The Shock of the Old

The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History since 1900
David Edgerton
Profile Books, London
ISBN 978-1-86197-296-5
RRP: £18.99

A challenge to the typical innovation-centric view of technology, ‘The Shock of the Old’ seeks to chart the historical trajectory of technology since 1900 from the perspective of what people and society actually use. The author, David Edgerton, is the Hans Rausing Professor at Imperial College London, where he was the founding director of the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Running through the book are three key ideas offered by Edgerton which help to radically revise our understanding of the relationship between technology and society. First, that technology has changed things as much as it has kept them the same. Secondly, that most technologies are old technologies, thus the most important technologies of the future are the ones that are currently overlooked. Finally, that the commonly held assumption that we are living in a world of ever increasing change is not as true as it would seem.

Despite the book’s exclusive focus on the twentieth century, the book surveys a wide breadth of historical material: two world wars, the Depression, and the fall of imperialism and the emerging preoccupation with scientific and technological advances. The book consists of eight chapters followed by a conclusion.  In his introduction, Edgerton argues that too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies. Talk about technology constitutes a focus on research and development, patents, early stages of use which are based securely on the concepts of innovation and invention. By recasting the focus on to technology-in-use, a radically new picture emerges of a used-based account of history that encompass everywhere, engaging with the entirety of the world’s population, which is mostly poor, non-white and half female. Instead of a precise sequence of events which forms a timeline that advances ever forward, a constantly evolving and emerging history is found, of the old and new mixing together, where hammers and electric drills are used side by side. The understanding of the role of scientists and engineers is also recast. Rather than presenting them as creators, designers and researchers, the vast majority of the time they have been mainly concerned with the operation and maintaining of things and processes; with the use of things, as opposed to their invention or development. Edgerton suggests studying the use of the things as opposed to technology connects us directly with the world we all know as opposed to the strange world in which “technology” lies.

Significance

Having set out his introductory remarks and perspectives, the author moves on to address eight main themes which constitute the eight chapters of the book. The first theme is that of Significance. How should the claim of technological importance or significance be assessed? In seeking to answer this question, the author suggests that innovation and use be clearly separated. Significance is not the same as pervasiveness or usefulness and understanding this difference is essential. Economic historians have taken such a lead and have argued that the significance of technology for an economy is the difference between the cost or benefit of using a technology and that of the best alternatives. Rockets and atomic power for example during the 1950s and 1960s were considered as world transforming technologies but are likely to have made the world poorer rather than richer once all the costs and benefits have been calculated. In Edgerton’s view this helps to give rise to a kind of counterfactual history – one which involved something which did not happen.  He cites the example of a live TV broadcast designed to demonstrate the new era of global citizen through global communications. A management guru was interviewed in Japan via the Internet by a reporter in San Francisco. However, the connection kept breaking up and the conversation was eventually aborted. Edgerton comments that the ability to communicate between Japan and San Francisco has existed for some time. As far back as the late nineteenth century, people were able to be connected by telegraph in order to communicate and by the early twentieth century long distance telegraph was becoming available. The message being heralded of people becoming global citizens and the emergence of borderless markets would have been the same.

Time 

Moving from significance the author then addresses the theme of time in chapter two. Time is often the key variable in traditional historical timelines with innovation and invention as the key markers that help to date technology. Edgerton argues against the typical assumption that technology spreads like an infectious disease with a core group acting as early adopters followed by rapid take-up and finally saturation. In contrast, he proposes that the rate of take up occurs at varying rates irrespective of when the technology arrives. Citing the example of corrugated iron roofing, the author points to the fact that it was not invented in the poor world but it was exported to it, partly through British army operations for creating temporary housing. As the roofing became highly prized as a cheap, light and easy to use form of building material it was readily adopted in parts of West Africa, Rwanda and the Congo. The roofing was then produced locally, helping to fuel growth in the poor world.  Use of an ‘old’ technology from the rich world was given a new lease of life in the poor world. The result was the emergence of distinctive technologies unique to the poor world, which Edgerton refers to as ‘Creole technologies’.

Production 

The theme of production is addressed in chapter three which contests the commonly held belief that the future’s power lies not in land or capital but in knowledge and that the idea of manufacturing and production is really of little importance and significance in comparison to the power of the brand. The increase in branding, marketing and design in rich countries does not necessarily mean that production in no longer important. It is precisely because of the radical cheapening of manufactures through mass production and the use of very cheap forms of labour that causes methods of production to be considered so insignificant. In the words of the author “..mass production is now so common it’s almost invisible”.

Maintenance 

Chapter four addresses the theme of maintenance and in doing so also addresses issues of governance. Drawing upon the work of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, Edgerton writes of how futuristic novels look forward to a future society which is more technically advanced than the present but nevertheless is stagnant. Societies effectively become societies without innovation.  In a technological age the issue becomes not one of who governs but what governs. The business of government becomes the business of identifying what is necessary and appropriate for continued functioning followed by the elaboration of large scale systems and consequently what is required in order to allow this to occur. In contrast to this, the author argues that maintenance is often overlooked in the histories of technology and in so doing a valuable perspective is lost. Enterprises are started by maintaining a technology which then gives rise to the manufacturing components of the whole thing which in time leads to innovation.

Nations

The theme of nations is carried through chapter five which looks at the assumptions that national economic and technological performance is determined by national rates of invention and innovation. The author concludes that most technologies are shared across national boundaries resulting in nations acquiring more new technology from abroad then they innovate themselves. Technology like nationalism crosses national borders in a manner, time and context that we might not expect from national histories.

War 

In chapter six, the author challenges the conventionally held view that the story of war is an innovation-centred story. The military have been much more important in the development of technology then the civilian innovation centric picture has allowed. Edgerton argues that we have underestimated just how much the military institutions have contributed not only to military technology but also civil technologies as well. It is argued that far from liberating us, modern technology has in fact been the tool of conservative not revolutionary forces, thereby allowing old power relations to be transmitted through new technologies.

Killing 

The theme of war is in some respects further expanded upon through chapter seven and its focus on killing. Edgerton comments that placing killing into the history of the twentieth century is a particularly powerful way of exploring interactions of the old and new. Killing technologies provide many examples of long lived, disappearing, re-appearing and expanding old technologies, for example the hideous reappearance of the guillotine in the 1940s.

Invention 

The final chapter addresses the theme of invention and argues that there is in fact no history of invention, but rather a history that only concerns some of the technologies which were later successful. As far as academic research is considered, the standard picture of what is important in the history of invention has been largely shaped by what is termed to be the most important technologies of the century. For example, in today’s society it could be easy to make the misguided assumption that the only area where invention was taking place was within the field of information technology and biotechnology, yet in reality invention is taking place in other areas as well. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Edgerton writes that in his opinion most change is taking place by the transfer of techniques from place to place. Imitating is seen as a much less worthy activity in comparison with innovating. If one concludes that to imitate, to replicate means to deny his or her own creativity, the effect is one of imposing “….upon oneself what was designed for others by others”. Unleashing creativity has been considered to be the antithesis to sound, sensible policy advice, having the potential for national humiliation. Thus, the author comments that calling for innovation is, paradoxically, a common way of avoiding changes when change is not wanted. We should feel free to research, develop, and innovate even in areas which are considered out of date by those stuck in passé futuristic ways of thinking. Most inventions will continue to fail, the future will remain uncertain. Indeed, Edgerton offers the perceptive comment that research policy should be ensuring that the occurrence of failed ideas increases in order to ensure there is a rise in more good ideas coming to fruition. In the words of Edgerton himself, “….if we are interested in the historical relations between technology and society we need a new account not only of the technology we have used but also of the society we have lived in”.

“The Shock of the Old” certainly contains many thought provoking and challenging ideas in response to what can often be an over abundance of futuristic predictions of the future. The book acts as an antidote to the message and predictions offered by the likes of Ray Kurzweil of the impending singularity and ‘machine transcending man’ perspective of the future.  Certainly Edgerton’s desire to move away from an innovation centric view of the history of technology to one of assessing and analysing the rise and fall of technologies through their actual use is helpful as well as refreshing. However, at points the book does appear to be a little dislocated and hard to follow through as a whole. Rather than building up an argument, in parts it seems to merely reiterate ideas through repetition, never really achieving synthesis. Furthermore, whilst his ‘use of things’ perspective opens up new vistas of historical analysis, it remains the case that at certain points it has to be acknowledged that technology has been revolutionary, as illustrated through the effect of the mobile telephone in places such as India and China. Thus, the book lacks coverage of this fact.

Despite this, his views on science and research policy are interesting and may contain some valuable lessons from which to learn particularly with regard to the nanotechnology debate. Currently within the context of the debate concerning what and how nanotechnology will transform our lives, the question is being raised as to how much innovation is really being demonstrated through this technology.  For example, a six bladed disposable razor sounds futuristic and carries the ‘wow’ factor for a time, but how many people are calling out for such a razor? Such a point does give rise to the question of whether or not true innovation is occurring or whether the really interesting developments in nanotechnology are still a significant way off. Furthermore, as the UK Government continues to lag behind in giving any clear lead on the potential benefits as well as potential risks of nanotechnology, Edgerton’s prediction of a future society which is more technically advanced but is stagnant, stands as a pertinent challenge to inject life and space into research and development, embracing both the successes and failures of experimentation for all, by all. Such sentiments appear to win favour and support from recent consultations concerning nanotechnology and public engagement.

‘Shock of the Old’ therefore paints with broad brush strokes a picture that helps to recast the historical account and relationship between technology and society. Despite the lack of synthesis, the book deserves consideration due to the many points it raises concerning the relation of society and technology.

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