The discourse on technological innovation emerged from, and as a reaction to, the previous discourses and concepts from which it was constituted. One such concept is technology (a good that embodies knowledge). Technological innovation is the use of technology in practice, not the technology itself or the thing – although it is often used in that sense. Second, technology gave rise to a plethora of concepts with the adjective ‘technological’ in their titles. Before technological innovation came on the scene, several other concepts or terms paved the way for a broader understanding of technology, namely to a consideration of its effects on society: technological unemployment, technological change and technological progress.