Response: ‘Let Them Eat Laptops: The Limits of Technicism’ (Winston)
Monday, October 5, 2009 by Dominey Flores
I found today’s (Monday) tutorial very thought-provoking. The class discussion about Technicism and the analysis of the article about Rwanda and the ‘One Laptop Per Child’ movement raised some serious issues regarding the dangers of exalting technology’s ability to ‘pull’ developing countries out of the ‘dark ages’ and propel them towards a ‘brighter’ more ‘developed’ future. The article discussed in class illustrated some of the main points Winston makes in his argument against Technicism and Negroponte’s technicist vision: It ignored/avoided a serious examination/discussion of the underlying social, political, cultural, economic, and historical factors that perpetuate existing inequalities and exploitation within/of developing countries (ahistoricism?). It exalts (as Winston argues) the significance of technology in the lives and future of Rwanda/Rwandan children over the significance of the basic necessities of life (i.e. clean water, nourishing food, clothing, decent school). The article also reinforces the underlying notion that in order to ‘catch up’ to their advanced counterparts, developing countries must adapt themselves to the ‘standards’ of the West – “technologies are discovered by an essentially internal process of research and development, which then sets the conditions of social change and progress” (Raymond Williams cited in Winston). I agree with Winston’s argument (in his article) that there is a danger in assuming that technology can eradicate ‘solve’ the problems of developing countries. Winston and Bill Gates make a very strong point when they question the rational in introducing computers in classrooms in countries where there are serious under developments (i.e. in social/public infrastructures and facilities and services); and where massive shortages in the most basic necessities (i.e. food, clean water). I think that the main ideas in Winston’s argument and those discussed in today’s tutorial highlight the oversimplification of social, political, cultural, and economic complexities by technicists like Negroponte. Overall, it raises the question – yeah, technology work’s for us ‘lucky ones’ in the West, but will computers really solve the major problems faced by people in developing nations? How are computers going to eradicate the corruption (one of the major perpetrators of poverty and civil war) of third world governments? How are computers going to solve famine? How are computers going to prevent the frequent occurrence of violent conflict within developing countries? And, say, even if the OLPC Movement ‘produce’ techno-savvy students in developing countries – who’s to say that they won’t be exploited by Western corporations as another source of cheap labour (i.e. neo-colonialism, call centres – as discussed in today’s tutorial)?