Management - Social and Cultural Issues of Interactive Digital Media

MANAGEMENT
Social and Cultural Issues of Interactive Digital
Media

Introduction
With the enhanced globalisation and the increased dependence on technology, the world has
become a global village. One such technological advancement without which the present
human life seems to be unimaginable is the mobile phones. The role of the mobile phones has
now been not limited to a device for communication, rather the same have become
multifunctional devices comprising of functions like internet browsing, portable cameras,
social media platforms and many more. There have been several researches and arguments in
relation to the utility of the mobile phones and the mixed influence on the society.
The following report is aimed at evaluating the role of the mobile phones in the context of the
society. The objective is to understand both the negative and the positive impacts of the
mobile/ smart phone technology. The theories that would aid in the said evaluation are the
Technological Determinism, Uses Determination and Social Determination. The report would
be inclusive of an overall conclusion on the role of the mobile/smart phones on society.
Definitions
Technological Determinism is regarded as a prominent and a valuable perspective to
understand the influence of the technology on the society. The doctrine was devised by
Thorstein Veblen and is based on the Karl Marx principle who believed that technology holds
the potential to reform the various societal aspects. The term technological determinism
denotes a cause and effect relationship between technology and society. It can be rightly
referred to as an exogenous variable having an independent effect on non-technical
phenomenon. Thus, the idea behind the doctrine is that the technology leads to the shaping of
the society more, than the vice versa case (IGU Global, 2020). There are two concepts in the
technology determinism that are as follows. The first is that a predictable, traceable path is
followed by the technological development which is beyond any kind of cultural or political
influence. The second concept is that the development of technology further leads to the
organization of the society in a way that society develops itself even more. In simple words
believed by the technology determinists that newer means of production are devised by the
technological advancements, which further influence the economic, political and cultural
facets of the society, leading to the transformation of society itself.

In contrast to this, the Used Determination is defined as the theory where the utility of a
material thing is studied in relation to the advancements it has led to the human life. The
efficiency of any technology or a product or a service can be gauged by the changes in the
usages led by the same. In addition, yet another theory that would aid the review of the
influence of the mobile phones is the Social Determination Theory. It is significant to note
that the advancements and changes in the society can be understood with the changes in the
social relationship, a product or service has induced. Thus, as per the social determination
theory, the individual behaviour is determined by the social interactions and constructs,
instead of the objective or the biological factors. Thus, according to this theory, the changes
in the societal relationships are influenced by the surroundings, which includes the use of
phone or other technological changes in the external business environment.
Impact of the Mobile Phones
Technological Determinism
The integration of the mobile phones and the information technology has led to the evolution
of the society in numerous ways. The prime argument for the societal transformation is in the
form of the ease of the communication as led by the mobile phones. The ease of the
communication is not only in terms of the speed, but also in terms of the cost. The cell
phones are cordless and are easy to carry. Further, with the mobile phones becoming the way
of life, the cost of phone nowadays has also become economical and affordable by people
from all walks of life. The yet another argument in favour is in the form of internet browsing
as facilitated by the smart phones. The usage of the internet in the smart phones has become
the central aspect of the human lives, be it in areas of education, medicine, conduct of
business, banking or other aspects. Thus, the society has been influenced in terms of the
speedy conduct of various operations. The integration of the internet has become such
advanced that even the basic phones today are supported by the big screens that enable the
users to view information in a more detailed manner. Further, the phones are also a storage
device in itself. With the built in memory system, numerous details are saved into phone,
including the phone numbers. This further influences in the lesser usage of the paper (wood).
Uses Determination
The next perspective that has been used for the evaluation of the utility of the smart phones is
the uses determination. As stated in the previous parts, the usage of the mobile phone has not