibility. Fourth, from the instrumental point of view of technology, technology is not regarded as an end in itself, but as a means to achieve educational goals. When making decisions about technology, educational goals and curriculum categories should follow technology from the philosophy of this instrumental view. Fifth, it should be explicitly noted that the viewpoint on technology is markedly different depending on the degree to which technology determinism is asserted in technology education. Finally, today's technology determinists are facing both positive and negative changes and developments brought about by the advent of social media. Social media has allowed people to connect with others anytime, anywhere, but has reduced real human interactions and face-to-face conversations.