StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner" highlights that although certain characteristics of devices such as complexity and dynamics intensify, the unpredictability associated with technological devices, most of the negative consequences of the systems result from uncertainty…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.9% of users find it useful
Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner"

Task Introduction Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner Edward Tenner’s perspective towards the issue of the unintended or unanticipated consequences of technology is that the technologies have a revenge effect in which the mean technologies turn against the people with consequences that surpass the useful benefits that were intended. Tenner thus argues that the perverse technologies result to anticipated technologies due to the unpredictable and unknown occurrences in the world. One example that Tenner mentioned in his book is the case of the power locks (Tenner, 1997). Although the power locks have been created for security reasons, they have turned against the users with consequences that can be considered as revenge effects. The locks that are commonly installed in most standard automobiles are meant to increase the safety and security of the drivers but have turned against the same users on several occasions. The locks have increased the number of drivers locked inside their vehicles and thus exposing them to thugs that they were supposed to guard against. This has cost the economy over $400 million in the last two decades alone. To some extent Tenner’s argument about the perverse nature of technologies can be compared to Collins and Pinch claims that Science and Technology is very powerful and of great benefit but is still a mean helper to man. Causes of the revenge effects Edward Tenner observes that the unintended consequences of technology or the perverse aspect of technology may have resulted from the unknown or unpredictable nature of the world. Certain characteristics of the technological systems make it impossible to understand their functions and thus lead to unpredictability. Some of these characteristics include complexity, dynamics, intrasparence and ignorance (Tenner, 1997). Complexity is associated with the various components that constitute a real system. This also includes the interconnections among the constituents. Failure to understand the functioning of these components in a system and the interrelations between them leads to unpredictability of a system. This limits the users understanding of the entire system which ultimately leads to the system turning against the user. Another characteristic of the systems that limits the understanding of their functioning is dynamics. Technology is ever advancing and changing which implies that systems will at one time change without the control of the users. This makes it difficult to predict the actual functioning of technological devices which leads to revenge effects (Tenner, 1997). Another cause of unpredictable nature of systems is intrasparence. Intransparence refers to the hidden nature of some constituents of a system. The user cannot see some constituents of a system but the constituents still influence the operation of the device. The power lock cited by Tenner has several components which the user cannot see. The driver will probably control the on and off button and will not be able to view the interior components of the lock. This limits the user’s understanding of the lock and incase it malfunctions, then the driver will experience the revenge effects. This issue of in transparence is related to ignorance because it limits the user’s understanding of a system. However, this is not the only source of ignorance in relations to systems. Most of the users are simply reluctant to learn about the functions of a systems and do not care to proceed beyond the on/off button. This makes it difficult to detect faulty or misleading systems until the device turns against the user (Tenner, 1997). Tenner’s proposition I will use the example of Internet which is an emerging technology to support Tenner’s proposition. According to Tenner, the major causes of revenge effects of science and technology. Devices and systems turn against the users mainly due to uncertainty. Decreasing the level of certainty will thus control all the characteristics of systems that lead to revenge effects. Systems will no longer be complex to the user when the users are certain of their functioning and can predict or interpret every detail of a component. The internet is very useful to the world and of great benefit towards the growth of the global economy. Some of the benefits of the Internet that are significant in the modern world include facilitation of business transactions and sharing of information and ideas. Due to the significant benefits associated with the internet, it becomes impossible to anticipate any negative consequences that are associated with it. Some of the negative consequences of the Internet include promotion of pornography and other criminal or unethical activities such as internet frauds (Tenner, 1997). Controlling uncertainty Although technology is taking a revenge turn on users, people should attempt to decrease the uncertainty associated with unanticipated consequences of systems. People should control uncertainty through a number of ways including enhancing their knowledge, merging uncertainties and enhancing the control of situations. People should increase their knowledge by investing in more studies, analysis and experiments. Although this will cost extra funds, the gains from the investments are worth the effort considering that they will significantly reduce the negative consequences of technology. Taking the example of the power lock mentioned by Tenner, investing more in research would assist people to develop stronger power locks that are not prone to malfunctioning. People should increase their knowledge to certain levels such that should the power locks for instance fail to work, a driver can access the interior components of the lock and possibly identify and rectify the problem. People can also reduce uncertainty by combining the uncertainties in order to reduce the risks. Conclusion I thus agree with Tenner that other than the benefits associated with science and technology, users also experience unanticipated consequences from systems. Tenner referred to the negative consequences as revenge effects and associated them with uncertainty (Tenner, 1997). Although certain characteristics of devices such as complexity and dynamics intensify, the unpredictability associated with technological devices, most of the negative consequences of the systems result from uncertainty. People should thus strive to reduce the uncertainty through activities such as further research and studies in order to increase knowledge on the use of devices. People should also be careful in the manner in which they apply the systems associated with technology. The Internet for instance has valuable benefits when used for the right purpose, but when used in the wrong way, then it brings forth negative consequences including frauds to the users. Works Cited Tenner, Edward. Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Print. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Bridging the Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1587064-bridging-the-gap
(Bridging the Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1587064-bridging-the-gap.
“Bridging the Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1587064-bridging-the-gap.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner

The Humanity of Christ: A Comparative Analysis of the Theories of Edward Irving and Oliver Crisp

This brief discussion will delve into the implications of the fallen nature theory espoused by edward Irving in the 19th century, juxtaposed with the unfallen nature argued by Oliver Crisp in the present day.... Comparative Analysis of the Theories of edward Irving and Oliver Crisp ... ?? Chapter 2: edward Irving's theory of Christ's “Fallen Human Nature” 2.... “Fallen Human Nature” theory explained edward Irving's contention is that Christ assumed a human nature that was characterized as “fallen flesh....
25 Pages (6250 words) Research Paper

Analogical paper on Gambling related to the Mahabharata or the Bhagavad-Gita

why do people gamble?... That is why without being sure of the result they spend money so that they get a far greater amount in return.... Gambling can be a major entertainment in Las Vegas and Macao, and it is legal.... However, public gambling is illegal in my home town, Taiwan....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Government Interference in Managing the General Environment

'Systems thinking' is a process that tells that different things and activities within nature/organization are totally linked with each other.... The paper "Government Interference in Managing the General Environment" gives detailed information about the main competitors for Facebook....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Australian Feminist Movement

The roots of feminism at the global level can be traced back to the 18th century.... From the paper "Australian Feminist Movement" it is clear that today, in America, feminism is not limited to asking for financial equality or the right to abortion and the right for voting.... Now it encompasses women as totally equal entities as compared to men....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Stereotypes in the Media

The paper "Stereotypes in the Media" discusses that it would be wise to state here that the threat posed by the stereotyping within media is immense and it needs to be clamped if we want our coming generations to survive in a society that has freedom for all and sundry.... ... ... ... Stereotypes in the media exist in every society of the world in present times and the same has been the case for so many decades now that it all seems so very inevitable....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Negative Impact of Technology

In the work of tenner, he gives an example of how a computerized office would be more costly as opposed to a non-digitalized one (215).... onclusively, tenner and I are in the same school of thought that argues that an introduction of new aspects requires that individuals be tutored on how to deal with the new technology.... This means that a lot of energy will be used to bring an entire system back to normal, as new persons are forced to adjust to the novel technology in the system....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

Entrepreneurial Skills of Mark Zuckerberg

The author of the paper "Entrepreneurial Skills of Mark Zuckerberg" will begin with the statement that entrepreneurs have a significant role that they play in the economies of the world.... They make sure there is the creation of new value in many ways.... ... ... ... Entrepreneurs know how well to combine economic factors, in order to come up with a business idea, which is able to give them, returns and profits....
12 Pages (3000 words) Case Study

Christopher Nolan's Memento

This discussion therefore will carefully review various scholarly articles and evaluate why the film has successfully managed to be one of the best in 2000s.... The paper 'Christopher Nolan's Memento' tells us about Memento, a film written and released in 2000 under the directorship of Christopher Nolan....
15 Pages (3750 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us