We often thiuk of technology as essentially value-neutral. Mobile phones or iPods can be used, after aJI, for benevolent or 111::ilicious purposes, depending on the context or the motives of the user....

We often thiuk of technology as essentially value-neutral. Mobile phones or iPods can be used, after aJI, for benevolent or 111::ilicious purposes, depending on the context or the motives of the user. But when we consider technology from the standpoint of social life, values become important. What social values have accompanied the development of the Internet? Cooperation or competition? Equality or hierarchy? Democracy or top-down control? What broader conclusions can we reach about technology in general? Can it ever be value-neutral? Does technology always reflect the values of its cre:itors, or does it sometimes escape the grasp of those who ciy to control it?