If the history and sociology of technology of the last 25 years have had a single dominant theme, it is that the view of technological change as following an autonomous logic is wrong, and the stark choice between conformity and refusal that it poses is an impoverished one. Technologies can develop in different ways according to circumstances, the design of technical systems can reflect a variety of priorities, and "users" frequently reshape technical systems in important ways. Ultimately, the development and the design of technologies are political matters.

Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera, loc. 122