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Are we cyborgs or humans? This question is at the heart of this investigation, and the implications of it are all around us. In Christian theology, humans are seen as uniquely made in the image of God (imago dei). This has been taken to mean various things, but broadly, it suggests an understanding of humans as somehow discrete from, and elevated above, other creatures in how they resemble God. Cyborgs mark a provocative attempt to challenge such notions, especially in the work of Donna Haraway, whose influential ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ (1991) elaborated a way of understanding cyborgs as figures for the way we live our lives not as discrete or elevated, but as deeply hybridised and involved in complex ways with technologies, as well as with other beings. Significantly, Haraway uses the cyborg to critique notions of the human rooted in theological anthropology and anthropogeny: the cyborg was not created in Eden. This assertion is the starting point of my investigation of cyborgs and humans in theological anthropology. Analysis of this position is broken down into three key concepts throughout the investigation that form the three main parts of the structure: (1) What is the significance of Eden, specifically as a point of origin? What ideas do we inherit from Genesis mythologies, and how do they influence our multitudinous understandings of not only humans, but also cyborgs, that range from the Terminator, to astronauts, to hospital patients? What does it mean to say that the cyborg cannot recognise Eden or even dream of the possibility of return?(2) If the cyborg was not created in Eden, then is it still to be considered as creaturely? How does this figure tessellate into, or challenge, notions of human nature and sin in the absence of an origin or teleology in a Garden? What commentaries of the human as created in God’s image can we compare this to, and how do all of these readings bear on how we see ourselves and technologies? (3) More constructively, given that the cyborg amalgamates the organic and the mechanic, and discusses hybridity, how might this be appropriated by theological anthropology? What does it mean to say that we are hybrids? From these questions, I reflect on tensions between the cyborg and the human, and make suggestions for a theological appropriation of the cyborg figure that takes heed of the emphasis on hybridity by applying it to notions of Eden and imago dei. The overarching aim is to decentre and destabilise the human, and to refigure it within its broader networks that are inclusive of other creatures, technologies, and God.

Despite the advent of technology into consumers’ daily lives, many consumers are plagued by feelings of fear towards complex technology-related products. Feelings of anxiety and fear often lead to the avoidance of technology; in other words, so-called ‘technophobia’. This study aims to establish whether gender differences in technophobia and the adoption of high-technology consumer products continue to exist in this digital age, or whether they have indeed changed over time. Further, this study also aims to uncover the main social reasons that gender differences in technophobia can occur. The results of this study provide new insight into gender differences towards technology purchases. The findings should assist marketers by providing a clearer understanding of how men and women adopt new technology products in the 21st century. By understanding gender differences in attitudes towards technology, marketers are better able to target and communicate technology benefits that consumers can relate to and appreciate. Following a review of the available literature, the theory of the diffusion of innovation was presented as a foundation to studies of gender differences in technophobia. The Technology Readiness Index (TRI) was introduced as a sound means of measuring technophobia, based on an in-depth study of the available measurement scales to measure for technophobia. The study included men and women, aged between 25 and 35 years, of higher socio-economic classes, residing in the Northern Johannesburg regions of South Africa. Gender differences in levels of technophobia are studied in relation to three different technologies (computers, DSLR cameras and home automation technology) in order to compare gender differences towards technologies at different stages of the diffusion curve. Future research avenues regarding studies in to technophobia are also presented. The results indicate that traditional differences between genders towards technology still exist amongst South African consumers. Women continue to experience higher levels of technophobia towards new technology than men. However, the degree of these differences changes, depending on the technology used. Regarding why these gender differences may occur, levels of optimism, risk taking and cognitive involvement between genders were measured. In general, the results indicate that traditional gender differences towards technology continue to exist in South Africa. Thus, although marketers may assume that in the modern digital age, men and women are consuming electronics in the same manner, this study shows that this is not necessarily the case, and as a new product is introduced to the market, marketers need to employ differentiating strategies in order to target both men and women successfully. By tailoring the manner in which technology is advertised and shared to the female consumer, marketers are better able to capture this more ‘technophobic’ consumer. The advertising of technologies exasperates the gender divide by confirming established sex role stereotypes, and managers need to learn to differentiate and cater for both genders when advertising technology products. This study illustrates that the degree of technophobia women possess towards technology depends on the technology and its ‘inherent gender bias’ and marketers need to adapt their communications according to the technology being sold. Marketers in the electronics industry cannot have a ‘one-hat-fits-all’ assumption of women and technology, and need to analyse the ‘technology fit’ and communicate it to the market accordingly. By uncovering the social reasons why gender differences continue to exist, advertisers can use these inherent gender differences to test and design advertisements that improve female beliefs about the technology. Marketers are encouraged to experiment with different communication strategies that improve inherent beliefs based on social norms. This study found that women are less optimistic than men, exhibit higher levels of risk aversion, and higher cognitive-processing than men when considering technology purchases. The greatest challenge in stimulating the adoption of high-technology products is the perceived risk that a consumer undergoes when making a purchasing decision. Increasing levels of consumer resistance are also attributed to the sheer volume of new information in the digital era and managers thus need to employ simplifying strategies in order to help break through the messaging clutter and alleviate the information overload that the consumer is experiencing. Managers need to find a balance between being seen as innovative market leaders, and successfully introducing the technology at a pace that invites consumer adoption and acceptance. This study provides strong empirical support for managers attempting to successfully target technology products to men and women. By uncovering gender differences in the way that one reacts to technology, one is better able to understand the consumer and marketing efforts are strengthened. This study not only sheds some light on consumer attitudes, feelings and reactions to new technologies, but it also provides important insight into how men and women accept technology in the market. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Marketing Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Steampunk first appeared in the 1980s as a subgenre of science fiction, featuring anachronistic technologies with a veneer of Victorian sensibilities. In recent years steampunk has re-emerged in young adult science fiction as a fresh and dynamic subgenre, which includes titles such as The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross, The Hunchback Assignment by Arthur Slade, and Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. Like their predecessors, these modern steampunk novels for teens use retrofuturistic historiography and innovative mechanical aesthetics to dramatize the volatile relationship between man and technology, only in these novels the narrative is intentionally set in the context of their teen protagonist's social and emotional development. However, didactic conventions such as technophobia and the formulaic linearity of the bildungsroman narrative complicate and frustrate steampunk's representation of adolescent formation. Using case studies of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia, retrofuturism and technological hybridity are presented as defining features of steampunk that subvert young adult science fiction's technophobic and liberal humanist traditions. The dirigible and the automaton are examined as the quintessential tropes of steampunk fiction that reproduce the necessary amphibious quality, invoking new expressions and understanding of adolescent growth and identity formation that have a distinctly utopian, nostalgic, and ecocentric undertone.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the e-readiness of warehouse workers in a supply chain management environment. Organisations increasingly contemplate e-learning as a training option to develop their employees. Globalisation of commercial ventures increasingly demands that organisations become more competitive by introducing Information Technology (IT). e-Learning is seen as a stepping stone for empowering employees. Supply-chain management organisations use unskilled warehouse workers to perform manual duties such as registering, storing and quick location of stock for distribution. IT supports these logistic procedures – emphasising the need to introduce e-learning to warehouse workers. Questionnaires confirmed that the unit of analysis was multi-racial, mostly black, between eighteen and sixty years old and of both genders. Their limited educational qualifications are representative of many similar developing communities of work across Africa. e-Learning requires access to technology, computer literacy, self-discipline, the drive to develop and the confidence to use technology to achieve objectives. Warehouse workers as developing communities are trapped by the digital divide amidst calls to bridge the divide by introducing IT to such communities. Questions are raised whether they have the discipline, motivation, and skills to learn from such a complex learning strategy. Interviewed corporate learning experts cautioned that specific infrastructures and personal attributes are crucial. Insufficient computer experience, anxiety and technophobia, may cause warehouse workers to become unlikely candidates for e-learning. My inquiry was an interpretive, qualitative case study, intent on understanding emotional, technical, and social aspects influencing e-readiness. I collected my data in four phases. Phase one was a questionnaire to collect biographical information of the warehouse workers. During phase two, by means of a Delphi technique, I established consensus from a group of e-learning experts of what ereadiness encompasses. Phase three consisted of interviews with and observations of workers performing their daily tasks and also while completing a computer-based tutorial. In phase four I conducted interviews with warehouse managers on their perceptions of the e-readiness of their workers. From the literature I extracted Reeves’ (1999) three learner inputs, as well as six fundamental categories of e-readiness. With these nine theory codes, I followed an inductive-deductive grounded theory approach to analyse the data. I constructed six sub-questions as basis for the enquiry. I tallied the frequencies of the conceptual codes of e-readiness and created an inventory of applicable conceptual codes according to the theory codes. Patterns of technical and affective experience, aptitude, origins of motivation, access to computer infrastructure and organisation culture culminated as my seven main findings on the e-readiness of warehouse workers. I determined inter alia that warehouse workers do not suffer from technophobia, nor are they really intimidated by technology. However, they need guidance and expert facilitation to become successful e-learners. They are aware that they are dependent on the organisation’s infrastructure to develop their skills and capabilities. Therefore, the e-maturity of an organisation can greatly benefit from warehouse workers’ involvement in e-learning. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

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North-West University in South Africa is committed to expanding use of learning technologies for contact and distance education students by augmenting the existing NWU teaching and learning policy with an e-learning policy. The School of Continuing Teacher Education at North-West University is currently training about 24 000 in-service teacher students through Open Distance Learning. Only a few students submit assignments in typed format and seldom electronically. Students rarely use electronic technologies to augment their learning, and the SCTE employs few to support students. This does not comply with the South African Government’s policy on e-Education that demands information and communication technology mastery in teacher training. The aim of this research was integration of learning technologies in open distance learning at SCTE NWU through recommendations compiled in a sociologically transformative emergent implementation framework. The researcher followed a concurrent mixed-method sociologically transformative approach, focussing on the use of technology for social empowerment to cross the digital divide, through a theoretical lens of ICT for development. The lived experience in the natural setting of distance education students, lecturers, and involved stakeholders was used as initial data collection, informed by a continuous literature study of emergent learning technology use. Purposeful sampling was used during participant selection. The role of the researcher was that of participant observer, interviewer, and human instrument, from a position of methodological pragmatism as a method of inquiry. Using a design-based research approach, the thesis addresses the main research question through five research papers; each addressing one of the sub-questions as design-based research cycles, while collectively addressing the research problem to address the main research question. Nonstandardised measuring instruments were developed based on themes identified from literature and the analysis of qualitative data. Significant barriers to population-wide ICT adoption exist. Strong intentions of perseverance in attaining functional computer literacy are evident. Support and enablement are required to promote trust to attempt using computers, necessary to obtain self-confidence through accomplishment. In this way perseverance to attain functional computer literacy may be cultivated. The study presents a model for intention to use, confidence, trust and perseverance in attaining computer literacy competence with statistically significant standardised regression weights. In terms of affective responses of students during computer literacy training, a twodimensional model for computer literacy learning emotions is presented. Perceptions during professional development produced a model for faculty development towards socially transformative learning technology integration for open distance learning. The researcher also presents a people-technology interaction in teaching and learning model in the fifth paper. A distinction is made between reactionary interventions and pre-emptive unobtrusive seamless support, based on requirements identified through bottom-up feedback listening to latent requests of participants. Technology-enhanced learning integration should be legitimised through visible commitment from the university as institution. Lecturer training, innovative planning of time issues, acquisition of appropriate infrastructure, buying in from the institution and IT support services, and support of teacher-students are all essential for evolvement towards an e-mature organisation for the delivery of ODL to vast numbers of newly industrialised context clients. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

North-West University in South Africa is committed to expanding use of learning technologies for contact and distance education students by augmenting the existing NWU teaching and learning policy with an e-learning policy. The School of Continuing Teacher Education at North-West University is currently training about 24 000 in-service teacher students through Open Distance Learning. Only a few students submit assignments in typed format and seldom electronically. Students rarely use electronic technologies to augment their learning, and the SCTE employs few to support students. This does not comply with the South African Government’s policy on e-Education that demands information and communication technology mastery in teacher training. The aim of this research was integration of learning technologies in open distance learning at SCTE NWU through recommendations compiled in a sociologically transformative emergent implementation framework. The researcher followed a concurrent mixed-method sociologically transformative approach, focussing on the use of technology for social empowerment to cross the digital divide, through a theoretical lens of ICT for development. The lived experience in the natural setting of distance education students, lecturers, and involved stakeholders was used as initial data collection, informed by a continuous literature study of emergent learning technology use. Purposeful sampling was used during participant selection. The role of the researcher was that of participant observer, interviewer, and human instrument, from a position of methodological pragmatism as a method of inquiry. Using a design-based research approach, the thesis addresses the main research question through five research papers; each addressing one of the sub-questions as design-based research cycles, while collectively addressing the research problem to address the main research question. Nonstandardised measuring instruments were developed based on themes identified from literature and the analysis of qualitative data. Significant barriers to population-wide ICT adoption exist. Strong intentions of perseverance in attaining functional computer literacy are evident. Support and enablement are required to promote trust to attempt using computers, necessary to obtain self-confidence through accomplishment. In this way perseverance to attain functional computer literacy may be cultivated. The study presents a model for intention to use, confidence, trust and perseverance in attaining computer literacy competence with statistically significant standardised regression weights. In terms of affective responses of students during computer literacy training, a twodimensional model for computer literacy learning emotions is presented. Perceptions during professional development produced a model for faculty development towards socially transformative learning technology integration for open distance learning. The researcher also presents a people-technology interaction in teaching and learning model in the fifth paper. A distinction is made between reactionary interventions and pre-emptive unobtrusive seamless support, based on requirements identified through bottom-up feedback listening to latent requests of participants. Technology-enhanced learning integration should be legitimised through visible commitment from the university as institution. Lecturer training, innovative planning of time issues, acquisition of appropriate infrastructure, buying in from the institution and IT support services, and support of teacher-students are all essential for evolvement towards an e-mature organisation for the delivery of ODL to vast numbers of newly industrialised context clients. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The introduction of e-learning in teaching and learning has necessitated the training of staff members in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This study focuses on the challenges that staff members, who are the facilitators of learning, experience when undergoing training in ICT. The research design employed a qualitative methodology which involved focus groups from a public university. Data was collected from the participants through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the challenges that staff members experienced during ICT training are related to a lack of computer competence, lack of time, an information overload, the non-involvement of staff in the planning of their training, facilitation limitations, lack of technical support and institutional challenges that involve infrastructure. The study further revealed that the principles of adult learning play a reciprocal role in the staff’s professional developmental challenges. In view of these findings, this study offers recommendations for improving the ICT training of staff members. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)