Audiences, Narratives, and Human Values in Social Studies of Technology

I am pleased to debate the nature of social studies of technology (SST) with a scholar who has helped pioneer important advances in understanding the social epistemology of the laboratory sciences and to articulate some implicit assumptions of "Computerization and Social Transformation" (Kling 1991).

Abstract

I am pleased to debate the nature of social studies of technology (SST) with a scholar who has helped pioneer important advances in our understanding the social epistemology of the laboratory sciences. Woolgar and Grint's comments give me an interesting opportunity to articulate some implicit assumptions of Computerization and Social Transformation (Kling 1991). Here I respond to Woolgar and Grint's (1991) commentary and also to Woolgar's (1991) closely related critique of SST.