Engineering360: "Does Society Influence Tech, Or Vice Versa?"

as being an inventor in my nature by myself I can say, the the need to invent lies lies in the inventor's soul. The only question is if there is a demand for the new technology.

It will always be both, even if there's only one person left on Earth. That person will eventually want to change the monotony of day after day day-to-day life. Regardless of which came first, something new will come out of it.

The customer occasionally drives the technology. Customers want appliances to give a faster/stronger result, so:

Vacuum cleaners now use a 1200W motor instead of 600W

Electric jugs/kettles now use a 2100W element instead of 1200W

Sorry, I have to comment about a pet peeve of mine. It's about "The customer occasionally drives the technology." Nobody is either a customer or a designer/manufacturer. Engineers are also customers, and customers are also designers (somewhat). When the two can come to an agreement about what should be on the market, Then both groups benefit. I never liked a one-sided system. Never have, never will. Both groups occasionally "swap hats" with each other. But, we need to get away from this "Us versus Them" mentality. Things could be so much better when they/we collaborate. That's what I'm hoping for. So far, I haven't had much luck. That's why I tend to make my own things, instead of buying them.

So, if you drew a Venn diagram, it would show:

All inventors are customers.

Some customers are inventors.

Inventors are in the minority.

Maybe there is a division.

Well, this could get a little tricky. But first, I don't know what a Venn diagram is. Regardless, both inventors and customers are limited to what's/who's relevant/linked. Inventor of what? Customer of what? One could be an inventor at one place, but a customer at another (and vice versa). But, if one could be both, the inventor and customer at the same place, then the customer could be guaranteed to appreciate and buy the item produced. And the designer could be trusted to produce a quality product. After all, who would want to cut corners or make excuses to one's self? With collaboration between customers and manufacturers, a lot of squabbles/disappointments could be avoided. A lot of trouble/litigating/back-tracking could be avoided and satisfaction go up. It might be slower up front, but you'd end up with something that has real value instead of someone else's abstract value.