Technosocial

Technosocial is a term used to describe the inseparable relationship between technology and society. It emphasizes that technology does not exist in a vacuum but is shaped by social norms, institutions, markets, and cultures, while at the same time technologies reorganize social practices, power relations, and institutions.

The concept aligns with sociotechnical systems and science and technology studies, including approaches such as actor-network theory. It rejects technological or social determinism, highlighting mutual construction: design choices, policy, and user practices influence each other, and artifacts attain social meaning through use.

In contemporary discourse, technosocial often refers to information and communication technologies, digital platforms, and data-driven systems where algorithms, data, and interfaces mediate social interaction, labor, governance, and identity. Examples include social media ecosystems, AI-enabled services, and smart city infrastructures, where user behavior shapes algorithms and policy frameworks, while those technologies reshape social organization.

Critiques focus on issues such as surveillance, privacy, inequality, and power asymmetries embedded in technosocial systems. Scholars argue for accountable design, transparency, participatory governance, and consideration of social and ethical implications in development and deployment.

See also: sociotechnical systems, science and technology studies, digital sociology.