One of the biggest questions I ask myself today is, have we reached a point where society cannot function without technology? Ever since Norwegian-American sociologist Thorstein Veblen introduced it it a century ago, the theory has been researched and taught in Communication classes. Coined Technological Determinism, it raised an important question that’s especially relevant today: Are we in control of technology usage, development, and evolution, or does technology make us act a certain way and develop new technology?

The easy answer is Newton’s Third Law. What does Physics have to do with media? According to Newton, every action has an equal or opposite reaction. Like any other two entities, the human population and the technology available continuously influence each other. This resultant domino effect has become a pendulum swinging back and forth. The following are arguments for and against technological determinism in an effort for you to understand your technological influence, behavior, and usage.

Argument For: Simply put, our lives revolve around technology. It is in our schools, work place, homes, restaurants, hospitals, airports, and train stations. A major hack or power outage would probably lead to social disorder in most developed regions. If something were to happen to your phone or laptop, you are forced to either fix it (yourself or by someone else) immediately or be disconnected from most people on your life. Especially since technology has become so multipurpose, once we discover these purposes, we tend to rely on them. People who support technological determinism tend to have a dystopian or Orwellian perspective towards technology.

Argument Against: Technology is not manna from heaven; someone had to create them. From the Wright Brothers inventing the plane to Apple inventing computers, we have developed technology throughout history. Necessity is the mother of invention, and we are the ones who discover these necessities. We find new innovative ways to change our lives and make them easier through invention. Governments and companies can fund or defund projects related to technology, as well as conceal inventions the general public may not know existed. We have a lot more power than we give ourselves credit for. People who oppose technological determinism tend to have a utopian perspective towards technology.