The Tyranny of Technology: A Critical Assessment of the Social Arena of Online Learning

Abstract

Educators and learners in adult education have been sentenced to online learning before we have truly explored the verdict of whether online learning is all it is touted to be. The vast majority of online learning dialogue has extolled the virtues of cybereducation as not only the future but the salvation of education (Brabazon, 2002; Menchik, 2004). Davison (2004), however, suggests we have not mindfully considered how technology transcends mere use and intertwines with our sense of self and the world. In this article we critically question this dominant view of technology, using Bourdieu’s (e.g., 1977) theory of practice to inform our challenge of dominant discourses around online education. We present a brief review of Bourdieu’s theory of practice, followed by an overview of the dominant discourses associated with cybereducation and our Bourdieusian interpretation of cybereducation. We conclude with implications for the future of online learning for the field of adult education. “Sentence