What Is Technoskepticism? Drawing From Media Ecology and Critical Theory

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 4:20 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Media Ecologies and Spaces Through Critical Lenses (Table 9)

Abstract

Media ecology and critical theory are not typically taken up by scholars or educators in association. We draw from theorists that employ ecological lenses that attend to the collateral, unintended, and disproportionate effects of technological change, and also those who employ critical lenses to identify how technology maintains the power of dominant groups and produces inequitable outcomes to define technoskepticism. Technoskepticism is a disposition toward technology that serves as a corrective to technological solutionism. It is a cautious stance that continually examines the potential downsides of technology for individuals and societies. The aim of technoskeptical thinking is to influence citizens to take informed and just actions in daily and civic life.

Authors

• Marie K. Heath, Loyola University Maryland

• Daniel G. Krutka, University of North Texas

• Jacob Pleasants, University of Oklahoma