First impressions as I walk in the door: Problems with STS

Blog, STS

Being entirely new to the world of Science and Technology Studies (STS), I am both at a disadvantage and an advantage. My disadvantage of course is my inexperience and ignorance. I have much to learn, and I can be certain that in the future I will look back on what I write today with a completely different perspective. It’s entirely possible that I will someday disagree with myself.

However I also hold a certain advantage. Compared to my more experienced and knowledgable colleagues, my biases are those of an outsider, of the uninitiated and the un-indoctrinated. With fresh eyes I can see things in a way that those ahead of me (and my future self) could not.

Why does this matter? Because as I entered the world of Science and Technology Studies, it was obvious to me as soon as I walked through the door that there was an elephant in the room. STS has a huge problem – and no one is willing to admit it.

Discovering STS

Blog, STS

The academic field of Science and Technology Studies wasn’t something I stumbled upon by mistake: I was looking for it.

After a number of years working in other industries, with a growing interest in contemporary social, political, and economic issues, I’d started paying closer attention to the evidence around me that the world we live in is changing fast, and not always in ways that are desirable. As our society accepts and becomes used to the developments of modernity, some find themselves lamenting elements of their new lives and missing the way things used to be. Why? How could innovations that we welcome to improve our lives seem like they are creating problems and decreasing our quality of life?