- hard technologies are tangible components, tools, machines, and systems that solve problems and improve human life. - soft technologies are those which are not necessarily tangible or, as [[Rao, Venkatesh]] describes them, which “cannot by itself do anything to the world of atoms, but can be realized within the world of atoms in many ways”. - [[britannica]] defines soft technologies as specifically including “human areas of decision making, strategy development, training, and concept formation”, and includes people as a *type* of soft technology. [src](https://www.britannica.com/science/assistive-technology#ref1185945) - soft technologies impact the world *through* hard technologies, and hard technologies need to embody some idea, design, or construct of soft technology. - if you want to write a letter, you need the hard technology of paper and pen *plus* the soft technology of your thoughts and ideas to actually create an end product.