PART  

III.  
SPECIFIC  ISSUES  IN  SCIENCE,  TECHNOLOGY  AND  SOCIETY  
 
Introduction  
 
  This  section  provides  overview  on  how  writing  evolved  through  time  and  internet  
came  into  being.  Discussion  on  how  information  became  accessible  and  inexpensive  thru  
the   discovery   of   printing   press   by   Johannes   Gutenburg   is   also   presented   on   this   part.  
Emphasis  is  given  on  the  influence  of  social  media  to  people’s  lives.  
 
  Further,  this  section  of  the  module  discusses  different  issues  that  concern  society’s  
health  and  well-­being.  Basic  concepts  and  ideas  on  biodiversity,  climate  change,  use  of  
gene  therapy  and  nanotechnology  are  also  presented  here.  
       
Learning  Outcomes  
   
At  the  end  of  this  section,  the  students  are  expected  to:  
 
1.  illustrate  how  information  age  and  social  media  have  made  an  impact  to  our  lives.  
2.  explain  the  interrelatedness  of  society,  environment,  and  health.  
3.  discuss  the  costs  and  benefits  (both  potential  and  realized)  of  nanotechnology  to    
       society.  
4.  describe  gene  therapy,  its  various  forms  and  potential  benefits  and  detriments  to    
       global  health.  
5.  identify  the  causes  of  climate  change  and  discuss  how  to  apply  concepts  of  STS  in    
       this  specific  environmental  issue.    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter  7  
The  Information  Age  
 
  The  Information  Age  began  around  the  1970s  and  still  going  on  today.  It  is  also  
known  as  the  Computer  Age,  Digital  Age,  or  New  Media  Age.  This  era  brought  about  a  
time  period  in  which  people  could  access  information  and  knowledge  easily.  
 
Pre-­Gutenberg  Period  
   
  During  the  Middle  Ages  in  Europe,  most  people  lived  in  small,  isolated  villages.  If  
people  travelled  at  all,  they  typically  ventured  only  a  few  miles  from  where  they  were  born.  
For  most  people,  the  only  source  of  both  religious  and  worldly  information  was  the  village  
Catholic  priest  in  the  pulpit.  News  passed  from  one  person  to  another,  often  in  the  form  
of  rumor.  
 
  Written   documents   were   rare   and   often   doubted   by   the   common   people   as  
forgeries.  What  counted  in  important  matters  was  oral  testimony  based  on  oaths  taken  in  
the  name  of  God  to  tell  the  truth.  
 
  Almost  no  one  could  read  or  write  the  language  they  spoke.  Those  few  who  were  
literate  usually  went  on  to  master  Latin,  the  universal  language  of  scholarship,  the  law,  
and   the   Roman   Catholic   Church.   Books,   all   hand-­copied,   were   rare,   expensive,   and  
almost  always  in  Latin.  They  were  so  valuable  that  universities  chained  them  to  reading  
tables.   Most   people   passed   their   lifetime   without   ever   gazing   at   a   book,   a   calendar,   a  
map,  or  written  work  of  any  sort.  
 
  Memory   and   memorization   ruled   daily   life   and   learning.   Poets,   actors   and   story  
tellers   relied   on   rhyming   lines   to   remember   vast   amounts   of   material.   Craftsmen  
memorized  the  secrets  of  their  trades  to  pass  on  orally  to  apprentices.  Mechanics  kept  
their   accounts   in   their   heads.   Even   scholars   literate   in   Latin   used   memory   devices   to  
remember  what  they  had  learned.  One  device  involved  visualizing  a  building  with  various  
rooms   and   architectural   features,   each   representing   different   store   of   knowledge.   A  
university  scholar  imagined  walking  through  this  virtual  building  along  a  certain  pathway  
to  recall  the  contents  of  entire  books  for  his  lectures.  
   
  Scribes,  often  monks  living  in  monasteries,  each  labored  for  up  to  a  year  to  copy  
a  single  book,  usually  in  Latin.  The  scribes  copied  books  on  processed  calfskin  called  
velum  and  later  on  paper.  Specialists  or  the  scribes  themselves  “illuminated’  (painted0  
large  capital  letters  and  the  margins  of  many  books  with  colorful  designs  were  very  costly.    
 
  Before  the  discovery  of  printing  press,  books  in  Europe  were  typically  handwritten  
manuscripts  while  paper  money,  playing  cards,  posters,  and  the  like  were  block-­printed  
from  hand-­carved  wooden  blocks,  inked  and  transferred  to  paper.  This  earlier  method  of  
reproduction  was  expensive  and  time  consuming.    
 
   

89
Gutenberg  Revolution  
 
  Johannes  Gutenberg  turned  the  printing  world  upside  down  and  brought  on  a  new  
era   of   print   with   his   revolutionary   innovation   of   movable   type   in   1445.   Movable   type  
printing  used  metal  stamps  of  single  letters  that  could  be  arranged  into  words,  sentences  
and  pages  of  text.  Using  a  large  manually  operated,  the  stamps  would  be  arranged  to  
read  a  page  of  text  so  that  when  covered  with  ink,  it  would  print  out  a  page  of  text.  Before  
Gutenberg,  all  texts  had  been  printed  with  woodblocks  or  fixed  text  stamps,  both  of  which  
were  complex  and  time-­consuming  processes.  Movable  type  kept  the  metal  stamp  letters  
separate,  which  allowed  printers  to  reuse  the  letters  quickly  on  succeeding  pages.  As  a  
result,  more  pages  could  be  efficiently  printed  in  a  shorter  amount  of  time  with  much  less  
effort.  From  here,  the  opportunity  to  share  ideas  and  knowledge  brought  on  a  new  era  of  
change  and  enlightenment  never  seen  before.  
 
  Gutenberg’s  amazing  invention  made  books  the  internet  of  the  time.  The  printing  
press   made   it   possible   to   produce   books   much   more   quickly   and   cheaper   than   ever  
before.  By  1463,  printed  Bibles  cost  one-­tenth  of  hand-­copied  Bibles.  The  demand  for  
books  exploded.  By  1500,  Europe  had  more  than  1,000  printers  and  7,000  books  in  print.  
 
  Like   the   internet,   books   spread   new   ideas   quickly   and   sped   up   the   process   of  
change.   For   example,   as   a   young   sailor   in   Genoa,   Christopher   Columbus   read   Marco  
Polo’s   famous   Travels,   in   which   he   described   his   journeys   to   China.   Columbus   was  
thrilled  by  Polo’s  descriptions.  Books  also  planted  the  seeds  of  democracy  and  human  
rights   in   the   next   generation   of   thinkers.   Newspapers   and   pamphlets   generated  
information  and  ideas  even  faster.    
 
  The  impact  of  the  printing  press  is,  almost,  impossible  to  really  quantify.  On  the  
surface   it   allowed   for   the   much   more   rapid   spread   of   accurate   information   but,   more  
elusively,  it  had  an  enormous  impact  on  the  nations  and  population  in  Europe  at  large.  
Literacy  began  to  rise  as  well  as  the  types  of  information  people  could  be  exposed  to.  
 
  When  Europe  was  recovering  from  the  devastating  impact  of  the  Black  Death,  the  
impact  of  printing  press  decimated  the  population  and  had  led  to  the  decline  in  the  rise  of  
the  church,  the  rise  of  the  money  economy,  and  subsequent  birth  of  the  Renaissance.    
 
  As   it   became   easier   to   produce   books   and   pamphlets,   information   started   to  
spread.   Previously,   only   religious   leaders   and   royalty   had   access   to   books,   and   few  
people  were  literate.  The  printing  Renaissance  opened  the  realm  of  learning  and  reading  
to  the  local  populations  as  schools  were  built  and  books  about  education  were  written  
and  print  published.  The  printing  press  had  dramatic  effects  on  European  civilization  and  
its   more   immediate   effect   was   to   spread   information   quickly   and   accurately   and   this  
gradually  helped  to  create  a  much  wider  literate  reading  public.

The   arrival   of   mechanical   movable   type   printing   introduced   the   era   of   mass  
communication,   which   permanently   altered   the   structure   of   society.   The   relatively  
unrestricted   circulation   of   information   and   revolutionary   ideas   transcended   borders,  

90
captured   the   masses   in   the   Reformation,   and   threatened   the   power   of   political   and  
religious  authorities;;  the  sharp  increase  in  literacy  broke  the  monopoly  of  the  literate  elite  
on  education  and  learning  and  bolstered  the  emerging  middle  class.  Across  Europe,  the  
increasing   cultural   self-­awareness   of   its   people   led   to   the   rise   of   proto-­nationalism,  
accelerated  by  the  flowering  of  the  European  vernacular  languages  to  the  detriment  of  
Latin’s  status  as  lingua  franca.    
 
  The   printing   press   was   also   a   factor   in   the   establishment   of   a   community   of  
scientists  who  could  easily  communicate  their  discoveries  through  widely  disseminated  
scholarly   journals,   helping   to   bring   on   the   scientific   revolution.   Because   of   the   printing  
press,  authorship  became  more  meaningful  and  profitable.  It  was  suddenly  important  who  
had  said  or  written  what,  and  what  the  precise  formulation  and  time  of  information.  Before,  
the  author  was  less  important,  since  a  copy  of  Aristotle  made  in  Paris  would  not  be  exactly  
identical  to  one  made  in  Bologna.  For  many  works  prior  to  the  printing  press,  the  name  of  
the  author  has  been  entirely  lost.

 
Printed  Materials  as  Agents  of  Change  
 
Gutenberg’s  movable  type  printing  press  was  a  disruptive  innovation  in  more  ways  than  
one.  In  addition  to  making  printed  materials  more  accessible,  it  allowed  for  the  spread  of  
knowledge   both   within   elite   communities,   like   the   Catholic   Church   and   the   scientific  
community,   and   also   to   the   rest   of   the   general   population.   It   brought   about   new  
innovations  and  ideas  that  lead  to  changes  in  power  and  standards  in  both  religious  and  
scientific  areas  of  European  culture.  These  included  a  shift  in  religious  power  from  the  
church  authority  to  the  general  population,  standardization  of  scientific  reporting,  and  an  
influx  of  new  scientific  discoveries.  Although  it  may  seem  like  the  printing  press  affected  
the  European  science  and  religious  community  differently,  the  changes  between  the  two  
are  actually  intricately  intertwined.  Both  scientific  and  religious  works  were  subject  to  a  
language  change  from  Latin  to  vernacular  languages.  All  of  these  changes  were  possible  
because  of  the  printing  press.  Even  more,  it  allowed  for  greater  accessibility  and  spread  
of  all  kinds  of  knowledge  throughout  a  wider  population  never  before  seen,  bringing  about  
several  new  social  dynamics  that  will  lead  to  several  social  revolutions.    

Post-­Gutenberg  Period  
 
  The  impact  of  the  Gutenberg  printing  press  was  immeasurable.  It  caused  nothing  
less  than  a  dramatic  social  and  cultural  revolution.  The  sudden  widespread  dissemination  
of  printed  works  –  books,  tracts,  posters  and  papers  –  gave  direct  rise  to  the  European  
Renaissance.  
 
  While  Gutenberg’s  famous  Bible  was  printed  in  Latin,  his  invention  of  the  movable  
type  press  meant  that  Protestant  tracts  and  the  arguments  between  Martin  Luther  and  
the  Catholic  Church  which  led  to  the  Reformation  could  be  widely  disseminated.  
 

91
   The  Reformation  that  began  in  Germany  in  the  early  16th  century,  led  to  the  Bible  
being  printed  in  the  languages  common  to  people.  Gutenberg’s  invention  led  inevitably  to  
the  Protestant  revolution,  the  Age  of  Enlightenment,  the  development  of  Modern  Science  
and  Universal  Education.  In  other  words,  everything  that  has  led  to  human  progress  and  
the  advancement  of  the  modern  world.    
 
  At  present,  people  are  beginning  to  look  for  secure  and  accurate  and  believable  
news  portals  but,  the  traditional  trusted  publishing  outlets  have  less  public  beliefs  as  many  
people   believe   governments   are   manipulating   them.   The   local   press   are   in   sharp  
circulation   decline,   and   the   online   advertising   businesses   have   moved   to   Google   and  
Facebook   and   others.   The   result   has   caused   newspaper   closures   and   large-­scale  
downsizings   and   redundancies.   Many   people   now   prefer   to   believe   people   from   their  
social  environment,  instead  of  turning  to  “the  media”.  The  collateral  damage  caused  by  
the  digitization  is  increasing  amounts  of  information  and  currently  this  is  not  going  to  stop.    
 
  The  emergence  of  the  internet  and  the  World  Wide  Web  in  the  1990s  was  initially  
hailed  by  many  as  ushering  in  new  democratic  age,  driven  by  much  greater  access  to  
information.  In  reality,  while  the  internet  had  a  dramatic  impact,  the  revolutionary  shifts  
predicted  did  not  occur.  This  is  because,  in  its  earliest  days,  the  World  Wide  Web  still  
conformed  to  the  Gutenberg  principle.  Building  a  website,  accessing  server  space  and  
publishing   information   required   both   money   and   technical   expertise   and   was   therefore  
still  the  preserve  of  institutions  rather  than  individuals.  The  reality  of  much  greater  access  
to  information  was  not  matched  by  a  greater  ability  to  publish  it.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

92
  
 
Paradoxes  of  Technology  
 
New   technologies   allow   us   to   be   connected   to   and   reachable   by  
everyone.   However,   as   a   result,   our   privacy   is   threatened   and  
Empowerment  vs  Enslavement   technology   starts   controlling   us.   Whether   we   want   or   not,   we   feel  
socially   obliged   to   take   phone   calls,   answer   emails,   and   send  
responses  to  messages  on  Facebook.  
 
 
New  gadgets  such  as  cell  phones  allow  us  to  do  many  things  on  our  
own.  However,  this  situation  creates  dependency,  as  we  can’t  go  even  
Independent  vs  Dependence  
one  day  without  our  phones  and  we  feel  helpless  when  the  Internet  is  
down.  
 
 
Technology   resolves   some   problems   but   also   introduces   new   ones,  
Fulfills  needs  vs  Creates  needs   e.g.   we   need   devices   with   longer   battery   life,   we   need   antivirus  
software  to  be  safe,  we  need  to  learn  new  skills,  etc.  
 
 
We  can  get  any  information  we  want  and  reach  anyone  we  want  with  
Competence  vs  Incompetence   the   help   of   new   technologies.   However,   we   lose   our   ability   to  
remember  phone  numbers  and  our  ability  to  articulate  thoughts.  
 
 
When   we   are   engaged   in   an   activity   that   involves   the   use   of   new  
technology,  we  need  to  disengage  from  whatever  we  are  doing.  We  
Engaging  vs  Disengaging  
directly  interact  with  our  family  and  loved  ones  less  frequently  because  
we  tend  to  engage  more  in  new  portable  technology  tools.  
 
 
New   technologies   blur   the   line   between   what   is   public   and   what   is  
Public  vs  Private   private.  People  may  talk  on  the  phone  or  message  someone  among  a  
circle  of  acquaintances,  which  may  be  disturbing.  
 
 
We   tend   to   think   new   communication   technologies   make   our   lives  
better.   However,   the   more   we   communicate,   the   more   trivial   our  
Illusion  vs  Disillusion  
conversations  become.  In  other  words,  more  communication  does  not  
always  equal  better  communication.  
 
Source:  Sirkka  L.  Jarvenpaa  and  Karl  R.  Lang  as  cited  by  Acar,  2014  
 
  Speed  of  access  also  limited  the  ability  of  the  internet  to  be  a  channel  for  all  forms  
of  media,  restricting  its  use  to  text  based  and  transactional  forms.  As  a  result,  much  of  
the  initial  investment  in  the  web  went  into  servicing  and  creating  institutional  opportunities,  
with  e-­commerce  emerging  as  the  major  new  web-­based  phenomena.  
 
  This   changed   with   two   developments.   First,   the   spread   of   broadband   internet  
access  made  it  possible  to  easily  both  upload  and  download  all  forms  of  media:  video,  
images   and   audio   as   well   as   just   text   and   transactions.   Second,   tools   emerged   which  
made  it  simple  for  people  to  publish  or  spread  information.  Blogging  was  the  first  example,  
followed  by  social  networking  and  distribution  and  sharing  sites  like  YouTube  and  Flickr.  
 

93
   There   has   been   a   third   trend   which   is   gathering   significance,   based   around  
attaching  relevance  and  content  to  all  of  the  otherwise  random  pieces  of  information  now  
being  published.  This  concerns  practices  such  as  tagging,  rating  and  commenting,  as  well  
as  services  such  as  social  bookmarking  and  news-­sharing  sites  which  allow  individuals  
to  store  and  share  information.  This  trend  is  responsible  for  creating  forms  of  collective  
intelligence  and  what  has  been  called  ‘crowd  wisdom’  and  is  probably  the  most  important  
area  to  watch  going  forwards  because  of  its  ability  to  allow  individuals  to  create  the  trust  
and  connections  necessary  to  transact  and  communicate  amongst  themselves  without  
any  institutionalized  intervention.  
 
 
 
Activity  I.  Activity  Report:  A  day  without  Technology  
 
  1.  Identify  and  interview  3  persons  with  the  following  description.    
 
    a.      an  elderly  who  is  not  using  cellphone  and  other  gadgets  
    b.      a  teenager  who  is  into  different  social  media  platforms  
    c.      a  professional  who  is  busy  with  his/her  career  
 
  2.  Prepare  guide  questions  and  ask  them  how  they  live  a  day  
 
    a.  with/without  technology.  
    b.  when  there  is  no  internet  connection.  
    c.  when  there  is  power  interruption.  
 
  3.  Synthesize  their  responses  and  make  your  own  reflection.  Prepare  a  written    
                             report.  
 
 
 
 
         
Activity  II.  Fake  Spotted!  
 
  Read   news   articles   and   reports   from   the   internet.   Identify   specific   issue   that  
surfaced  on  different  social  media  platforms  which  later  found  out  as  fake  news.  Discuss  
with  the  class  the  importance  of  verifying  reliable  and  accurate  information.    
 
Discussion  Guide  
 
1.  How  does  “fake  news”  come  to  exist  and  spread  so  rapidly?  Why  do  you  think  this    
       happens?  
       ___________________________________________________________________  
       ___________________________________________________________________  
       ___________________________________________________________________  

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2.  How  is  “fake  news”  harmful?  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
 
3.  What  are  the  long  and  short  term  effects  and  consequences  of  being  a  consumer  of    
       “fake  news”?  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
 
4.  How  social  media  affect  your  personal  life?  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
       ____________________________________________________________________  
 
5.    How  social  media  affect  the  society  as  a  whole?  
         ___________________________________________________________________  
         ___________________________________________________________________  
         ___________________________________________________________________  
         ___________________________________________________________________  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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