I'm not entirely certain but I believe this trend represents a small but growing niche application of this word introduced by Foucault's Archeology of Knowledg

I'm not entirely certain but I believe this trend represents a small but growing niche application of this word introduced by Foucault's Archeology of Knowledge. Another, much less respectable off-label application of a term, but which is surprisingly useful nonetheless, is the generalized way the word "technology" is used in Scientology jargon and its offshoots, where it is not particularly associated with electronic or apparatus or mechanisms in a physical sense but, instead refers to any sort of construct that was devised as, and/or serves as a force and agency multiplier. In this usage, writing systems are principally regarded as a technology, as are mass marketing and propaganda, and a bunch of other things. I highly doubt scientologists/EST people were the first to use it this way, but don't know where they picked it up from.