The movement of Social Technology: a systematic review of its structural elements between 2007 and 2017

Abstract

Social Technology (ST) is a movement under construction that guides the development of products, processes, techniques or methodologies, based on the users’ needs, aiming at social inclusion. Thus, this article aimed to investigate the characteristics of the Structuring Elements of ST, through a Systematic Review of the scientific production of the last 10 years. It was analyzed 24 articles, from Science Direct and Portal of Newspapers CAPES. The main results showed that: (a) actors from different areas of knowledge participate in the ST movement; (b) the theoretical perspective most closely linked to the research was the Sociotechnical Approach; (c) the principles of the “Learning and Participation as Process” was the most outstanding attribute; (d) The ST, enables social inclusion and contributes to local development; (e) the limits of ST are due to a lack of public policies, management and financial difficulties, and theoretical limitations; (f) there is a close relationship between ST and Solidarity Economy, a fact that does not occur in relation to Social Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility. With this research, it can be verified that the ST movement is multidisciplinary, having as its orientation the emancipation and social inclusion through the criticism and reconstruction of conventional technologies.