The UOC - Open University of Catalonia - Lecture on the vulnerability of technological cultures

Oct. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- The event took take place on 15 October, at 6pm, at the UOC Support Centre in Barcelona (Rambla Catalunya 6). The event is organised by the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and is open to the general public.

Barcelona - Bijker will argue two key ideas relating to the vulnerability of today’s modern societies. The first idea is, according to this expert, that vulnerability is not necessarily something negative, and can even be considered a necessary condition for innovation. “To be able to innovate, one has to be creative and take risks”, says professor Bijker.

This argument contrasts with the commonly accepted risk management theories and practices that argue that it is important to define clear rules and protocols and make sure they are followed in order to make organization as safe as possible. This standard risk management approach will be questioned by asking attention for the positive aspects of vulneravility and the influence of rules and rule braking in constructing a vulnerable and at the same time resilient tecnological culture.

The second idea outlined by Bijker is that the study of the vulnerability of modern societies can best be studied as a vulnerability of technological cultures. According to the speaker: “Today’s societies can be considered as tightly knit systems in which technologies are pervasive. Technologies do not merely assist in everyday lives; they are also powerful forces acting to reshape human activities and their meanings. Additionally, the high-tech character of modern societies makes them vulnerable at the same time. Such vulnerability thus is an inherent characteristic of today’s societies.

Bijker adds: “Sometimes this quality turns into a problem or even a disaster. During the last decades we have witnessed several high-tech related disasters. The Challenger space shuttle explosion, the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the Bhopal chemical disaster in India, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill — they all remind us that large-scale systems are vulnerable to human errors and technical malfunctions with far-reaching consequences. Risks to health, safety, freedom of choice, privacy and our environment are abounding in the world”.

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