Introduction to Sociology

Supplemental Section – Luddites, Sociologists and Views on Technology

Is technology good or bad for society?

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Sociologists understand that the relationship between technology and society can be complicated.

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Because economic class is directly related to the value of one's labor, and because technology affects labor practices, sociologists study the benefits and drawbacks of technology in the workplace. 
Conflict theorists address issues of inequality in society, often within the categories of race, class, and gender.
Since access to technology is crucial to economic and educational well-being, sociologists working within this theoretical approach might concern themselves with how and why technology can perpetuate or challenge differences of power.

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Technophile or Luddite?

Many cultural critics and scholars are skeptical about some of the underexamined claims made by technophiles, or those who see technology as symbolizing and enabling a brighter future.
Symbolic interactionists, who examine the symbolic meanings that objects have within society, have observed that Neo-Luddites believe smart phones and flatscreen TVs, for example, symbolize the coldness and alienation of modern life. It is a contemporary paradox that society has never been more connected via networked communication technologies, and yet many individuals feel more isolated now than in the pre-social media era.
Conflict theorists might take their critique of technology into the realm of labor and economic power, and examine how workplace technologies enhance or diminish the value of a worker's labor.
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Marissa has just moved to an affluent suburb and is struggling to make friends in her new high school. While it's typical for everybody to share videos during lunch hour in the cafeteria, and to record likes and comments as they look at each other's screens, Marissa often feels self-conscious because she has an older, less expensive phone while most of her classmates have new iPhones.
The social prestige that is indicated (or not indicated) by this common piece of personal, mobile technology would be of particular interest to 

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  Symbolic interactionists
  
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  Conflict theorists
  
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  Functionalists