Postman, Neil. "Invisible Technologies", in "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology"
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Postman, Neil. "Invisible Technologies" in "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology", (New York: Vintage Books, 1993), pp. 123-143.
Reviewed by Ugochukwu Udemezue Onyido
The author, Postman (1993) in ???Invisible Technologies???, highlighted the various hidden tools which may not be classified as technologies. Postman firmly insisted that some technologies are viewed in disguise, which he likened to language, statistics, opinion polls, accounting procedures, IQ tests, and management. These invisible technologies go on and do their work in the society for good or bad without criticism or awareness.
He pointed out that language is an invisible technology because it
assumes absolute control of our thoughts and ideas, and that
technology relied so much on statistical calculations in order to
make meanings to its findings, yet statistics is not vastly
recognized like technology itself. More so, Postman stated that
statistics create room for new ideas, perceptions, and realities by
making visible large scale patterns. Even at that, opinion polls
which is also a statistical framework is so much relied upon by
politicians for major political and public policy decision
making.
Management is yet another concept of invisible technology, whichthe author stressed and explained as a technology in disguise.Management in itself uses the technique of organizing, arranging,and controlling to strengthen organizational growth anddevelopment. Through this invisible technology, organizationalgoals, aims, vision, and objectives are actualized. Management istechnically organized in a hierarchical structure to arrange workflows from bottom top and vice-versa. It is through thistechnologically arranged concept of management that qualitycontrol, and inventory accounting's are developed, which theauthor classified as new ways of doing things. These two factorsare however prominent for increased productivity and costeffectiveness in organizations, businesses, as well as governmentsectors.
