THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF BAKELITE
(Toward a theory of invention)
This theory on how technology artifacts are developed is presented in this chapter by Wiebe E. Bijker. The chapter starts by introduction of methods and frameworks about the community thoughts on inventions. The inventors were caught in a consumer's market looking for inventions that would please the consumer and bring in profits for their efforts.
At the time plastics was the big deal - so many of the inventors were racing to find the perfection for a substitute celluloid to succeed and patent the product. The crude form and imperfections brought what Bijker called a technological framework. All the inventors had the same mind set about the existing situation of what they believe the was the problem and concentrated the majority of their efforts towards that specific area.
The technological frame should be understood as a frame with respect to technology, rather than as the technologist's frame. Bijker and Pinch expressed the analogy in the case of the high wheel ordinary bicycle. Where as the large wheel proved to be macho and challenging, and a way to show off and impress the ladies for the young men, the design of the larger wheel for safety purposes were not favorable or conducive for the social groups of the elderly and women.
One of the most important reasons for the technological framework is to show a course for all elements of the framework even if it includes non engineers. Illustrations of Bakeland's degree of inclusion on the celluloid frame justify the objectivity that should be exemplified concerning the framework. Concentration on just one specific level and the exclusion of other social groups could really pose a barrier on certain technology which can have a critical impact on the way society is functioning in a specific period of life.
In conclusion Bijker tries to give some models to approach a theoretical analysis of the development of technological artifacts. He classifies different scenario in three basic categories to have some type of order and suggestions to relate different case studies to one another (Bijker).