A Response Paper

The reading "The Social Construction of Bakelite: Toward a Theory of Invention," by Bijka was very insightful on various factors of ancient and modern life. First, I was fascinated at how she argues that plastic was a commodity of great value used by royalties in ancient times. This sounds so sarcastic because plastic is now so cheap and excessive that it is among the most significant pollutants affecting human life negatively. Even though there was gold, it was explosive to acquire, mold, and put into everyday use. So, plastic became a cheap but very luxurious product that could be shaped, finished, and applied in almost every circumstance, as it is very inert. The jeweler wearing the upper class had formulated some sense of ownership, such that it became wrong to associate the plastic products with the poor. Currently, plastic is among the lowest quality materials that manufacturers can use. I find this fascinating because I wouldn't say I like plastic materials. Plastic bags, mugs, utensils, and even packaging for food products do not give me as much satisfaction as aluminium, paper, and other less harmful materials. I also feel helpless when I watch documentaries on how much havoc plastics are wrecking in the seas and other critical areas of the environment. I wish that plastic materials were hard to make and only reserved for the rich as they used to. The first chapter of this reading took me straight into the environment, leaving me wondering where our real enemy is plastic materials or how we use them.

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Secondly, this article taught me that every technology has a history; Bakelite's evolution and its eventual succession by plastics is a complicated process. It is characterized by phases, different characters, and various critical components, which all play a role in the current place we are in technological. I like how the paper appreciates this journey and terms it as not just an event, but a series of vital steps in the technological hierarchy. There are the old plastics (resin, horns, and ivory), new plastics (rubber and celluloid), and the synthetic plastics. While these three are different human history errors, they are critical technological frames that demarcate one era from the other. Going through all this information, I can't help but wonder what the next technological frame will be. The old plastics described in the article refer to things such as horns and ivory. Wild animals such as elephants and rhinos have had to pay the ultimate price for this technological frame, which seems to freeze in time. The world can get to a point where it considers such materials too ecologically expensive and unethical to consume. The quest for better has robbed us of our environmental concern and significantly boosted our greed. As Bijka argues, "Innovation often comes from inclusion in more than one technological frame" (Bijker, 1987). A more in-depth examination of this statement tells me that the next technological frame is not far; my only wish is to make humans better in ways more significant than himself, unlike synthetic plastics. As humans, I feel responsible for the path we have taken with the materials we consume and where we have ended up ecologically.

The manufacturers of Bakelite had the best intentions in mind when they embarked on this journey. The paper highlights Bakelite's advantages, such as its rigidity, durability, ability to insulate power lines effectively, and its unapparelled malleability. It was a product that made human life so much more comfortable in multiple ways. Unfortunately, the developers forgot to examine the adverse effects of its use, and that is where the problem was. Secondly, human beings became increasingly dependent on it, thereby introducing it into their day to day life and substituting other less harmful materials with it. Bakelite would have been perfect if it was not for human ignorance on any activity that entails effort, such as recycling or properly disposing of it. Instead, they prefer to toss it into the environment. Technology and society are now inseparable. They are two forces that are currently driving each other. While human beings are growing increasingly aware of their environment and taking initiatives, the world should channel technology towards this direction too. Baekeland put a lot of effort towards developing Bakelite and the subsequent plastic; it deserves to be used and managed well.

In Lecture 7, we learned about the economics of technology, where it became evident that economic concerns drove the development of synthetic plastics. Low cost of production, high demand, unending applications, and suitability for various needs made a case for the development and use of Bakelite and the other plastics. The once economically beneficial synthetic plastic is currently consuming a lot of money and effort, with authorities using millions and millions in clean-ups that do not seem to be fruitful. Economic sense now dictates that it is time for a newer and more efficient material to demonstrate more significant efficiency. Furthermore, our current technological and economic position allows us to develop more modern products that will be more efficient in their use and more beneficial for us all in the long run. Synthetic plastics are no longer helping our case, as they are causing more harm than good. In the same lecture, we learned of a quote from Thomas Edison, where he said that he had two thousand ways to make a light bulb but only needed one way to make it work. Currently, we have so many synthetic materials at our disposal. As humans, we only need to find one that will work economically, technologically, and ecologically. As I read this article, I see the damage that Leo Baekeland's innovation has caused the world and how much potential we have towards bringing that era to an end. The central theme of this reading was mainly environmental for me.

Reference

Bijker, W. E. (1987). The social construction of Bakelite: Toward a theory of invention. The social construction of technological systems, 159-187.