Reproductions and Visual Techniques

The beginning of chapter five begins with reproduction and the advances in visual technologies. The author makes the statement, "We argue against this approach, because technology itself does not determine change" (184). This is termed technological determinism.

Wikipedia says,

"Technological determinism is a reductionist doctrine
that a society's technology determines its cultural values, social structure, or
history. Rather than acknowledging that a society or culture interacts with and
even shapes the technologies that are used, a determinist view holds that "the
uses made of technology are largely determined by the structure of the
technology itself, that is, that its functions follow from its form" (Neil Postman)."

Technology changes so slowly that the technology does not force change but rather responds and adapts to social change. Although some changes have been forced by technology like computer books, classes, etc. geared towards older generations, overall most technological advances can be traced to social wants and desires.


I thought the section on the advances in photography was interesting and I wanted to track and compare the different types of photography types. I was able to find a picture of Abraham Lincoln in each type-


Daguerreotype
(a silver compound adheres to a mirrored surface)

Ambrotype

(collidon on wet glass is dipped in a silver compound)

Tintype
(silver compound put on an iron plate)

By putting these pictures in my blog I have proven the author's point of the power of reproduction. Because of the technological advances I am able to easily locate old pictures and reproduce them instantly and accurately. "The rare and cherished old photograph of our grandmother at age five, fading and crumbling in the family album, becomes a bit less difficult to lose when we have preserved it in a digital file that can be stored, copied, sent via e-mail, or placed on a photo album website" (214).