"Information technology and microelectronics are largely overlapping. Information technology englobes such different things as bookprint, reprography, the telephone network, broadcasting, the typewriter and the computer.... There is one case, however, where microelectronics is so interwoven with a particular information technology that they are almost identified in public opinion. It is precisely this case of computing,
automated data processing, which is of outstanding interest in our context. Another area where microelectronics is very important is communications technology, including not only mass media but also interactive media like the telephone, or computer/communications networks....The present explosion of information technology and of microelectronics is much more closely related to the functioning of society as a whole than was the industrial revolution.
To a much greater extent than other technologies, microelectronics affects the very essence of social cohesion, i.e. communication. Information and communication constitutute the fabric of society in more than a metaphorical sense. They do not remain unaffected when communication processses are mediated, channelled and partly taken over by technical devices."
-Klaus Lenk, Information
Technology and Society, in Microelectronics and Society, Gunter Friedrichs,
ed., 1982, page 273-74.
"But it is much later in the game now, and ignorance of the score is inexcusable. To be unaware that
a technology comes equipped with a program for social change, to maintain that technology is neutral, to make the assumption that technology is always a friend to culture is, at this late hour, stupidity plain and simple...Introduce the alphabet to a culture and you
change its cognitive habits, its social relations, its notion of community, history and religion. Introduce the printing press with moveable type, and you do the same.
Introduce speed of light transmission of images and you make a cultural revolution. Without a vote. Without polemics. Without guerrilla resistance. Here is ideology, pure if not serene. Here is ideology without words, and all the more powerful in their absence. All that is required to make it stick is a population that devoutly believes in the inevitability of progress...
And the reason is that there has been no worthwhile discussion, let alone widespread public understanding, of
what information is and how it gives direction to a culture. There is a certain poignancy in this, since there are no people who more frequently and enthusiastically use such phrases as 'the information age', 'the information explosion', and 'the information society'. We have apparently advanced to the point where we have grasped the idea that a change in the forms, volume, speed and context of information
means something, but we have not got any further....To which I might add that
questions about psychic, political and social effects of information are as applicable to the computer as to television. Although I believe the computer to be a vastly overrated technology , I mention it here because, clearly,
Americans have accorded it their customary mindless inattention; which means they will use it as they are told, without a whimper. Thus, a central thesis of computer technology-that the principle difficulty we have in solving problems stems from insufficient data-will go unexamined.
Until, years from now, when it will be noticed that the massive collection of speed of light retrieval of data have been of great value to large-scale organizations but have solved very little of importance to most people and have created at least as many problems as they may have solved."
-Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death, 1985, page 157-161.Pollet, T. V., Roberts,
S. G., & Dunbar, R. I. (2011). Use of social network sites and
instant messaging does not lead to increased offline social network
size, or to emotionally closer relationships with offline network
members. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(4), 253-258.
The effect of Internet use on social relationships is still a matter of
intense debate. This study examined the relationships between use of
social media (instant messaging and social network sites), network size,
and emotional closeness in a sample of 117 individuals aged 18 to 63
years old. Time spent using social media was associated with a larger
number of online social network "friends." However, time spent using
social media was not associated with larger offline networks, or feeling
emotionally closer to offline network members. Further, those that used
social media, as compared to non-users of social media, did not have
larger offline networks, and were not emotionally closer to offline
network members. These results highlight the importance of considering
potential time and cognitive constraints on offline social networks when
examining the impact of social media use on social relationships.Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction—a review of the psychological literature. International journal of environmental research and public health, 8(9), 3528-3552.
Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are virtual communities where users can create individual public profiles, interact with real-life friends, and meet other people based on shared interests. They are seen as a 'global consumer phenomenon' with an exponential rise in usage within the last few years. Anecdotal case study evidence suggests that 'addiction' to social networks on the Internet may be a potential mental health problem for some users. However, the contemporary scientific literature addressing the addictive qualities of social networks on the Internet is scarce. Therefore, this literature review is intended to provide empirical and conceptual insight into the emerging phenomenon of addiction to SNSs by: (1) outlining SNS usage patterns, (2) examining motivations for SNS usage, (3) examining personalities of SNS users, (4) examining negative consequences of SNS usage, (5) exploring potential SNS addiction, and (6) exploring SNS addiction specificity and comorbidity. The findings indicate that SNSs are predominantly used for social purposes, mostly related to the maintenance of established offline networks. Moreover, extraverts appear to use social networking sites for social enhancement, whereas introverts use it for social compensation, each of which appears to be related to greater usage, as does low conscientiousness and high narcissism. Negative correlates of SNS usage include the decrease in real life social community participation and academic achievement, as well as relationship problems, each of which may be indicative of potential addiction.
