The Value-Laden Nature of Technological Infrastructures: Human Influence on Technological Development and Usage

Abstract

Technological infrastructures are often considered neutral and devoid of inherent values or
ethical considerations. However, this perception is misleading, as human values, choices, and
influences deeply embed most technologies, shaping their operations and responses. The study
aims to develop an understanding of how technological system development takes place with
social values through case studies drawn from the health care, communication, and
transportation sectors. This paper presents case studies of technological infrastructures to
explore their value-laden nature, focusing on how human decisions about technology
development, deployment, and use come into being. Through a review of extant literature, it
investigates social, ethical, and cultural values that inform technological design and
demonstrates how technologies reflect and perpetuate existing power relations, biases, and
ideologies. The study concludes that understanding the influence of humans on technology will
be critical to bringing equitable, inclusive infrastructural provision for more diverse services.