How technology has shaped society and how future technologies might affect it in the years to come are subjects for frequent debate. It can be tempting in this context to think of technologies as neutral 'things' that can be used for good or bad depending on the user's intentions and skills. However, experts on the relationship between technology and society broadly agree that technologies are social objects that reflect and reinforce human activities and even political values. By scripting, restricting and enabling different human behaviours, technologies can influence our lives in much the same way that policy programmes do.
Source: © European Union - EP