Technology Innovation Laws
Professor Melvin Kransberg noted at the dawn of the Internet age that: “Many of our technology-related problems arise because of the unforeseen consequences when apparently benign technologies are employed on a massive scale.”
In an article published by the Wall Street Journal on November 27, 2017, Christopher Mims, the WSJ’s Technology Columnist, eloquently reminded us of the significance of these laws describing them as a “cheat sheet” for explaining our era of Internet platforms.
In essence, Professor Kransberg does not subscribe to the notion that technology is the prime factor in shaping our life-styles, values, institutions, and other elements of our society, which he describes as technological omnipotence. In his view, technology simply presents an opportunity; the choice of what to do with it remains ours.
Kranzberg’s Six Laws of Technology
- First Law
- Second Law
- Third Law
- Fourth Law
- Fifth Law
- Sixth Law
Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.
“…technology’s interaction with the social ecology is such that technical developments frequently have environmental, social, and human consequences that go far beyond the immediate purposes of the technical devices and practices themselves, and the same technology can have quite different results when introduced into different contexts or under different circumstances.”
Invention is the mother of necessity.
“Every technical innovation seems to require additional technical advances in order to make it fully effective.”
Technology comes in packages, big and small.
“The fact is that today’s complex mechanisms usually involve several processes and components.”
Although technology might be a prime element in many public issues, nontechnical factors take precedence in technology-policy decisions.
“… many complicated sociocultural factors, especially human elements, are involved, even in what might seem to be ‘purely technical’ decisions.”
“Technologically ‘sweet’ solutions do not always triumph over political and social forces.”
All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant.
“Although historians might write loftily of the importance of historical understanding by civilized people and citizens, many of today’s students simply do not see the relevance of history to the present or to their future. I suggest that this is because most history, as it is currently taught, ignores the technological element.”
Technology is a very human activity-and so is the history of technology.
“Behind every machine, I see a face–indeed, many faces: the engineer, the worker, the businessman or businesswoman, and, sometimes, the general and admiral. Furthermore, the function of the technology is its use by human beings–and sometimes, alas, its abuse and misuse”
