Technology Society And Inequality

This book suggests that the primary purpose of current production and distribution is not to satisfy human needs but to create profit for the owners of capital that in turn has devastating consequences for the environment and for vulnerable people. Multidisciplinary in perspective, contributors to this volume addresses issues of inequality which affect both developed and developing countries.

Series: a href="http://www.oupcanada.com/tcs/"Themes in Canadian Sociology/aThe only Canadian text to examine the intersection of technology and society through theories and real-world examples.This fully updated third edition examines the places where technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, communication, identity, power, and inequality. The result is a comprehensive overview of the technological tools we use, wherethey come from, and how they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form.

Technology and In/equality explores the diverse implications of the new information and communication technologies through case studies of their applications in three main areas - media, education and training, and work. Questions of access to and control over crucial resources such as information, knowledge, skills and income ae addressed drawing upon insights from science and technology studies, innovation theory, sociology and cultural studies. All of the chapters question the meanings of the terms 'technology' and 'inequality' and of the widespread association of technology with progress. Written with a non-specialist readership in mind, all complex theories and key concepts are carefully explained making the book easily accessible and relevant to a wide range of courses.

Series: a href="http://www.oupcanada.com/tcs/"Themes in Canadian Sociology/aThis timely text examines the places where technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, communication, work, power, and inequality. The result is a comprehensive overview of the technological tools we use, where they come from, andhow they are changing our perceptions of ourselves and the relationships we form.

This book will summarize what we know about technology and inequality across disciplines, and seek out new ways to analyze this relationship based on technology and business practices, with the objective of restoring digital technology as an engine of opportunity. Besides the unique focus on the role of technology in inequality, the book will have a unifying theme of tracing wealth creation and wealth capture in the technology sector, and relating specific practices—what technology companies actually do—to larger shifts in wealth and power. A clear conceptual framework will be used to analyze key industry case studies: search engines, social media, and the ‘sharing’ economy.

Although there have been considerable technological advances over the past decade, particularly in terms of mobile applications, much remains unknown about their effect on societal progress. This book focuses on how inequality and entrepreneurship are both by-products of technological change. The book provides insights into how society has shifted from consumer division to human centricity, and helps readers gain a better understanding of the positive and negative effects of entrepreneurship.

The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society explains why the digital divide is still widening and, in advanced high-tech societies, deepening. Taken from an international perspective, the book offers full coverage of the literature and research and a theoretical framework from which to analyze and approach the issue. Where most books on the digital divide only describe and analyze the issue, Jan van Dijk presents 26 policy perspectives and instruments designed to close the divide itself.

In Technology and Society, a new text in the Themes in Canadian Sociology series, author Anabel Quan-Haase examines those places in which technology and society intersect, connecting the reality of our technological age to issues of social networks, work, and inequality.