Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and of course the internet, are all full of predictions, both dire and glorious. The result is enormous confusion, with thoughtfulness sacrificed for flashiness, i.e., for media market share. In a way, this course is about being cynical, about questioning what you read, hear and see in the media. It is also about learning to think for yourself. Technological determinism is the theory that technology is an autonomous force that changes society.
Social determinism is the theory that society is an autonomous force that changes technology.
It is the converse of technological determinism. The hard forms claim that the force is irresistible. Both of these determinisms are forms of reductionism . In general, this theory is probably true of very complex phenomena, but since it does not explain anything, it is not useful as a theory. Social scientists today almost universally reject determinist and reductionist explanations of complex social phenomena, despite their appeal.