Technophilia
In its simplest definition, technophilia is synonymous with a strong enthusiasm for technology , especially new technologies like computers, the Internet, cell phones, and home theater. It is currently not described as a psychological condition or disorder, but is largely regarded as culturally normal and self-evident. The term is sometimes used in sociology to describe the interaction between person, society and technology.
The term technophilia , which is occasionally used in critical social theory, describes a syndrome of “belief in technology”. It is related to the necrophilia described by Erich Fromm in the sense of love for the dead, technical and mechanical and can be shown in the undifferentiated enthusiasm for technological innovation.
The relationship between technology and society is described under two opposing perspectives: belief in technology (technophilia) and technology hostility ( technophobia ). While one position glorifies the achievements of technology and often believes that it can heal the negative consequences of technology with technical means, the second position regards technology as a destructive means of shaping society, which leads to a process of dehumanization and ultimately is harmful to humans. A third position supplements these contrary positions with the conciliatory concept of a technology that is beneficial to life and the environment, which is developed and used according to criteria of “ eco-effectiveness ”.
The Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells has examined the changed interactions between technology and society in his three-volume work on the information age .