Framing Technology

Lelia Green lectures in Media Studies at Edith Cowan University. She and Roger Guinery are the principals of a communications consultancy.

'I'm sure there are lots of people who think machines descend from the sky ready-made, keen to plug themselves in and take over. Others assume technology evolves, like Darwin's creatures, through a force of its own. These distinguished writers present ideas on where our technological world really comes from and what a difference it makes to people.' - Robyn Williams, Science Unit, ABC RadioFraming Technology Does cybersex have side effects? Is technology a masculine culture? Who lords it over the global village?Technology is the bedrock of our information society, but public debates on technology tend to be conducted by experts and to concentrate on the microchip and employment. Framing Technology reframes the discussion. It argues that technology ranges from language to a transnational corporation, and that we should all share in technology choice.Framing Technology uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore some of the key issues in technology today, including virtual reality, gender, health, the environment, regulation, the information society, surveillance and globalisation. The contributors include some of the best thinkers on technology in Australia: Judy Wajcman, Albert Moran, Susan Oliver, Trevor Barr, Julianne Schultz and Dick Bryan.

• AcknowledgmentsContributorsAbbreviations and glossaryIntroduction - Lelia GreenPART I FRAMING THE INDIVIDUAL1 Technological genders: technology, culture and classJudy Wajcman2 Virtual reality fakes the future: cybersex, lies and computer gamesDavid McKie3 The technology of televisionAlbert Moran4 Anticipating tomorrow: technology and the futureSusan Oliver5 Till death us do part: technology and healthDavid More and Elizabeth MorePART II FRAMING THE COMMUNAL6 Regulating technologyLen Palmer7 Australia's information society: clever enough?Trevor Barr8 Universal suffrage? Technology and democracyJulianne Schultz9 Dataveillance: delivering 1984Roger Clarke10 Electronic neighbourhoods: communicating power in computer-based networksLynda Davies and Wayne HarveyPART III FRAMING THE GLOBAL11 The multilocals: transnationals and communications technologyDick Bryan12 Missing the pos