Question Exercise

Student Name

HUMN 344: Technology and Culture

Professor Name

Date
 Question Exercise
Technological Artifacts in the Built Environment

Answer all questions in complete sentences. Write about 2-5 sentences for each question.

Who created and designed this technology? What are the demographics of the creators?
In the built environment, I have decided to research about smartphones. The modern
smartphones that we know has been rooted from the team Motorola by Martin Cooper who led
Motorola to produce the first handheld mobile phone in 1973 (Cooper 2003). The demographics
of each creators’ ranges from the works of engineers, designers, and programmers from different
backgrounds and companies. This has been a big achievement in the aspect of technology
showing innovation and was able to shape many industries (Amankwaa & Esson 2020).

Brief history of the technology

The smartphones have been developed around since 1990s, which started from a basic
calling evolving to multifunctional device (Chen et al., 2021). There were many significant
developments of these smartphones like being touchscreen, camera, applications, and also the
internet connectivity. Advancements in hardware, software, and design have transformed
smartphones into essential tools for communication, productivity, and entertainment.

Who uses, depends on or interacts with this technology the most and the least? Why?
Smartphones are most used by individuals in urban and sub-urban areas. This is being
used to communicate, be productive, for entertainment, and a central tool in life. Most
individuals who use it are those who can afford to buy and uses them for work and to interact
socially (Mohadisdudis & Ali 2014). On the other hand, those who are least users include elderly
individuals who are not comfortable of using this technology and also includes individuals from
low socioeconomic backgrounds. This was cause by lack of resources including financial and
poor infrastructures.

Who never uses, interacts or depends on it or does not have easy access to it? Why?
Study by Johansson et al., (2020) emphasizes that people with disabilities access the
smartphones the least. This is due to their inability to perceive the right usage of smartphones.
Some are also said to have difficulties in understanding these devices. This makes them feel not
digitally included.
Who seems to benefit from this technology the most?
In this modern age, youth and professionals in this digital world will benefit the most.
This will be a very useful for them to access lots of information including those in the internet.
This might also ease their work and studies as well as having the easiest way of communication.
These smartphones will practically enhance the productivity one’s life.

Who might have difficulty benefiting from it and why?

As mentioned, those elderly people and those individual with disabilities will be less
benefited from this technology. They may struggle to navigate the device and may find a hart
time accessing the full feature of these smartphones.

What kinds of built-in biases might this technology have due to who benefits from it?
Those who have access to smartphones will be more digital literate than those people
who do not use it. Cultural and language barrier might also exist. There is a possibility that this
people will be left behind in the developing era of technology and the possibility of
discrimination. However, bias against to those who uses it is still unavoidable. This might lead to
addiction and too much dependency with smartphones. Additionally, they might be engaged to
unlawful acts such as cybercrimes and breach of data/privacy.

Describe one possible change to the design, location, programming or planning of this
technology that could change who uses it and/or who can benefit from it.
Revolutionizing usability could be possible through digital initiatives. This includes
redesigning features considering various abilities such as having large buttons and screen reader
feature to make it more user friendly. Its availability in rural and far-flung areas must be
considered considering also the affordability of the device. Additionally, localized programming,
community engagement programs, and privacy education will address the technological barriers
in this modern era while promoting inclusivity and equitability.

References
Amankwaa, E. F., & Esson, J. (2020). Geographies of youth, mobile phones, and the urban

hustle. The Geographical Journal, 186(4), 362–374. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12354

Chen, W., Yao, Y., Chen, T., Shen, W., Tang, S., & Lee, H. K. (2021). Application of

smartphone-based spectroscopy to biosample analysis: A review. Biosensors and

Bioelectronics, 172, 112788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112788

Cooper, M. (2003). Antennas get smart. Scientific American, 289(1), 48–55.

https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0703-48

Kaplan, David M. Readings in the philosophy of technology. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield,

2009.

Mohadisdudis, H. M., & Ali, N. M. (2014). A study of smartphone usage and barriers among the

elderly. Smartphones, Who Uses the Most? https://doi.org/10.1109/iuser.2014.7002686