Review of the Book Technological Visions: The Hopes and Fears That Shape New Technologies

Technological Visions originated as a series of projects at the Annenberg Schools for Communication at the University of Southern California and the University of Pennsylvania. Both the original projects and the material added for this volume were selected with the aim of presenting a range of perspectives on technological innovation and the strong emotions it engenders in American culture
Book includes lively discussion about the technology used by the teenagers, the debate is binary, the technology is a new hope which can be a solution for existing problems and also it is a threat about the capacity to transform human relationships in everyday life. Different types of technologies and communication devices such as web, internet, computer, telephone were analysed. The authors have expressed their views on how teenagers should use technology. Technology should be reframed in order to be productive than saying its main cause for social problems and prevent teenagers from using technology. The main vision and aim of the book is “contribute to an elevation of public discourse about technologies”.
This book contains the challenges of generating new visions about technology through different essays (book also contains perspectives from many authors) the central questions of the book are ‘Why are technologies the screens onto which our cultures project such a broad array of social concerns and desires? Why is technology the object of such unrealistic expectations? How is it possible to think about technology outside of these frameworks? These questions are answered in the essays. Thomas also explains the relationship between technology and the body through an analysis of computer hackers and viruses. The transportation of medical metaphors to computer technology serves to affirm systems of social control. They have mentioned in the book “technology is an extension of human lives” which means technology did not exist but technology was shaped. Internet and globalisation in everyday’s life is discussed.
Finally this book is very interesting for the readers who want to find new ways to understand and discuss technologies. The book as a whole has lively discussions in courses that address the relationship of technology, society, and culture.