Technological mediation in sociocultural context : a case study of the Sangul mechanized water system

The introduction of the concept of mediation in postphenomenological research has brought about a reconceptualization of human-technology relationships showing marked differences from the instrumentalist and determinist conceptualizations of technology. However, technological mediation research largely remains focused on the individual experiences leaving a gap in knowledge about the intersubjective experiences of technology in sociocultural contexts. From the perspective of the Sangul community in Ghana whose inhabitants are beneficiaries of a Mechanized Water System in a social development programme, I analyze the relations between the technology and the people and its impact on how they organize their daily lives and how they experience their world. I propose “technoformation” as a new construct which explains how the relations between people and technology co-shapes their perceptions and practices in a sociocultural contexts.