We’ve talked about in class how
technology is talked a lot about in a technological determinism point of view,
in a cause and effect manner, looking at what are the impacts on society. We discussed
how we should really be looking at not just the impacts of technology on
society, but how technology is created and shaped by social forces as well.
Technological, economic and social forces are all interconnected.
The Bimek SLV, a new contraception method for men, is a valve that is inserted on each
spermatic duct in men’s bodies and disrupts the flow of sperm cells when
closed, which is controlled with a flip of a switch. This is an operation that
provides a life time of sperm cell flow control, eliminating the use of
hormonal medication as a contraceptive. Using a social construction method you
could say that this technology might have been created due to the discourse
around the health risks of hormonal pills on women’s bodies and the debate that
men should be responsible for contraception as well. If this technology is
launched in the market and becomes popular, it could pose a threat to
capitalism in the pharmaceutical industry as big source of revenue is from
continuous consumption of birth control pills bought by women. What other
social forces might have been the cause of the invention of this technology and
what positive or negative impacts might it have on society? Is this a
technology you think people will use or is it an example of technology going
too far?
I believe that this pill has both negative and positive outcomes; a positive outcome would prevent teenage pregnancy or unwanted pregnancies, meanwhile a negative outcome would be that we might see a drop in the population. Overall, it is the male who would decide whether they would want this operation just as birth control is optional for women. I definitely believe that this is a technology that men will use, in contemporary society we have shifted from being family-ordinated to more individualistic. Therefore as this procedure becomes more accessible, men will take advantage of this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned, technological, socio-economic and political forces are all interconnected involving various impacts on society. With this in mind, technology can be shaped and created by such forces alongside technology impacting society.
ReplyDeleteThe Bimek SLV is a new advancement in contraception technologies. It is a valid substitute for hormonal birth control and other popular choices. This technology, if advertised as safe and reliable has th ability to be seen as the newest advancement in control over ones sex life.
However it might have negative impacts such the possibility of malfunctioning in great numbers, thus leading to unwanted pregnancies. Also, an argument that may be used against this new technology would be that if men choose to use this form of birth control instead of condoms, persay, then there is a potential for sexual transmitted diseases. If this new contraception technology becomes more popular, it has the potential to spread more of these diseases.
For example, a male who has the Bimek SLV inserted once with a one-time price, he may not feel the need to spend money on condoms as well. Therefore education about preventing and protecting from sexual transmitted diseases should be socially constructed into our ideological frame work in society, both for males and for females that use this new form of contraception.
I agree that one of the main social forces involved with the creation of this new contraceptive is perhaps associated with feminism. This new contraceptive gives men the opportunity to use contraception, and women are no longer solely responsible. As science excels there has been a great amount of debate in regards to the hormonal birth control pill as many researchers believe that there may be an effect on a woman's fertility later in her life after taking the pill for years. This new male contraceptive will eliminate that worry. However, like most medications and contraceptives, I feel that eventually researchers will find a reason as to why this contraceptive is also unsafe or unsuitable, and new forms of birth control will continue to develop, as so most forms of medication. I do feel that there should be more research to create different forms of male birth control so men and women can share equal responsibility.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newmalecontraception.org/vasalgel/
Here is another example of a new form of male contraception that has been introduced to the market. It is called Vasagel. It is an injection that is also reversible. It is not yet on the market however it has proven successful in various studies. It is still undergoing testing.