How Technology Is Linked To Society and Its Culture
Technology has a dynamic coexistence with the human culture, and all technologies are established in a unique cultural perspective, based on the evolving constraints and needs. However, once a technology is created, it alters the particular culture that enhanced it, and if a technology is shared with other cultures, it is the cultural aspects that regulate the speed and methodology of its adoption. The diffusion of one technology to different cultures results in modifications of the other cultures. These modifications, therefore, may impact the development of different technology. Culture refers to the social beliefs, norms, and material characteristics of a given social group. These beliefs and social norms of a group may impact or be affected by technology.
An illustration of how culture interlinks with technology can be located in the Middle East where the civilizations for Mesopotamia were first achieved. Over ten thousand years ago, the non-employed individuals in the region began the domestication of cereal plants and established agriculture as a form of technology. The practice developed gradually based on the cultural context of the residents. The hunters and gatherers of the region had substantial knowledge regarding the environment, for instance, the growth patterns of the cereal plants and the most conducive environments. Over time the human practices changed the pressures considered for selecting the wild plants and species, and this led to the establishment of domesticated species. The slow process of embracing this technology occurred that way due to the existing cultural beliefs and practice of the hunters and gatherers.
Generally, culture and technology have a cyclical relationship, and a given culture creates a technology based on its people’s requirements. When this technology is spread into society, it affects the individual’s lives and influences their culture.