I found the topic of trying to understand technology from Steve Woolgar’s “Reconstructing Man and Machine” and Stephen Kline’s “What is Technology” articles to be extremely fascinating. Technology is always expanding, evolving in new directions. As it continues to grow, it is becoming extremely important to discuss what technology really is.

As Stephen Kline discussed in his article, the word technology covers a vast variety of different objects and systems. While many would consider technology to be manufactured objects like phones or even the train, it can also encompass the knowledge to craft and design such objects. It is important to think about what technology really is, as it has become a staple of the human race and has been quick to evolve. Only a few thousand years ago was the bow the most advanced technology, and now we have space stations orbiting the Earth.

Spears were some of the first technological advancements of humans over 4,000 years ago
The ISS space station, a technological marvel completed in 2011

Technology has changed astronomically in a relatively short span of time. As we continue to grow as a species, we need to really think about what technology is and how it should be used. As Steve Woolgar discussed in his article, talking about the abilities and capacity of technology is the same as talking about the abilities and capacity of humans. Humans are dependent on technology, and technology is dependent on humans. Whatever technology is capable of doing is dependent on the abilities of people, their knowledge, creativity and depth they are willing to take it.

As technology continues to evolve, opening the doors to new inventions such as AI generated imaging to 3D printed bones, we need to really think about it. Technology is not just some computers or hardware, it is a part of who we are, and its only boundaries are the ones we set. If we do not truly understand what technology is, then we risk letting a powerful extention of humans grow without any constraints.