Social Issues in Technology
Humanities 430
Books
Buderi, Robert. The Invention that Changed the World. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
           (Call Number: TK6574.2.B84)

          Tells the story of the group of scientists who created the microwave radar system that not only
helped win World War II but also served as the inspiration for a number of other technological innovations
that continue to impact our lives today.

Burstein, Daniel, and David Kline. Road Warriors: Dreams and Nightmares Along the
           Information Highway. New York: Penguin Books, 1995. (Call Number: TK5103.7.B87)

           Account of the warring personalities and organizations that are driving the digital revolution.

Campbell-Kelly, Martin, and William Aspray. Computer: A History of the Information Machine.
           New York: BasicBooks, 1996. (Call Number: QA76.17.C36)

           Traces the history of the computer and its varied uses by individuals, business, and government.

Ceruzzi, Paul E. A History of Modern Computing. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1998. (Call Number:
           QA76.17.C47)

           Historical overview of computer technology. Discusses the growing importance of software
and the recurring issues of the role that technology plays in society.

Cowan, Ruth S. A Social History of American Technology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
           (Call Number: T14.5.C69 1997)

           Explains how American culture and geography have affected technology and how various technologies
have affected the way Americans work and live.

Dertouzos, Michael. What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives.
           New York: HarperEdge, 1997. (Call Number: HM221.D459)

           Discusses how information technology affects all aspects of peoples’ lives.

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W.
           Norton & Company, 1997. (Call Number: HM206.D48)

           A world history of people and their societies. Also discusses the impact of technologies such
as agriculture and weapons making on these societies.

Dutton, William H. Society on the Line: Information Politics in the Digital Age. New York:
           Oxford University Press, 1999. (Call Number: HM221.D88)

           Provides an overview of information in the digital age and explains how technical choices about
information technology influence access to information, people, and technology itself.

Freiberger, Paul, and Michael Swaine. Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer.
           New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. (Call Number: HD9696.C63 U51648)

           Discusses the history of the personal computer, the people responsible for its development, and the
impact their creation continues to have on society.

Hill, Michael W. The Impact of Information on Society: An Examination of its Nature, Value
           and Usage. New Providence: Bowker-Saur, 1999. (Call Number: HM221.H55)

           Describes the part information plays and will continue to play in our lives. Also looks at how
society is becoming progressively more information oriented.

Loader, Brian D. Cyberspace Divide. New York: Routledge, 1998. (Call Number: HM221.C93)

           Discusses the effects of technological change on social divisions including the sometimes exclusionary
nature of the information highway.

Norman, Donald D. Things that Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Machine
           Age. Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1993. (Call Number: T14.N67 1993)

           Explores how humans and technologies react at the cognitive level.

O’Reilly & Associates, ed. The Harvard Conference on the Internet and Society. Cambridge:
           Harvard University Press, 1997. (Call Number: TK5105.875.I57.H37)

           A series of discussions and presentations that discuss the impact of the Internet on business,
government, media, and education for the next decade and beyond.

Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Vintage, 1993.
           (Call Number: T14.5.P667 1993)

           Discusses the potentially dehumanizing effects of technological development.

Riordan, Michael. Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information
           Age. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. (Call Number: TK7809.R56)

           Tells the story of the invention of the transistor and its direct descendant, the microchip.

Rothenberg, David. Hand’s End: Technology and the Limits of Nature. Berkeley: University
           of California Press, 1993. (Call Number: T14.R63 1993)

           A historical overview of Western philosophical thought about the interrelationship of technology and nature.

Segerstrale, Ullica. Defenders of the Truth: The Battle for Science in the Sociobiology Debate and Beyond.
           New York: Oxford University, 2000. (Call Number: HM628.S44)

           Discusses the controversy surrounding the concept of sociobiology and the role science plays in society.

Shenk, David. The End of Patience: Cautionary Notes on the Information Revolution. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999. (Call Number: HM851.S54)

           In a collection of essays the author shares his thoughts on a variety of issues related to the Internet including online journalism, ethical implications of digital pornography, and the misuse of computers in the classroom.

Slevin, James. The Internet and Society. Malden: Polity Press, 2000. (Call Number: HM851.S58)

           Discusses the emergence of the Internet and its effects on culture and society.

Spinello, Richard. Cyber Ethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace. Boston: Jones and Bartlett
           Publishers, 2000. (Call Number: TK5105.875.I57.S68)

           Draws on the work of legal scholars and philosophers in discussing a number of issues concerning
the Internet including free speech, intellectual property, privacy, and security.

Tenner, Edward. Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences.
           New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. (Call Number: T14.5.T459 1996)

           An interesting and occasionally amusing look at the unintended consequences or "revenge effects"
of technoligical innovation.

Williams, Frederick, and John V. Pavlik, eds. The People’s Right to Know: Media, Democracy, and the
           Information Highway. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (Call Number: HM221 .P427)

           Discusses the development of an Information Highway that would address the information needs and wants of all people.

Valovic, Thomas. Digital Mythologies: The Hidden Complexities of the Internet. New Brunswick: Rutgers
           University Press, 2000. (Call Number: HM851.V35)

           Explores the underlying social and political implications of the Internet and its associated technologies.

Useful keywords
(for use in electronic databases)
future AND technology

workplace AND technology

technology AND ethics

political OR cultural OR economic impact AND technology AND future

Useful databases include:
Ebsco

Proquest

VALE