Technophilia (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

τέχνη - ''technē'', "art, skill, craft" and φίλος - ''philos'', "beloved, dear, friend") refers generally to a strong attraction for

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

, especially new technologies such as

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

s, the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

s, and

home cinema A home cinema, also called home theater, is a home entertainment audio-visual system that seeks to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood using consumer grade electronic video and audio equipment and is set up in a private home. In ...

."Technophilia." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company 23 Sep. 2012 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/technophilia The term is used in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

to examine individuals' interactions with

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

and is contrasted with

technophobia Technophobia (from Greek τέχνη ''technē'', "art, skill, craft" and φόβος ''phobos'', "fear"), also known as technofear, is the fear or dislike of, or discomfort with, advanced technology or complex devices, especially personal computers ...

. On a psychodynamic level, technophilia generates the expression of its opposite, technophobia.Richards, Barry. "Technophobia and Technophilia." British Journal of Psychotherapy 10.2 (1993): 188–95. Print. Technophilia and technophobia are the two extremes of the relationship between

technology and society Technology, society and life or technology and culture refers to the inter-dependency, co-dependence, co-influence, and co-production (society), co-production of technology and society upon one another. Evidence for this synergy has been found s ...

. The technophile regards most or all technology positively, adopts new forms of technology enthusiastically, sees it as a means to improve life, and whilst some may even view it as a means to combat social problems. Technophiles do not have a fear of the effects of the technological advancements on society, as do technophobes.

Technological determinism Technological determinism is a reductionist theory in assuming that a society's technology progresses by following its own internal logic of efficiency, while determining the development of the social structure and cultural values. The term is ...

is the theory that humanity has little power to resist the influence that technology has on society.Baym, Nancy. "Personal Connections In the Digital Age". Cambridge: Polity Press, 2010. p.24

Etymology

The word ''technophile'' is said to have originated in the 1960s as an "unflattering word introduced by technophobes". The idea of technophilia can be used to focus on the larger idea on how technology can create strong innovative positive feelings about different technologies. On the other hand, sometimes technology can prevent an accurate view on environmental and the social impact of technology when it comes to society. Technophiles also are not afraid of the effects that today's developed technologies have on society compared to technophobes.

Narcissism through technophilia

Many forms of technology are seen as venerable because the user experiences them as the embodiment of their own narcissism. Technophiles enjoy using technology and focus on the egocentric benefits of technology rather than seeing the potential issues associated with using technology too frequently. The notion of addiction is often negatively associated with technophilia, and describes technophiles who become too dependent on the forms of technology they possess.

Technological utopia

Technophiles may view technology's interaction with society as creating a

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

, cyber or otherwise, and a strong indescribable futuristic feeling. "In the utopian stories, technologies are seen as natural societal developments, improvements to daily life, or as forces that will transform reality for the better. Dystopian reactions emphasize fears of losing control, becoming dependent, and being unable to stop change". Both utopian and dystopian streams are weaved in

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

's ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hier ...

'' (1932) and

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...

'' (1949).On the contrast between Huxley and Orwell on that issue, see

Michel Weber Michel Weber (born 1963) is a Belgian philosopher. He is best known as an interpreter and advocate of the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, and has come to prominence as the architect and organizer of an overlapping array of international sc ...

's
Aldous Huxley and George Orwell on the political use of technoscience
" The Condemned Playground, Balliol College, Oxford University, September 1 / September 4, 2013.

References

* * {{Media and human factors Technology in society Philosophy of technology

Etymology

Narcissism through technophilia

Technological utopia

See also

References