When the government provides access to information and communication technology (ICT), skills and adequate information on its usefulness that people are able to learn new production strategies, access market informal and resources by keeping in contact with peers and associates.

Digital divide is the leading cause of technological determinism in the current world. The gap between the digital haves and have nots is increasing as digital divide is not only steered with social and economic well being as speculated by many. Even when given equal access to technology, digital literacy sets apart those who will reap the benefits of technology and those who will not

By Ndunda A. Mwende MS/19/16

Family planning has for long been addressed as ladies burden. Ladies have lived to worry about unwanted pregnancies and depression with family planning measures which they take. Most of contraceptives have been targeting women and for this reason, ladies have been presented as the ones who have to take control over the family planning issues which due to population pressure, the need to control growing population has become a global concern in most of the countries.

Ladies have had extreme options including the illegal abortion alongside seeking all forms of medications from which many have become barren due to destruction of reproductive system by the fake drugs which they have to take due to the affordability and availability. Most of the innovations have targeted women in invention of birth control, and the society having defined the roles of women in the family had to adopt female contraceptives. Gender biasness in presenting women as sexual objects has stigmatized many who had to seek all sorts of medications to fit in the society which needed them to fit.

The value attached to children as source of wealth and vigor has left women with role of checking on the children as male provide to them. As population grew, the rose a social need of countering the alarming growth and female contraceptives boarded the market with hopes of regulation of population.

Technological development has led to invention of male contraceptive which most men may not be aware of since the culture has defined family planning to be more of women than men.  Male contraceptive has been on a while since its invention but men are not fully aware and not ready to adopt it. Unlike what many believe, the power of society has outdid technology by failure to adopt the goodies which were to present family planning as a collective responsibility of men and women. Even with increased awareness, many seem to be not willing to take male pills.

The development of technology lies in the power of acceptance by the society and for this case, the social need play a vital role in propelling innovations.  In some instances, needs have been defined in relation to genders and this acts as shaping angle of technological innovations.

By Ndunda A. Mwende MS/19/16

As socialization took a new angle of definition with advent of communication gadgets, so has been the oral conversation. People no longer have to meet physically to converse with their loved once, the world is becoming interconnected which makes it possible to communicate with any one in any part of the globe. Invention of voice call was not enough and technology presented to us video calls which enhances interaction of the sender and the receiver as creates a virtual world of mutual connection.

In sometimes back, video calling was only accessible through Skype, but of late, most of social media apps have integrated video calling in fully satisfying the users. Facebook, Whats app, Instagram, Imo among many others have video calling option which promotes interactivity. The diversity of apps from which we can video call has helped people to communicate beyond the territories and even have alternative of communication medium to some places where some social media apps have been banned by some authorities.

Introduction of competitive data bundles among telecommunication companies have greatly reduced cost of communication among the users.  The definition of global village is  turning practical with mobile phones having capability to communicate over a distant places  , physical presence has now been transformed into a screen from with people can interact freely with video calling.

The need for dollar has pushed people away from their ancestral homes and this created need of keeping in touch with their loved once. Distancing from relatives created the need for alternatives in keeping on touch and voice call, messaging was a welcome until of late when video calling has emerged with capabilities to see the reality while communicating. Technology presented users with no option but to choose to live in isolation or keep in touch but distantly in chase for dollar. Video calling has improved communication and smartphones have proved to have more potential unlike what people could have thought about them at first.

By John Maingi

The notion of war has taken a new angle with all sorts of wars over the internet ranging from cyber bullying, hate speech to recent war between China and U.S in the smartphone market after Android announced termination of license to Huawei, one of the largest telecommunication company in the world. This just came after Huawei release the first ever smartphone with 5G network which the U.S claimed had potential of spying secret information from the states. The reaction was just beyond U.S as other countries such as Australia banning the use of Huawei in the country.

This has led to need of independent software which the Chinese have to create and incorporate with her devices as the sanction hit the ground. The users remained worried since Huawei was denied access to any system updates with Google being the sole provider of Operating System updates. Despite the mobile phone assuring users high speed experience, states went ahead as worries of insecurity and safety of state secrets hit the ground. In this case the innovation was behind satisfying the need of high speed for faster access of information which is ever pilling up.

The digital age has been defined by people adopting new technologies at a very high pace than any other age as people crave for mobile phone which are beyond communication to include other possibilities such as image capturing capabilities, multimedia software and online business transactions among many other uses of smartphones. Of late the phone is adding up feature to undertake tasks which were before reserved for laptops and desktop computer. People are chasing each and every innovations, with the need of fast and efficient access of information being prioritized. The need for improved experience of information among the users is driving new innovations in satisfying information needs. Almost everyone in the world is admiring a certain smartphone and dynamic nature of technology will always give us an improved version of what we want.

As technology extends beyond, new wars have emerged informs of restrictions and sanctions in adverse cases as with google earth, some movies among many others. But if internet users have always adopted new innovation, the resolution of Huawei to develop its own software will pave way for diversity so that people can choose between China and U.S as the two economic giants prove their prowess. All of us having been used to Google, getting used to Chinese operating system will be an uphill since the information culture has all been framed by Google. If Chinese wins in this battle then society will prove to be feeble as far as technology is concerned. Indeed technology is proving to be a powerful force beyond control, it seems to be advancing to create for us needs which we never knew existed in our midst.

By Juliet Odhiambo ms/25/15

The society has power and control over technology, and thus no matter how good the technology and idealist reforms are, the norm will reign supreme in such instances. For instance, the two third gender rule that has been proposed over the past few years has never been fully tabled and implemented, mostly, due to the fact that it is not fully understood and more so goes contrary to the already established norm that is societal and religious.
The social processes determine technology for social purposes and with the status quo in place pitting men and women against each other when it comes to the struggle for resources and the recognition as one gender being superior to or equal to the other. With the set rules of how viewing each gender still guiding the societies, the technology that follows suit will not fall far from the tree and the same route shall be followed.
In the foreseeable future however, technology, which in relation to the gender question can be seen as female, may carry enough weight as culture itself and maybe the path taken then might be different but before that, we still are left with an undesirable truth that with social determinism reigning supreme, the thought of gender equity is impossible if not improbable.

By Juliet Odhiambo ms/25/

For the past decade, the country has been struggling to fight the gender balance issue and several propositions have been put forward to try and even out the playing field and the rift between the men and women that had been forged from culture and society. However the theory of social determinism is hell bent on throwing the spanner into the works of the said policies.
Defined as the belief that society is an autonomous force shaping technology, cultural values and social structure; society is a key governing force in society, social determinism has been a total oppose of such, by using the fact that the society is the major claimant and technology just being a driving force that propels the evolution of culture and the general outlay of the land.

By John Maingi

As the world open up, definition of socialization is gradually changing with emergence of virtual world of screens. Being updated is one of the necessity of humanity in 21^st Century and failure of being informed with current events affecting us directly or indirectly is like a sin we can try to commit. Once ignored social media has become part of life with telecommunication companies like Airtel and Safaricom coming up with advertisements of free WhatsApp and Facebook. Most of the ads of late have been promoting the need of social media by encouraging users to stay connected. Social media is almost driving us as we try to keep ourselves connected to our friends and world at large.

It seems like technology is driving us at a very high rate as we try to catch up with the latest innovation such as latest smartphone and updating social apps. The need to stay connected has left has with no option but to update our apps or else being ‘locked out of the world’.

Emergence of technocluture has really transformed culture in modern definition to include digital technologies which have for sure changed our normal interaction. The question of who is drivng thee other between the technology and culture has remained debatable for decades as various scholars took different angles in airing their views on the this polemical question.

We no longer have to count on physical presence to socialize, digital space has offerred us diversity of methods to stay connected to our families, friends, profession and the world at large. The fear of being left out as world turn into a global village and as well as the people distant themselves from their ancestral homes in search of opportunities has brought to us with no option but to break the bond of our presence. The creation of the gap of loneliness from our families in turn ushered social media. Technology is really moving us at a very high rate with need of communication device turning into a basic need. However within some young people, Nomophobia has turned out to be a disease which has no medication, with some being ready to do anything just to have their phones in their palms. Likewise, failure to adopt smart methods I countering our stress due social media posts has attributed to depression among the young people and suicide cases related to social media use have been on rise.

Once gradual technology is moving the world at a pace which has presented to us adoption as the only way forward. You miss out and you will never avoid the paradigm of living in your own different world. The global village is never filled up, anytime, anywhere you will always meet your friends, the world will always move with you as more is expected to be invented with dynamic nature of technological innovation.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton