Technological Literacy as Network Building

Abstract

Following recent work to advocate a strongly social understanding of technological literacy, this article considers how networking technologies are reshaping our understanding of the social. In this context, technological literacy can be understood as a process of constructing the networks in which literate action is defined. I explore the role of technological literacy as a force of network building accomplished through a mechanism of translation. From the comments of experienced technical communicators, I make observations about how technical communicators are taught to be technologically literate.

Notes

Note: MS005, MS006, MS018, and MS029 were excluded because the participants had not held positions in technical communication.

A category (along with “actant”—see Akrich, 1992) that includes humans and nonhumans that are taken to be the source of an action (see Latour, 1992, p. 256).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jason Swarts

Jason Swarts is an associate professor of technical communication at North Carolina State University. He is the author of Together with Technology (2007; published by Baywood). His current research concerns content reuse and technological literacy.