Home / Current Issue / Paper 1713029
Techno-Behavioural Gravity Theory (TBG Theory): A New Model on Technology - Human Behaviour Nexus
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Crime and Law Enforcement
Abstract
The rapid integration of digital technologies into everyday life has intensified scholarly debates regarding how technological systems influence human behaviour. Existing theoretical frameworks ranging from technological determinism to social shaping theories offer explanations on technological mediated behaviours. It suggests internal processes through which an initial cause leads to an effect. Such cause-effect relationship fails to fully capture both the internal and external influences that contribute to forming an individual's worldview and behavioural patterns. It thus fails to take cognisance of the subtle, persistent, and systemic ways technology reorganizes and shapes behavioural patterns over time. This paper introduces the Techno-Behavioral Gravity Theory (TBG Theory), a novel model that posits technology as an environmental force that exerts behavioural gravity on individuals and societies. Through its embedded affordances, algorithmic priorities, and institutionalized norms, technology gradually draws human behaviour toward patterns aligned with its internal logic. The theory proposes three interconnected mechanisms: Affordance Gravity, Algorithmic Gravity, and Institutional Gravity, that collectively explain how technological systems shape communication, decision-making, social interaction, and normative expectations. The paper outlines the core propositions, theoretical logic, and potential research pathways for empirical testing. TBG Theory, therefore, expands existing knowledge by offering a unified explanation of behavioural restructuring due to emerging digital environments and provides actionable insights for policymakers, designers, and behavioural researchers.
Keywords
Affordance Gravity, Algorithmic Gravity, Digital Systems, Human Behaviour, Institutional Gravity, Techno-Behavioural Gravity Theory
References
[1] Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age. Manchester: John Wiley & Sons.
[2] Baxter, G., & Sommerville, I. (2011). Socio-technical systems: From design methods to systems engineering. Interacting with Computers, 23(1), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intcom.2010.07.003
[3] Bijker, W. E., Hughes, T. P., & Pinch, T. (1987). The social construction of technological systems: New directions in the sociology and history of technology. MIT Press.
[4] Brette, O. (2010). Thorstein Veblen's theory of institutional change: beyond technological determinism. The European Journal of The History of Economic Thought, 10(3), 455 – 477.
[5] Callon, M & Latour, B. (1992), Where are the missing masses? The sociology of a few mundane artifacts. In W. E. Bijker & J. Law (Eds.). Shaping technology/building society: Studies in sociotechnical change. Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Press.
[6] Gibson, J. J. (1977). The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin.
[7] Just, N., & Latzer, M. (2016). Algorithmic governance: Computational regulation in the digital age. Internet Policy Review, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.14763/2016.3.427
[8] Kitchin, R. (2017). Thinking critically about and researching algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20(1), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1154087
[9] Mackenzie, D. & Judy Wajcman, J. (Eds.) (1999). The social shaping of technology. 2nd ed. London: Open University Press.
[10] McLuhan, M. (1962). The Gutenberg Galaxy: The making of typograhic man. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
[11] Norman, D. A. (1988). The design of everyday things. Basic Books.
[12] Scott, W. R. (2001). Institutions and organizations (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
[13] Trist, E., & Emery, F. (1973). Towards a social ecology: Contextual appreciations of the future. Plenum Press.
[14] Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.
[15] Weithman, P. (2023). Rawls’s a theory of justice at 50. Cambridge: Cambridge Univewrsity Press.
[16] Winner, L. (1977). Autonomous technology: Technics out of control? MIT Press.
[17] Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. Profile Books.
How to cite this paper
@article{1713029,
author = {Anietie Akpan Eyoh, Moses U. Ikoh},
title = {Techno-Behavioural Gravity Theory (TBG Theory): A New Model on Technology - Human Behaviour Nexus},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2025},
volume = {9},
number = {6},
pages = {1515-1528},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1713029.pdf},
abstract = {The rapid integration of digital technologies into everyday life has intensified scholarly debates regarding how technological systems influence human behaviour. Existing theoretical frameworks ranging from technological determinism to social shaping theories offer explanations on technological mediated behaviours. It suggests internal processes through which an initial cause leads to an effect. Such cause-effect relationship fails to fully capture both the internal and external influences that contribute to forming an individual's worldview and behavioural patterns. It thus fails to take cognisance of the subtle, persistent, and systemic ways technology reorganizes and shapes behavioural patterns over time. This paper introduces the Techno-Behavioral Gravity Theory (TBG Theory), a novel model that posits technology as an environmental force that exerts behavioural gravity on individuals and societies. Through its embedded affordances, algorithmic priorities, and institutionalized norms, technology gradually draws human behaviour toward patterns aligned with its internal logic. The theory proposes three interconnected mechanisms: Affordance Gravity, Algorithmic Gravity, and Institutional Gravity, that collectively explain how technological systems shape communication, decision-making, social interaction, and normative expectations. The paper outlines the core propositions, theoretical logic, and potential research pathways for empirical testing. TBG Theory, therefore, expands existing knowledge by offering a unified explanation of behavioural restructuring due to emerging digital environments and provides actionable insights for policymakers, designers, and behavioural researchers.},
keywords = {Affordance Gravity, Algorithmic Gravity, Digital Systems, Human Behaviour, Institutional Gravity, Techno-Behavioural Gravity Theory},
month = {December},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I6-1713029}
}