Social Construction of Colombo Lotus Tower: Intertwined Narratives of Religion, Economic Development, and Telecommunication

Int. J. Inf. Syst. Soc. Chang. Pub Date : 2015-07-01 DOI:10.4018/IJISSC.2015070101

C. Rathnayake

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Abstract

This paper discusses, using the framework of Social Construction of Technology SCOT and some recent related work, the design, location, and the funding background of the Colombo Lotus Tower. Lotus Tower is a multifunctional communication tower currently being built in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Popular press articles, a discussion forum at Skyscrapercity.com, website of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, and content on several related websites were used to understand the public discourse related to the Lotus Tower. According to the public discourse, there are at least three intertwined narratives related to the design and location of the Lotus Tower: 1 Buddhist symbolism, 2 symbolizing post-war Sri Lanka's development, and 3 help develop Colombo as a tourist destination. These three narratives show how power asymmetries between main ethnic groups, aspirations of pre-existing social groups, and government's ability to draw resources shape the construction of the Lotus Tower. Accordingly, the case of Lotus Tower indicates how ethnic, religious, and political factors can make artifact design unique in different contexts.

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科伦坡莲花塔的社会建构:宗教、经济发展和电信的交织叙事

本文运用SCOT的社会建设框架和最近的一些相关工作，讨论了科伦坡莲花塔的设计、选址和资金背景。莲花塔是目前正在斯里兰卡科伦坡建造的一座多功能通讯塔。大众媒体的文章、Skyscrapercity.com的论坛、斯里兰卡电信管理委员会的网站，以及几个相关网站的内容，都被用来了解与莲花塔有关的公众话语。根据公众话语，至少有三种与莲花塔的设计和位置相关的相互交织的叙述:1佛教象征，2象征着战后斯里兰卡的发展，3有助于将科伦坡发展为旅游目的地。这三种叙述表明，主要民族之间的权力不对称、已有社会群体的愿望以及政府吸引资源的能力如何塑造了莲花塔的建设。因此，莲花塔的案例表明，民族、宗教和政治因素如何使人工制品设计在不同的背景下独具一格。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Int. J. Inf. Syst. Soc. Chang.

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