Lentis



Lentis: The Social Interface of Technology is a guidebook to the realm where technological phenomena and social phenomena intersect. If we think of technology and society as circular domains that overlap, the common domain they share is a lens in shape. Hence the short title of the book, Lentis, which is Latin for "of [or about] the lens." If the title (with its association with lenses) also suggests means of viewing, of examining, of magnifying, and of discovering, so much the better. The lens-shaped realm is called the "social interface of technology."

The chief authors of Lentis are students at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. The authors are engineers representing diverse fields of engineering.

As a wikibook, Lentis will accept contributions from authors and editors all over the world, but the student authors will take particular responsibility to produce a complete, well documented, well written and useful book. This is a student project. Until December 16, 2022, would-be contributors who are not students in the class are asked to consider editing sparingly, but are invited to comment freely on discussion pages, where their suggestions and advice will be welcomed and appreciated. No one's right to edit is in question.

Lentis is intended to serve a general purpose and a specific purpose. The general purpose is to present to interested readers worldwide illuminating cases with practical lessons for those who navigate the dangerous channels of the social interface of technology. The book begins with the premise that success in technological and social endeavors often depends upon the skillful negotiation of sociotechnical factors, where technological techniques alone, or social techniques alone, are insufficient. A second premise is that case studies offer generalizable lessons that can guide people who work where technology and society overlap. They are, in effect, "true fables" that offer "morals" of practical value in diverse endeavors.

More specifically, Lentis is a book written by and for engineers. Here the premise is that engineers by definition are problem solvers whose instruments may include social as well as technological tools, whose work ultimately serves non-engineers, and who must therefore inevitably venture into the social interface of technology, where these non-engineers dwell. Too often, engineers have had to leave this territory to managers, policymakers, clients and others who lack the technical expertise for success in this zone. If engineers can develop the social expertise they need at the social interface of technology, they can lead there.

If "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," then those who recover the past can best lead us out of it. In the history of technology countless technological innovations succeeded until they met the social interface, where social phenomena interact with technological phenomena in surprising ways. This book will be a success if it helps engineers anticipate these effects.

Most of the chapters in Lentis are examinations of cases. The authors will attempt to derive practical lessons from these cases; the most valuable lessons will be generalizable. If a lesson is generalizable, it is applicable in cases and situations that may be far removed in time, space or engineering field. A case from American transportation engineering in the 1990s, for example, may have lessons useful to biomedical engineers in 2020. The authors have endeavored to find such lessons in the cases they investigated. Because social theories are also useful navigational aids in the social interface of technology, some chapters examine such theories. The authors have sought not only to explain these theories, but to show how they can be of practical value.

Preliminaries

 * Chapters: Active and Candidates

Food and Energy

 * /Biofuels Vs. Food in Developing Countries/


 * /Opposition to GMOs in Europe/
 * /Patenting of GM Seeds/
 * /Corn, Beef and Feedlots/
 * /Dakota Access Pipeline/
 * /High-Fructose Corn Syrup/
 * /The Organic Foods Movement/
 * /Local Food as a Case of Disintermediation/
 * /Local Food as a Social Movement/
 * /Marketing of Natural Foods/
 * /Corn Ethanol in the United States/
 * /Popular Perceptions of Nuclear Power/
 * /Nuclear Meltdown: Is Nuclear Energy Socially Viable Following the 2011 Japanese Earthquake?/
 * /Fracking/
 * /Wind Energy/
 * /Rare Earth Metals/
 * /Carbon Offsets/
 * /Clean Coal/
 * /Food Waste in the United States/
 * /Genetically Modified Food Controversy in the United States/
 * /Solar Energy Policy in Germany/
 * /Peak Oil/
 * /U.S. Arctic Oil Mining/
 * /How Energy Companies Rebrand Themselves/
 * /Gluten-Free: Nutritional Principle or Social Value/
 * /Vegan and Vegetarian Diets: Nutritional and Social Values/
 * /Energy from Trash/
 * /Life Off the Grid/
 * /Soylent/
 * /Expansion of Solar Farms in the Rural United States/
 * /Urban Farming/
 * /Oil Palm Plantations/
 * /Golden Rice/
 * /Miracle Rice/
 * /The Cavendish Banana, Monoculture, and Blight/
 * /Atlantic Coast Pipeline/
 * /Cooking with Wood Fuel/
 * Solar Panel Recycling in the United States
 * Line 3 Pipeline Controversy

Environmental Values and Climate Change

 * 8 House
 * Plastic Bags
 * Water Bottles
 * Competition for Water in California
 * Green Roofing
 * Hypoxic Zones
 * Unnatural Selection: Explaining Strange Pet Breeds
 * Masdar City
 * World Trade as an Invasive Species Vector
 * Noise pollution
 * Ecovillages
 * Climate Change Denial
 * Lawn Care in America: Intensive Agriculture, No Harvest
 * Marine Waste
 * Gold, Mercury, and Madre de Dios, Peru
 * The Amazon Basin Fires of 2019
 * Lithium-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles
 * BedZED
 * Small Island Countries and Sea Level Rise
 * Light pollution
 * The 2020 Western Wildfire Season in the U.S.
 * les Zadistes
 * Flight Shaming
 * Ecological Implications of Commercial Marine Fishing
 * Zero-Plastic Retailing
 * The PFAS Controversy

Health and Medicine

 * /Mental Health as a Pharmacological Growth Market/
 * Nicotine Addictions
 * /Thinking Small: Appropriate Technology for Developing Countries/
 * /Water Supply, Sanitation, and Public Health in Haiti/
 * /Fluoridation/
 * /Medicine and Disgust/
 * /Popular Hygiene: Perceptions and Practices/
 * /Bedside Manner in the High-Tech Hospital/
 * /Technology and Quality of Life for the Terminally Ill/
 * /Ellie, the Microsoft Kinect, and Psychotherapy/
 * /Placebos/
 * /Baby Formula/
 * /Sick Building Syndrome/
 * /Football and Concussions/
 * The Dietary and Bodybuilding Supplement Industry in the United States
 * /Obesity and Diets in Economic Classes in the United States/
 * /Steroids and Baseball/
 * /Nanotechnology and Health/
 * /Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)/
 * /Malaria and Mosquito Nets/
 * /International Air Travel as a Disease Vector/
 * /Social Resistance to Vaccination: Thiomersal and Autism/
 * /Religious Opposition to Vaccination/
 * /Physician-Assisted Suicide/
 * /Power Balance, Magnetic Bracelets and Other Strange Cures/
 * /The D.A.R.E. Program/
 * /Social Obstacles to Public Health in Developing Countries/
 * /Athletes, Superstition, and Performance/
 * /Gattaca Revisited/
 * /Artificial Wombs/
 * /The Weight Loss Industry in the United States/
 * /Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomics/
 * /Vaping/
 * /Neuroprosthetics/
 * /Detoxing as a Social Phenomenon/
 * /Antibiotics in India/
 * /Public Health: Fear Appeals vs Self-Efficacy and Social Norms Campaigns/
 * /Public Health Responds to Physical Inactivity/
 * /Mobility and Access for the Disabled/
 * /Power Lines and Public Health/
 * /The HPV Vaccine/
 * /Medication Overload/
 * /The 2020 Pandemic Response in Italy/
 * /Healthcare in U.S. Prisons/
 * /Antimaskers in the U.S. during the 2020 Pandemic/
 * /Pain Scales/
 * /Augmented Reality in Medicine/
 * COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
 * /Chloramination of Drinking Water/
 * /Manual Water Collection in Developing Countries/
 * /The U.S. Pandemic Response: Influenza, 1918-1919/
 * Robotic Pets for Psychosocial Therapeutics
 * Caffeine Addiction

Mobility and Land Use

 * /Cascadia Earthquake Preparation/
 * /Bicyclists in Cities/
 * /Drivers’ and Bicyclists’ Perceptions of Each Other/
 * /American Automobility and the Car Counter-Culture/
 * /Congestion Pricing/
 * /Urban Sprawl/
 * /Planned Communities/
 * /Slugging/
 * /Bicycling in the Netherlands/
 * /Tata Nano and Mobility in India/
 * /How Cars Became Dining Rooms: Drive-Thrus, Cupholders and American Culture/
 * /Autonomous Vehicles/
 * /The Disappearing American Streetcar/
 * /Pedestrians and Walkability in Cities and Suburbs/
 * /Real-time Ridesharing/
 * /Hitchhiking in the Digital Age /
 * /Arcology/
 * /Lowriding/
 * /California High Speed Rail/
 * /Self-Driving Cars/
 * /The Future of U.S. Civil Aviation in 1945/
 * /Road Rage/
 * /The Ogallala Aquifer/
 * /Rail in America/
 * /The Belt and Road Initiative/
 * /Car Dependency in the U.S./
 * /Guerrilla Urbanism/
 * /The Transformation of Times Square/
 * /David Engwicht and Street Reclaiming/
 * /Vision Zero/
 * /Shared Space and Woonerven/
 * /Eyjafjallajökull 2010/
 * Driving Speed Enforcement
 * E-bikes and Personal Mobility
 * Zoning Laws in the United States
 * Carpooling

Computers and the Internet

 * /Antipiracy/
 * /Amazon and the Ecommerce Evolution/
 * /Compulsive Connectivity/
 * /Screen-Free Child Rearing/
 * /Crowdsourcing Higher Education/
 * /Cryptocurrency/
 * /"Data is the new oil"/
 * /Deepfakes/
 * /Fake Users/
 * /Hacker Culture/
 * /Human Flesh Search Engine/
 * /Social Engineering/
 * /Internet Memes/
 * /Internet Subcultures/
 * /The Open-Source Movement/
 * /Electronic Voting/
 * /Online Consumer Reviews/
 * /Online Dating Scams/
 * /Online Shopping/
 * /Online Reputation Management/
 * /Online Recruitment by Extremist Groups/
 * Peer-to-Peer Media Sharing
 * /Program and High Frequency Trading/
 * /Social Networks/
 * /Social Media and the Arab Spring/
 * /Social Norms in Virtual Worlds/
 * /Software Journalism: When Programs Write the News/
 * /Street View/
 * /Second Life/
 * /User-Generated Content in the Internet Age/
 * /password1234: Internet Security and Password Culture/
 * /Reddit: Anonymity and Social Norms/
 * /Wikipedia/
 * /Cyber-Attacks on Cyber-Physical Systems/
 * /Cyberterrorism and Cyberwarfare/
 * /Mass Collaboration/
 * /Net Neutrality/
 * /Mass Control of a Single Gamer/
 * /Harmonious Society: Internet Censorship in China/
 * /Web Induced Risk Taking/
 * /Where It Goes: Electronic Waste and Salvage/
 * /Working Conditions at Apple Hardware Factories in China/
 * /Facebook Cheating/
 * /Intellectual Property in the Internet Age/
 * /The Social Psychology of YouTube/
 * /Learning from a Distance/
 * /Communication Technology and Interpersonal Relationships/
 * /Identity Theft/
 * /Higher Education Online/
 * /The Culture of Instagram/
 * /New Media and the United States Presidential Election of 2008/
 * /Targeted Advertising/
 * /Viral Marketing/
 * /Web Tracking/
 * /Internet Anonymity/
 * /The Culture of Snapchat/
 * /Snopes, PolitiFact, and Other Fact-Checking Websites/
 * /Twitter and other social networks in the Iranian protests of 2009/
 * /The Internet Strategy of White Supremacists/
 * Google Translate
 * /The Deep Web/
 * /Social Media Mining/
 * /Internet Witch Hunts/
 * /News Echo Chambers/
 * /Featuritis/
 * /Content Moderation/
 * /Virtual Reality/
 * /Social Media Shaming Campaigns/
 * The Geopolitics of TikTok

Portable Electronics

 * /Cell Phones and Cancer in Britain/
 * /Driving while Texting/
 * /GPS and Driving/
 * /Sociology of Texting/
 * /The Text Effect/
 * /Norms of Handheld Device Use/
 * /Happy Slapping/
 * /The Walkman Effect/
 * /Electronically Enabled Test Cheating/
 * /Cell Phones versus Face-to-Face Interaction/
 * /Children and Cell Phones/
 * /Amazon, E-readers and the Future of the Publishing Industry/
 * /Social Aspects of Cell Phone Cameras/
 * /Airline Passengers and Portable Electronics/
 * /Pokémon Go/
 * /Phone Cinematography/
 * /Cell Phones in Developing Countries/
 * /Wearable Activity Trackers/
 * /Handheld Electronics in South Korean Society/
 * /The Looking Glass/

Entertainment and Media

 * /Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games/
 * /Gambling/
 * /Game Addictions/
 * /The Psychology and Technology of Game Immersion/
 * /The Proliferation of Music Production Capability/
 * /Grand Theft Auto: Violent Video Games and Controversy/
 * /Doom: Violent Video Games and Controversy/
 * /Implementation of Technology in Sports: Historical Successes and Failures, and Modern Discussion/
 * /Portrayal of Women in Video Games/
 * /Children,Video Games and Obesity/
 * /Electronic Sports (eSports)/
 * /Electronic Music Popular/
 * /From Cronkite to Stewart: TV News during and after Network Hegemony/
 * /The Impact of Fans on Technological Innovation in the NFL/
 * /Gold Farming/
 * /Jackass: Media Driven Risk Propagation/
 * /Anti-TV Social Movements/
 * /Media Format Wars/
 * /Microtransactions in Videogames/
 * /Moe Anthropomorphism/
 * /Hello Kitty: Identity Crisis, Kawaii Culture, and More/
 * /Technology and Conventional Norms of Personal Beauty/
 * /Dance Dance Revolution/
 * /Super Smash Bros./
 * /Twitch/
 * /Instant Replay in International Soccer/
 * /Among Us: Social Behavior in a Virtual World/
 * TikTok

Security, Official Violence, Freedom, Privacy

 * /JEDI Cloud/
 * /Digital Rights Management/
 * /Military Industrial Complex/
 * /Tasers and Stun Guns/
 * /Probation Technology/
 * /International Drug Trafficking and Law Enforcement/
 * /Air Travel Security/
 * /The United States - Mexico Border/
 * /Recording Police Activity/
 * /Video Surveillance/
 * /Shopkeepers and Shoplifters: Technology and the Changing Balance of Power/
 * /Cell Phones in Prison/
 * /Cell Phone Jamming in the United States/
 * /Freedom of Information: WikiLeaks/
 * /Playing Games at Work: Employees versus Employers, Surveillance and Stealth/
 * /Cyberslacking/
 * /Mashups and Remixes: Between Creativity and Theft/
 * /Video Surveillance in Great Britain/
 * /Technology and Incarceration in the United States/
 * /Additive Manufacturing/
 * /Law Enforcement Access to Encrypted Data/
 * /Amateurs with Drones/
 * /Body Cameras/
 * /Human Terrain System: Military Meets Cultural Mindfulness/
 * /Law Enforcement and Social Media/
 * /Cyber-attack Attribution/
 * /China’s Social Credit System/
 * /Technology in the 2019 Hong Kong Protests/
 * /8chan/
 * /Lockheed Martin F-35/
 * /Capital Punishment in the United States/
 * /The Yellow Vests Movement/
 * The 2018 U.S. Prison Strike
 * Office Productivity in the Changing Workplace
 * The Geopolitics of Asymmetric War: The Case of Ukraine

Systemic Racism in the U.S.

 * /Gentrification/
 * /Predictive Policing/
 * The Prison-Industrial Complex
 * /The War on Drugs/
 * Algorithmic Bias
 * The School to Prison Pipeline
 * The HBCU Renaissance

Technology and Gender

 * Algorithmic Bias by Gender

History of Technology

 * /The Pill, the Vatican, and American Catholics/
 * /Education and the Space Race in the United States/
 * /Technology, Organized Crime, and Law Enforcement in the early 20th-Century United States/
 * /Disease Prevention in the First World War/
 * /Atomic Age Optimism: 1930s - 1960s/
 * /Abortion in America as a Sociotechnical Controversy/
 * /Phreaking/
 * /Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Development of Environmental Values, 1950-1970/
 * /The Legacy of the Donora Smog of 1946/
 * /COINTELPRO: The FBI, Civil Rights, and Domestic Surveillance/

Sociotechnical Theories and Movements

 * Protection Motivation Theory
 * /The Singularity/
 * /Conversion to the Metric Standard in the United States/
 * /Disintermediation/
 * /Jevons Paradox/
 * /Path Dependence/
 * /Neoluddism and Technophilia/
 * /Emergent Behavior/
 * Free Range Kids: Children's Independent Mobility
 * /User Trust/
 * /The Panopticon/
 * /Planned Obsolescence/
 * /Fake News/
 * /Iron Triangles in the U.S. Federal Government/
 * /Risk Compensation/