Differences Between Actor Network Theory And Social Construction Sociology Essay

Differences Between Actor Network Theory And Social Construction Sociology Essay Here are few differences between Actor Network Theory and Social construction of technology that I found from various analysts point of view. To start with, I would like to jot down the basic difference between Actor network theory and the theory of social construction of technology. Actor network theory (ANT) considers both technical determinism and social determinism, i.e. it does not stick by the idea that technology shapes the society or the society shapes the technology (latour, Reassembling the social: an introduction to actor-network-theory, 2005). Social Construction of technology (SCOT) theory follows the ideas that technology is emerged from the social interaction of social group, which can be called social determinism. (Klein, H. K. Kleinman, D. L., 2002) Both of these theories involve participants in process of shaping the network or in shaping the outcome, known as Actors. Actors involved in ANT are humans and non-humans which are treated equally as separation between the two are difficult, as it cannot be said who played the major role. (latour,1997). The actors involved in SCOT are the Relevant Social group which includes people sharing the same interest in shaping the technological artifact (Bijker, Hughes, Pinch, 1989). Actors in ANT need to be performing constantly to keep the network flowing without any lag or hick up. SCOT does not follow a strict principle on the performance of the actors or the groups. If a certain relevant social groups involvement or influence is less than the other group, in that case it only brings in a few changes in the outcome of the technological artifact. (Klein, H. K. Kleinman, D. L., 2002) Talking about the aim of these theories, ANT is more about how the networks are formed rather than why the y are formed. It does not predict the outcome of the socio-technical artifact at any point. These entities are known as mediators where the input by the actors cannot predict the outcome; rather it multiplies or deletes the input/object passing through network known as tokens or quasi objects. (Wikipedia) Whereas SCOT illustrates how the social surrounding which include RSG and other actors give rise to a particular artifact. Right from the beginning the outcome is predicted or decided. It acts more like an intermediate unlike ANT. It does not really matter if there are changes that come through in the social surrounding while building the artifact, the previously assumed idea of the outcome would still remain the same. (Klein, H. K. Kleinman, D. L., 2002) If we study ANT carefully, the actors involved in it are not just objects but an association of other elements which self constitutes a network. To look like a single point actor, these elements are simplified or Black boxed. That means the network actors are open to new ideas and their contents can be reconsidered (Gidding, 1999). The idea of reconsidering the content does not exist in SCOT. It limits the influence of the RSG once the interpretive flexibility starts to gradually diminish. This causes it to reach the rhetorical closure, thus the alternative idea of a new design is eliminated. (Klein, H. K. Kleinman, D. L., 2002) Following the actor, this method in ANT suggest that the actors set their framework and the limits of the network by themselves. Actors in ANT are able to make their presence individually felt by the other actors (Tatnall Burgess, 2002). As discussed earlier, actors can be thought of as a black box, which has many actors hiding one behind other. So basically all the actors can be found at one place or it can be said that all the actors form a single point actor and this effect is known as Punctualisation (latour, Reassembling the social: an introduction to actor-network-theory, 2005). When the same method is compared to SCOT, actors are followed who are relevant to the technology and that may lead to another actor who is also relevant to that technology. The process is continued till no new actors pop-up. This causes the interpretation to come to a closure. Both of these theories have a positive and a negative side of their own. The biggest drawback of SCOT is that it ignores the effect of the technology after it has come into existence by social determinism. The technological artifact might have been developed for a particular purpose. But it is hard to expect the end-users to use it the way it is suppose to be used. In that case, it means that the effect of the technology after is has come into existence from a social determinism method, is slowly shaping the society in its own way. That brings us back to technological determinism. (Klein, H. K. Kleinman, D. L., 2002) As we know RSG solves the technical problems, seeking solutions, etc. We do not know who decides the which group are relevant social group and with the same the social interest. It fails to include the groups that have no voice and also the groups that will be affected by the results of technological change and also the groups that have been stamped down and excluded (Prell, Christina, 2009). It also fails to explain the circumstances where one of the relevant social groups seriously disagrees to either to the design or technological system or artifact, etc. There is no explanation on how the theory would handle the disagreements of the groups. Many critiques has pointed out on the same fault of theory that it portrays all the social groups on the same level or sharing equal authority or power. There is a slight fault with the interpretive flexibility once it reaches the closure. It does not look back for further interpretations in the future. (Hard, 1993) Actor-network theory treats humans and non-humans equal. It has been argued by many critics that how can a non-human be assigned to be an agency. For example, a technology can only be identified because we differentiate it from human actors. Technologies do not speak for themselves nor do they exist outside of processes of human assumption. Analytically speaking there is no such non-human actor to be described by ANT. ANT assumes that all actors, which include both humans and non-humans, are equal within the network, and have the same power. This leaves no space for power instability is left. Thus the power struggles within the network. ANT case studies leads to a lot of useless descriptions that seem pointless. (Whittle Spicer, 2005) Another major drawback of ANT it gets very difficult to follow the actors as the researcher would have to get into the depth of the topic for investigating a particular case without knowing where they will lead. As the actors are black-boxed, the researcher is following only one actor and would not know if it would open up further possible investigation. One of other weakness about ANT is that the actors, ANT requires both the actors to be performing constantly to keep the network flowing. Even if one fails, the whole system fails. (learning-theories, 2008) Talking about the strength of SCOT, one of the plus point of SCOT is how it overcomes one problem by finding a better way to adopt the technology. For example. Bicycle. There was a lot of debate on the safety and the way it was built or looked. But then, the eventually they adopted it because of the fact that they were fast when it came to speed. They overlooked the problem by relating it to another better plus point to the technology. To think about it, end of the day we (humans) are the once who are going to use the technology. So doesnt it make more sense that we shape the technology the way we want it? Based on our application we can shape the technology, SCOT is something that does exactly the same. Unlike ANT even if one if the actors fail to perform, the outcome of the system or the technological artifact does not fail. In that case that particular actor or the group will have less influence in the process of making the artifact. (Bijker, Hughes, Pinch, 1989) Actor-network theories main strength would be how it overcomes both social and technical determinism. This makes sense in a way because in a particular invention, it is hard to say who played the major role, humans or non-humans. For instance, let us take the example of how the laptop came into existence. If we have a look into it, the invention results from human and technology. The technical aspect of the laptop is achieved by the technical team which in-turn is influenced by the social background. Therefore, what seems to be social is partly technical and what seems to be technical is partly social. (latour, Reassembling the social: an introduction to actor-network-theory, 2005) Following the actors might have been criticized in the case of ANT but it has its own positive side too. When compared to SCOT, it does not have to approach each and every actor of the same revelant group. In ANT all the actors act as a single point actor which can be found in the Black box. (Gidding, 1999)

Personal Reflection of Anne Frank’s House Essay

Personal Reflection on Anne Frank’s House I chose to write a personal reflection on the Anne Frank’s House tourist attraction in Amsterdam because I have two daughters. As a parent, I want the best for them and most importantly, their safety. I would do the exact thing what Anne’s father had done for them. Otto Frank had to move to the Netherlands when the anti-semitism in Germany was growing. Though it took seven years for their family to be reunited in the Netherlands, he successfully got them out of Germany. My late father did the same for our family. When I was 13 years old, I followed my parents to migrate to Ecuador. We were not escaping anti-semitism but my father knew that we were not safe in our country due to the worsening of the economy and the rise of unrest in Cambodia. Like Anne Frank, being in a new country I started missing the place where I grew up and the friends I had left behind. I recall writing many journals when I got homesick. This was the only way I can re-live the life I had once before. Now that I have a family of my own, and if I find myself with the same predicament like of Otto Frank. I will find a better place for my family. I want to visit Anne Frank’s house because during my youth I read her book. I was completely absorbed in the world of this creative and articulate girl who put her experiences in writing while in hiding. Since I have read the diary it will be very interesting to see it in real life. I have passed down Anne Frank’s story and her book to my daughters and when I get the chance, I will take my family to visit the Netherlands and tour the Anne Frank historical house. Anyone with some knowledge of World War II knows the story of Anne Frank and her famous diary. A visit to Amsterdam will give me an opportunity to see the location where young Anne and her family were holed up in virtual silence for two years, along with other families hoping to escape the hatred of the Nazi regime. The great takeaway about visiting the house will be a constant reminder on how fortunate I am as an American whose freedom is not in peril. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a family living in the rooms like what Anne’s family had to experience, with the constant threat of being given away and sent to concentration camps. Unfortunately, this did eventually happen and only Anne’s father Otto survived the war. During the first part of Anne Frank’s House presentation, I was only interested in visiting the place because one of my classmates mentioned, â€Å"the former hiding place of the Frank family is one of the most popular attractions in Amsterdam and many tourists declare it to be one of the most touching places they’ve ever visited.† But as soon as they got into details about the house, I was no longer interested in visiting the house as a tourist but as a person with a purpose. I wanted to experience and see first hand with my daughters how Anne tried to overcome their harsh living conditions while writing her journals that eventually sparked a lot of interest all over the world. As mentioned from the presentations, the living quarters comprised of three upper floors of a rear annex to Mr. Frank’s larger office building that is reached via steep, narrow flights of stairs. The room is small, dark and unfurnished, the Nazi captors having emptied them of furniture and most possessions as was customary during that time. The museum set up a place where the visitors can see some of Anne’s diary and read them. I can imagine myself picking up the diary, reading it and being absorbed with her eloquent stories that inspired and touched many people. What makes Anne’s diary so special is the way she wrote it. In her diary, in spite of the cruel hardship she and her family were enduring, Anne maintained a sense of optimism. Even with the evil that surrounded her, she wrote in her diary â€Å"despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart†. Because of her incredible words, Anne is remembered as a girl of tremendous courage and hope, an inspiration to all. I firmly believe that the Dutch people were somehow ashamed of their involvement on the holocaust atrocities. And one of the defining moments to reinvigorate the Dutch and Jewish people together after the war was to pay tribute to the people who were stripped of their dignity and eventually led to their death. The perfect person for such a tribute was this young girl named Anne Frank. Even though a lot of bad things have happened in Netherlands during the dark times in 1945, today that history has never been forgotten. Preserving the Anne Frank’s house and making it a museum is a constant reminder on how a young girl touched many lives with her diary. And today it is evident from the millions of tourists that visit Amsterdam that Anne Frank’s house is a must-visit.

My Lifetime Intrigue With Tattoos Essay - 2074 Words

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