Politicising Technology and Technologising Politics

Heidegger postulates that technology can be viewed as instrumental, or as political. I argue that to view technology as instrumental is to conceal the politics of its creation and existence, or to allow this to remain concealed. The specific nature of the technology reflects certain assumptions about the nature of relations between people and what should be facilitated. Moreover, as a result of the successful concealment of the politics of technology, that is, of the concealment of relations of power which are present in its conception and use, technology holds particular attraction to those who would conceal their politics under the guise of the technical and technology.