The Conceptual Framework and Methodology of The Social Construction Of Technology (SCOT): Concepts and Applications

Abstract

This article reviews the conceptual framework and methodology of the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT), a field established in the 1980s by sociologists Trevor Pinch and Wiebe Bijker. By adapting the core principles of the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK), Pinch and Bijker developed a lens for analyzing the emergence of technological innovations in modern society. This approach uses empirical methods from various case studies, such as bicycles, Bakelite, light bulbs, and automobiles, to explain the construction of technical artifacts through sociotechnical assemblies.

The SCOT methodology for studying the formation processes of technology employs a clear, sequential analysis based on unique fundamental concepts such as relevant social groups, interpretive flexibility, closure and stabilization, and the broader social context. This approach can be applied to a wide variety of specific case studies of technological innovations. However, in the early 1980s, the scope of SCOT analysis was quite limited to micro-level analysis and could not be linked to broader levels of analysis or the structural and cultural aspects of technology. This was a weakness often criticized by scholars outside the field. However, in the 1990s, Bijker developed a methodology for studying technology within the SCOT framework by adding the concept of a ‘technological framework’ to the analysis, which eventually allowed him to broaden the scope of explanation.

Four decades after its inception, SCOT remains an active framework in Western academia and is consistently used to study technological inventions and their impact on society. However, it has not been widely discussed in Thai academia. This article aims to serve as a starting point for such a discussion. The author therefore proposes the SCOT methodology as a tool for ‘unboxing’ technological inventions, helping us understand more clearly the processes of technological production that impact modern social life. This is especially true today, as numerous technological inventions have been developed and become key forces directly shaping social life. At the same time, studying the relationship between society and technology is a challenging task for scholars, requiring them to engage with the material world of technology to better navigate ongoing changes.