Mutual Shaping

The term mutual shaping was developed through Science and Technology Studies (STS) in an attempt to explain the detailed process of technological design. Mutual shaping is a combination of social determinism and technological determinism, suggesting that society and technology are not mutually exclusive to one another and, instead, influence and shape each other.

Technological determinism (TD), coined by Thorstein Veblen, suggests that technology is the primary catalyst for change in society. Following this theory, the development and implementation of technology is beyond the control of society as it is pervasive in all elements of our lives. Once a technology has been created its influence on society is an inevitable, predetermined path. An example that supports technological determinism is the development of the printing press that accelerated the Protestant Reformation.

In contrast, social determinism (SD), popularized by social theorists Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim, purports that social structure is the driving factor towards change in society. Following this view, society is the governing force that determines social behaviour, and technology is created and adapted based on society’s wants and needs.

Both TD and SD are cause-and-effect theories suggesting that technology and society are mutually exclusive. The theory of mutual shaping suggests that technology design is a result of a synthesis of TD and SD. It sees technology and society working together to facilitate change. Society changes as a direct result of the implementation of technology that has been created based on society’s wants and needs. They function collectively to shape one another.

Mutual shaping is exemplified through the integration of online social networking platforms into daily life. They are a communications technology designed to complement pre-existing methods of communication, such as the phone or in-person conversations, that have become more convenient and/or affordable than their predecessors. TD would argue that these communication technologies have directly influenced our networking capabilities due to their accessibility. Without them we would not be able to conduct business or maintain friendships over long distances. SD would argue that these platforms were created as a result of a need to facilitate communication over long distances. Mutual shaping supports both of these arguments, believing that the two cannot be separated. Social networking platforms display how technology and society are inextricably linked as they work together towards the advancement of one another, exemplifying the theory of mutual shaping.

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Wikipedia