[CITASA] Will the real sociology of technologies stand up?

[Heloisa Pait]

Hello all,

Sociology for Simmel, is the study of social forms (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2762513 
). he says we can empty our interactions of the actual content  
(economy, desires, politics) and study the ways through which people  
form groups, create connections, introduce conflicts, etc.

Simple, but brilliant. Sociology as the study of social interaction,  
bracketing the content of this interaction. And with changing forms of  
interaction, it is also very useful, because, as Nathan said, people  
don't change. The content of our interactions is pretty much the same,  
isn't it? Love, hate, greed, compassion. But the forms, the scope,  
vary a lot.

So I would define sociology of technology as the study of those social  
interactions which are shaped by technology. Pretty much like urban  
sociology is the study of interactions which are shaped by the urban  
landscape, that are made possible (or prevented) by our urban  
environment.

Abraço,
Heloisa
Cell: 617.794.0526
Work: 412.365.1820
skype: helopait

Em Feb 2, 2009, às 2:48 PM, jeremy hunsinger escreveu:

> on the contrary side... I've always wondered what 'sociology' is...  
> i must have 50 articles debating that spread across 75 or so years,  
> trying to differentiate it from 'scientific history', 'political  
> economics', and 'policy sciences' and later 'cultural studies' and  
> more...  The technology side to me is easier to objectify i suppose  
> in materiality, but in the end, it is the practice/techne/phronesis  
> side of technology that i think most people get curious about in  
> sociology.
>
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