OxfordAQA International A-level Sociology (9690): Unit 5 – People and technology – Revision Notes

For full explanations and worked exam paragraphs, read the People and technology study guide first.

These notes cover section 3.2.3, People and technology (3.2.3.1 to 3.2.3.5), of the OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Sociology (9690) specification, Version 1.1 (first teaching September 2026; first A-level exams May/June 2028). The section is examined in Unit 5: People and technology, a 1 hour 30 minute exam with 50 marks, worth 20% of the International A-level, made up of short and extended response questions. In selected extended answers you must use examples from your own society or one you know about.

Test yourself afterwards with the practice questions for this unit. The Sociology hub lists every resource for this course, and the syllabus checklist helps you track what you have revised.

Assessment at a glance

Feature	What the specification says
Unit	Unit 5: People and technology (entry code SCL5)
Content	3.2.3 People and technology
Exam	1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks
Weighting	20% of International A-level
Question types	Short and extended response
AO weighting for this unit (approx.)	AO1 7%, AO2 6%, AO3 7% of the A-level
Suggested sociologists	(Stanley) Cohen, Haraway, Latour, McLuhan, Urry, Uscinski; others credited if used appropriately

AO1 is knowledge and understanding; AO2 is interpreting evidence and applying ideas; AO3 is analysis and evaluation. AO3 carries as much weight as AO1 in this unit, so evaluation is not optional.

Key terms

Term	Definition
Industrialisation	Shift of production to machines and factories, moving work from extraction towards manufacturing and later services
Deskilling	Breaking skilled work into simple machine-paced tasks, reducing worker control (Braverman)
Mobilities	Movements of people, goods, information and ideas, and the systems that make them possible (Urry)
Automobility	The car as a self-reinforcing system of roads, fuel, housing and habits that locks in car use
Conspicuous consumption	Buying visible goods to display wealth and status (Veblen)
Technological determinism	View that technology is the main driver of social change
Social construction of technology	View that social groups shape which technologies succeed and what they mean
Concentration of ownership	Fewer corporations owning more media outlets
Misinformation	False information shared without intent to deceive
Disinformation	False information spread deliberately to mislead
Propaganda	Organised persuasion, often by states, to shape opinion
Opinion leader	Person who interprets media messages for others (two step flow)
Citizen journalist	Member of the public who reports news events, often by phone and social media
Influencer	Social media user with a large following who shapes tastes and promotes brands
Quantified self	Tracking the body and daily life as data (steps, sleep, calories)
Gamification	Adding game features (points, badges, leaderboards) to non-game activities
Synopticon	The many watching the few, e.g. audiences watching celebrities (Mathiesen)
Digital divide	Unequal access to, skills with, or use of digital technology
Narrow AI	AI designed for one task, such as image recognition
Cyborg	Organism combined with technology that extends or replaces a body function

Theories and studies at a glance

Who	What	Finding or argument	One evaluation point
McLuhan, Understanding Media (1964)	Medium theory	“The medium is the message”; electronic media make a “global village”	Hard to test; underplays ownership and content
Urry (2000, 2007)	Mobilities	Sociology should study movement; automobility locks in car use	Strong on systems; less on why some cities break car dependence
Veblen (1899)	Leisure class	Status shown through conspicuous consumption	Written about the US rich; mass consumerism needs newer theory
Pinch and Bijker (1984)	Social construction of technology	Safety bicycle won through social meanings, not technical superiority	May underplay how technology constrains users once built
Latour	Actor-network theory	Humans and non-humans are all actants in networks	Critics say it describes but does not explain power
Herman and Chomsky (1988)	Propaganda model	Filters such as ownership and advertising shape news	Based on US media; pluralists stress journalist independence
Glasgow University Media Group (1976 on)	Content analysis of TV news	News framed strikes from management’s viewpoint	Interpretation of content can be subjective
Cohen (1972)	Moral panics	Press exaggeration of mods and rockers created folk devils	Now harder in a fragmented media world
Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955)	Two step flow	Influence passes through opinion leaders	Built on 1940s US research
McQuail, Blumler and Brown (1972)	Uses and gratifications	Audiences use media for diversion, relationships, identity, surveillance	Overstates audience choice
Uscinski and Parent (2014)	Conspiracy theories	Theories are used by those out of power; no long-term rise 1890-2010	Based on US letters to one newspaper
Orben and Przybylski (2019)	Technology and wellbeing	Very small association with adolescent wellbeing	Contested by Haidt (2024), who argues for strong harm
Wall (2007)	Cybercrime	Crimes against computers, using computers, in content	Categories overlap in practice
Norris (2001)	Digital divide	Global, social and democratic divides	Access gaps narrow but skills gaps remain
Buolamwini and Gebru (2018)	Gender Shades	Facial analysis errors up to 34.7% for darker-skinned women, under 1% for lighter-skinned men	Systems were later improved, but control of use remains an issue
Haraway (1985)	“A Cyborg Manifesto”	Human/animal, organism/machine, physical/non-physical boundaries are breaking down	Abstract; critics question how far it helps real workers

Must-know distinctions

• Misinformation vs disinformation. The difference is intent. A grandparent forwarding a false health claim is misinformation; a troll farm inventing it is disinformation.
• Hypodermic syringe vs uses and gratifications. Passive audience versus active audience. Two step flow and cultural effects sit in between.
• Marxist vs pluralist. Media serve the ruling class versus media reflect market choice and many voices.
• Technological determinism vs social constructionism. Technology shapes society versus society shapes technology. Actor-network theory treats both as mixed in networks.
• Panopticon vs synopticon. The few watch the many versus the many watch the few.
• Access divide vs skills divide. Having a device and connection versus knowing how to use them well.
• Narrow AI vs general AI. One task versus human-level ability across tasks (not yet achieved).
• Robot vs cyborg. A machine acting on its own versus a human or organism combined with technology.

Mini essay plan

Question type: “Evaluate the view that new and social media have given audiences more power than traditional media did.”

1. Introduction. Define new/social media and audience power. Set out the debate: pluralists and participatory culture against Marxist and political economy views.
2. For the view (AO1/AO2). Content creators, citizen journalists and influencers; Jenkins on participatory culture. Use an example from your own society, such as phone footage of a local event shaping national news.
3. Analysis. Compare with traditional models: the hypodermic syringe assumed passive audiences; uses and gratifications now fits better.
4. Against the view (AO3). Platform ownership is concentrated; algorithms decide visibility; most content is consumed, not created. Disinformation shows that power can be used to mislead.
5. Wider evaluation. Digital divides: those without access or skills gain no power. Uscinski questions whether the internet has raised conspiracy belief.
6. Judgement. Audiences have more voice, but control of the systems that distribute it remains narrow.

Quick self-test

1. What did Veblen mean by conspicuous consumption?
2. Which sociologist argued “the medium is the message”?
3. Name the two step flow model’s key figure who passes on messages.
4. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?
5. Give two needs in the uses and gratifications typology.
6. What did Pinch and Bijker’s bicycle study show?
7. What is a citizen journalist?
8. What does the synopticon describe?
9. Name Wall’s three types of cybercrime.
10. What did the Gender Shades study find?
11. What three boundaries does Haraway say are breaking down?
12. What did Uscinski and Parent find about conspiracy talk over time?

Answers

1. Buying visible goods to display wealth and social status.
2. Marshall McLuhan, in Understanding Media (1964).
3. The opinion leader.
4. Misinformation is shared without intent to deceive; disinformation is spread deliberately.
5. Any two of: diversion, personal relationships, personal identity, surveillance.
6. Social groups’ meanings, not technical superiority alone, decided which design won (interpretive flexibility).
7. A member of the public who reports news events, often using a phone and social media.
8. The many watching the few, such as audiences watching celebrities.
9. Crimes against computers, crimes using computers, and crimes in computer content.
10. Facial analysis error rates as high as 34.7% for darker-skinned women against under 1% for lighter-skinned men.
11. Human/animal, organism/machine, physical/non-physical.
12. No long-term rise in letters to the New York Times, 1890-2010.

Where marks are usually lost

• Describing a media model without applying it to a specific audience or example.
• Giving only one side of the social media and mental health debate.
• Using “AI” vaguely instead of naming a type (narrow, general, generative, predictive) and a use.
• Treating ownership and control as the same: owners may not control day-to-day content.
• Forgetting effects on the environment when asked about mobilities and transport.
• Leaving out the required example from your own society in extended answers.
• Listing named sociologists without linking their idea to the question.
• Writing evaluation as “however, some disagree” without saying who and why.

For links back to the AS course, see the Exploring Sociology revision notes and the new-specification exam preparation guide.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Sociology (9690) specification, Version 1.1 (first teaching September 2026; first A-level exams May/June 2028), section 3.2.3 People and technology and section 4 Scheme of assessment.