Performance – Performance – Competence Competence

Model of Model of Technology Technology DiffusionDiffusion

Comm 421Comm 421

September 1, 2004September 1, 2004

Much of the material here is based on ideas developed in Media, Technology and Society by Brian Winston.

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

The

Social

Sphere

PAST FUTURE

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST FUTURE

IDEATION

Transformationtransformation

Social Sphere

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST FUTURE

IDEATION

Social Sphere

PROTOTYPES

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST FUTURE

IDEATION

Social Sphere

PROTOTYPES

Supervening

Social

Necessity

PrototypesPrototypes• Rejected because there is no supervening

necessity (Ronald’s telegraph)• Accepted because an early appearance of

a supervening necessity has made it acceptable (Hollerith calculator)

• Parallel – already in existence solving another technological problem (Hertz radio)

• Partial – designed to solve a problem but do not (Bell early telephone)

Supervening Social Supervening Social NecessityNecessity

1. Those occasioned by the consequences of other technological innovation

1. Railway transformed the telegraph into a diffused technology

2. Radio and Iron Clad battleship

2. Concentration of social forces working directly on the innovation

1. Modern business game rise to telephony

3. Commercial interests1. Super 8mm film, CDs, Polaroid, etc.

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST FUTURE

IDEATION

Social Sphere

PROTOTYPES

Supervening

Social

Necessity

INVENTION

InventionInvention• Special case of the prototype• Often many people are working on

the same “invention”• Makes it to the market place

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST

FUTUREIDEATION

Social Sphere

PROTOTYPES

Supervening

Social

Necessity

INVENTIONSuppression of Potential

DIFFUSION(PRODUCTION)

REDUNDANCIES

SPIN-OFFS

Transformation

Famous Spin-OffsFamous Spin-Offs• Videogames from microchip

technology• CD as a computer memory and video

format device to a replacement for vinyl

Famous RedundanciesFamous Redundancies• Laser disk• Polaroid instant movie film

Performance – Performance – Competence Competence

Model of Model of Technology Technology DiffusionDiffusion

Comm 421Comm 421

September 1, 2004September 1, 2004

PERFORMANCE

COMPETENCE

Technology

Science

PAST FUTURE

String phones 1665Magnetism, Electricity, Galvanometer 1819Flags, semaphore 1780s

IDEATION= Schwenteer 1635 Ampere prior to 1820

PROTOTYPESpith ball telegraphbubble telegraph

INVENTIONSchilling 1825Gauss 1833Cooke/Wheat-stone 1837Morse 1837

DIFFUSIONWestern Union by 1866

SOCIAL NECESSITYrailways 1825stockbrokersnewspapers

SUPPRESSION OF POTENTIALgovernment uninterestchemical telegraphs

SPIN OFFtelephony

SPIN OFFfaxtelevision