Science and Technology Studies

How to read this page: This article maps the topic from beginner to expert across six levels � Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. Scan the headings to see the full scope, then read from wherever your knowledge starts to feel uncertain. Learn more about how BloomWiki works ?

Science and Technology Studies (STS) is the "Study of the Makers"—the investigation of how "Science" and "Technology" are not just "Pure Truths," but are "Products" of human culture, politics, and social interaction. While we often see a "Lab" as a place of "Objective Logic," STS proves that a "Scientific Fact" is a "Negotiated Result" involving "Funding," "Peer Review," and "Institutional Power." From the "Actor-Network Theory" (which treats 'Tools' and 'Computers' as part of the social group) to the "Social Construction of Technology," this field explores the "Backstage" of discovery. It is the science of "How we know what we know," revealing the "Human Hands" behind every "Machine" and every "Formula."

Remembering

• Science and Technology Studies (STS) — An interdisciplinary field that examines how "Social," "Political," and "Cultural" values affect "Scientific Research" and "Technological Innovation."
• Actor-Network Theory (ANT) (Bruno Latour) — The idea that "Things" (Microscopes, Books, Computers) have "Agency" and are part of the "Network" of society along with "People."
• Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) — The theory that technology doesn't "Just happen"; its design is "Determined" by "Social Groups" and "Negotiations."
• Black Boxing — When a piece of technology or a scientific theory becomes so "Accepted" that we "Forget how it works" and just treat it as a "Fact."
• Paradigm Shift (Thomas Kuhn) — (See Article 131). The process by which science "Changes its mind" when too many "Anomalies" break the old model.
• Boundary Work — The "Social Struggle" to define what is "Science" and what is "Pseudo-science" (e.g., the 'Psychology vs. Astrology' debate).
• Technoscience — The concept that "Science" and "Technology" are now so "Linked" that you cannot have one without the other.
• Co-production — The idea that "Science" and "Society" make each other simultaneously (e.g., the 'Internet' changed 'Society,' but 'Society's needs' designed the 'Internet').
• Epistemic Community — A group of "Experts" who share a common set of "Beliefs" and "Methods" for creating knowledge.
• The Laboratory Life — Ethnographic studies where anthropologists "Live in a lab" to watch scientists like they were a "Remote Tribe."

Understanding

STS is understood through Context and Networks.

1. The "Human" Lab (Social Construction): Why do we believe the "Atom" looks like a "Mini-Solar System"?

• In the 1900s, there were "Multiple theories."
• The one that "Won" wasn't just the "Truest"—it was the one that "Worked best" for the "Scientific Community's" goals.
• Science is a "Conversation." Facts are "Polished" by "Arguments" and "Conferences" until they become "Solid."
• STS pulls back the "Curtain" to show that "Truth" is a "Group Achievement."

2. The "Power" of Things (Actor-Network Theory): Does a "Gun" kill people, or do "People" kill people?

• ANT says: "The **Network** kills people."
• A person + a gun is a "Different Actor" than a person alone.
• Technology "Nudges" us. The "Design" of a "Street" determines if we "Walk" or "Drive."
• We are "Linked" to our "Tools" in a "Web of Agency."

3. The "Black Box" (Invisible Tech): When you use a "Smartphone," you don't think about "Quantum Mechanics" or "Lithium Mining."

• The phone is a **Black Box**. You see the "Input" and "Output," but the "Middle" is hidden.
• STS "Opens the Black Box" to show the "Hidden Politics" and "Labor" that make the machine possible.
• Every "Fact" we take for granted was once a "Fierce Debate."

Latour’s 'Laboratory Life' (1979)': Bruno Latour "Embedded" himself in a biological lab for two years. He discovered that scientists don't spend all their time "Thinking"; they spend it "Writing papers," "Fixing machines," and "Convincing others." He argued that "Scientific Facts" are "Constructed" through "Literary Inscriptions" (Charts and Papers) that make "Nature" speak.

Applying

Modeling 'The Actor-Network' (Identifying the human and non-human 'Actors' in a system): <syntaxhighlight lang="python"> def analyze_network(activity):

   """
   Shows how 'Things' act alongside 'People'.
   """
   if activity == "Social Media Post":
       actors = ["User", "Algorithm", "Smartphone", "Data Center", "Advertiser"]
       agency = "The Algorithm determines who sees the post."
   elif activity == "Scientific Discovery":
       actors = ["Researcher", "Microscope", "Funding Agency", "Peer Reviewers"]
       agency = "The Microscope 'Translates' the bacteria into a Graph."
   else:
       actors = ["Generic"]
       
   return f"NETWORK: {actors} | KEY AGENCY: {agency}"

1. Case: A scientist looking at a cell

print(analyze_network("Scientific Discovery")) </syntaxhighlight>

STS Landmarks

The 'Cyborg Manifesto' (Donna Haraway) → The argument that we are all "Cyborgs" now because we are "Inseparably Linked" to our "Technology."

The 'Sokal Affair' (1996) → A "Physics Professor" wrote a "Fake Paper" filled with "STS Jargon" and got it published in a top journal to "Prove" that STS was "Too focused on words" and not "Truth." (This started the 'Science Wars').

User-Centered Design → How "Companies" (like Apple) use STS principles to "Design products" that "Fit" into human "Social Networks."

Algorithmic Bias → Using STS to show that "AI" is not "Neutral"—it "Inherits" the "Biases" of its "Creators" and its "Training Data."

Analyzing

Scientific Realism vs. STS (Constructivism)

Feature	Scientific Realism (The 'Scientist')	STS (The 'Anthropologist')
Goal	Finding "Objective Truth"	Understanding "Social Processes"
Fact	Is "Discovered" in nature	Is "Constructed" in the community
Technology	A "Neutral Tool"	A "Value-Laden Actor"
Motivation	"Curiosity" and "Truth"	"Funding," "Power," and "Social Needs"
Analogy	A 'Discovery' of an island	The 'Building' of a city

The Concept of "Technological Determinism": Analyzing "Who is in Charge." Does "The Steam Engine" create "Capitalism," or does "Capitalism" create "The Steam Engine"? STS argues against "Simple causes." It is a "Co-production"—we make the "Tools," and then the "Tools" make "Us."

Evaluating

Evaluating STS:

1. The "Anti-Science" Danger: If we say "Facts are constructed," does that help "Climate Deniers" or "Anti-vaxxers"? (How do we protect 'Expertise' while being 'Critical'?).
2. Relativism: Is there "Any" truth that is "Not" social? (e.g. 1+1=2).
3. Responsibility: If a "Network" causes a "Disaster" (like 'The Challenger'), who goes to "Jail"? (Can we blame a 'Machine'?).
4. Objectivity: Is "Total Objectivity" a "Myth"? (Can a 'Human' ever be 'Neutral'?).

Creating

Future Frontiers:

1. Algorithmic Accountability: Laws that "Open the Black Box" of "AI decision-making," forcing companies to show the "Social Values" inside the code.
2. Citizen Science Networks: Using STS to design "Labs" where "Regular People" and "Scientists" work together to "Co-produce" knowledge for the community.
3. The 'Values' Microscope: An AI that "Reads a Scientific Paper" and "Highlights" the "Hidden Political or Social Assumptions" inside the math.
4. Sustainable Technoscience: Designing a "New Science" that "Prioritizes" the "Earth's Network" (the environment) as much as the "Human Network" (profit).