What Is Technodeterminism?

Technodeterminism is the belief that technology drives history. It's a relatively simple concept—the idea that as our tools get more complex, so do our social structures and cultural values. In other words, we use our tools to create new ways of thinking and acting, which become embedded in our culture. American sociologist Thorstein Veblen first introduced Technodeterminism in the late 1800s. He believed technological advancements were responsible for much of what we now consider progress: from industrialization to mass production and urbanization to consumerism. After Veblen came Clarence Ayres, who argued that technology had become so advanced that it could no longer be considered a tool. Instead, it had become an independent entity in its own right with its own set of laws and principles. Ayres believed that technology could now influence our culture on its terms—and we were at its mercy! Then there's John Dewey, who argued that technology is an essential component of society because it allows us to improve ourselves as humans through increased efficiency and productivity (and thus affluence). Finally, William Ogburn suggested that there's no "technology" itself. Still, somewhat just different types of tools used by Technodeterminism is a theory that technology, particularly the Internet, is the prime mover of social change. In other words, it's the idea that without technology, we wouldn't have all these new things like social media or e-commerce—and therefore, these things are more a result of technology than they are causes. The theory has been characterized as a way to identify technological advancements as a prime mover in the processes of social change. According to sociologist Claude Fischer, this theory is a "billiard ball" approach in which technology is portrayed as the external force that causes a succession of ricochet effects.