ABSTRACT
Sociotechnical codes differ from tacit, sumptuary, and economic codes primarily in the conscious intention of code-makers to change social conditions, either positively or negatively, for specific social groups through technological change. An oft-cited example of this kind of change is the standardized design of 19th-century textile looms to fit the small stature of children, so that they could be employed in textile mills at lower cost to mill owners (Figure 8.1). A more positive example would be the late-20th-century safety code requirement to install higher and less porous safety rails on balconies to prevent children from falling through them (Figure 8.2). Both technologies were designed specifically to alter conditions for children as a distinct class of people. “Girl Standing Between Looms.” Location: Fall River, MA. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1874–1940. Published: June 21, 1916. By adapting the scale of adult-sized looms to the smaller stature of girls, engineers and owners could reduce labor costs and increase profits. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203796658/908b56d0-72b3-4ae0-ba48-efd350f14849/content/fig8_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> Contemporary Regulation for Handrails (above) and a Creative Interpretation of That Regulation at the Elizabeth Gardiner Museum, Boston, MA. Renzo Piano Workshop (below). The negative example of coding technology for specific social groups illustrated in Figure 8.1 can be contrasted by this positive example, where children are prevented from falling through railings. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203796658/908b56d0-72b3-4ae0-ba48-efd350f14849/content/fig8_2_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
