Claudio Ciborra
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199275267
- eISBN:
- 9780191714399
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199275267.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in organizations and the management of their impact has been the traditional domain of computer specialists and management consultants. The ...
More
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in organizations and the management of their impact has been the traditional domain of computer specialists and management consultants. The former have offered multiple ways to represent, model, and build applications that streamline and accelerate data flows, while the latter have been busy linking the deployment of ICTs with strategy and the redesign of business processes. This book takes quite a different approach altogether. It uses a string of metaphors, such as Bricolage, Krisis, Gestell, etc., to place a concern for human existence and our working lives at the centre of the study of ICTs and their diffusion in business organizations, and looks at our practices, improvisations, and moods. It draws upon the author's own extensive research and consulting experience to throw a fresh light on some key questions: why are systems ambiguous? Why do they not give us more time to do things? Is there strategic value in tinkering even in high-tech settings? What is the value of age-old practices in dealing with new technologies? What is the role of moods and affections in influencing action and cognition? The book presents an alternative to the current approaches in management, software-engineering, and strategy.Less
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in organizations and the management of their impact has been the traditional domain of computer specialists and management consultants. The former have offered multiple ways to represent, model, and build applications that streamline and accelerate data flows, while the latter have been busy linking the deployment of ICTs with strategy and the redesign of business processes. This book takes quite a different approach altogether. It uses a string of metaphors, such as Bricolage, Krisis, Gestell, etc., to place a concern for human existence and our working lives at the centre of the study of ICTs and their diffusion in business organizations, and looks at our practices, improvisations, and moods. It draws upon the author's own extensive research and consulting experience to throw a fresh light on some key questions: why are systems ambiguous? Why do they not give us more time to do things? Is there strategic value in tinkering even in high-tech settings? What is the value of age-old practices in dealing with new technologies? What is the role of moods and affections in influencing action and cognition? The book presents an alternative to the current approaches in management, software-engineering, and strategy.
Max H. Boisot, Ian C. MacMillan, and Kyeong Seok Han
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199250875
- eISBN:
- 9780191719509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250875.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management
Bureaucracies in the Weberian mould, whether of the state or corporate type, are rational-legal structures organized to deliver order, stability, and predictability. Early developments in information ...
More
Bureaucracies in the Weberian mould, whether of the state or corporate type, are rational-legal structures organized to deliver order, stability, and predictability. Early developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) appeared set to deliver such an outcome. Yet the new economy turns out to be more ‘distributed’ than had originally been expected. What is the nature of the challenge that this poses for bureaucracies? To address this question, this chapter first presents a conceptual framework, the Information-Space or I-Space, which allows for an exploration of the relationship between how knowledge is structured and how it flows within and between populations of agents. This chapter then examines what cultural and institutional challenges the new ICTs pose for both state and corporate bureaucracies, confronted as they are with the complexities of an increasingly distributed social order.Less
Bureaucracies in the Weberian mould, whether of the state or corporate type, are rational-legal structures organized to deliver order, stability, and predictability. Early developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) appeared set to deliver such an outcome. Yet the new economy turns out to be more ‘distributed’ than had originally been expected. What is the nature of the challenge that this poses for bureaucracies? To address this question, this chapter first presents a conceptual framework, the Information-Space or I-Space, which allows for an exploration of the relationship between how knowledge is structured and how it flows within and between populations of agents. This chapter then examines what cultural and institutional challenges the new ICTs pose for both state and corporate bureaucracies, confronted as they are with the complexities of an increasingly distributed social order.
Ewan Ferlie, Louise FitzGerald, Gerry McGivern, Sue Dopson, and Chris Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199603015
- eISBN:
- 9780191752995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603015.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management
This introductory chapter sets out the rationale of the book and outlines its major themes. It seeks to generate an overall interpretation of health policy reforming under New Labour based on ...
More
This introductory chapter sets out the rationale of the book and outlines its major themes. It seeks to generate an overall interpretation of health policy reforming under New Labour based on empirically grounded and comparative case studies of managed networks drawn from four health policy arenas. It highlights our distinctive contribution to the debate, bringing in organizing concepts of wicked problems and governmentality. It suggests that if managed networks are to make substantial progress then they need to be supported in three key domains (cross-organizational ICTs, cross-organizational learning, and lateral leadership). It finally provides signposts to each of the chapters in turn.Less
This introductory chapter sets out the rationale of the book and outlines its major themes. It seeks to generate an overall interpretation of health policy reforming under New Labour based on empirically grounded and comparative case studies of managed networks drawn from four health policy arenas. It highlights our distinctive contribution to the debate, bringing in organizing concepts of wicked problems and governmentality. It suggests that if managed networks are to make substantial progress then they need to be supported in three key domains (cross-organizational ICTs, cross-organizational learning, and lateral leadership). It finally provides signposts to each of the chapters in turn.
Jack Linchuan Qiu
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262170062
- eISBN:
- 9780262255073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262170062.003.0129
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communications
Domestic translocal home town networks and international diasporic networks are now enabled anew in realities of daily communication through the use of information and communication technologies ...
More
Domestic translocal home town networks and international diasporic networks are now enabled anew in realities of daily communication through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The phenomenon of working-class ICTs and rapid change-over in ICT adoption and use is a parallel concept for social mobility. The centers of capital concentration in China are increasingly wired, and working-class ICTs are filling in the wide gaps of uneven informational development. From the perspective of both the idea of public space for citizen expression in the Chinese city and the public sphere of civil society and its dependence on a critical media, it is suggested that the evolving information society in China will continue to depend on the use of ICTs and their informational potential.Less
Domestic translocal home town networks and international diasporic networks are now enabled anew in realities of daily communication through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The phenomenon of working-class ICTs and rapid change-over in ICT adoption and use is a parallel concept for social mobility. The centers of capital concentration in China are increasingly wired, and working-class ICTs are filling in the wide gaps of uneven informational development. From the perspective of both the idea of public space for citizen expression in the Chinese city and the public sphere of civil society and its dependence on a critical media, it is suggested that the evolving information society in China will continue to depend on the use of ICTs and their informational potential.
Tim Unwin
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198795292
- eISBN:
- 9780191836589
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198795292.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
The development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed the world over the last two decades. These technologies are often seen as being inherently ‘good’, with the ...
More
The development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed the world over the last two decades. These technologies are often seen as being inherently ‘good’, with the ability to make the world better, and in particular to reduce poverty. However, their darker side is frequently ignored in such accounts. ICTs undoubtedly have the potential to reduce poverty, for example by enhancing education, health delivery, rural development, and entrepreneurship across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, all too often, projects designed to do so fail to go to scale, and are unsustainable when donor funding ceases. Indeed, ICTs have actually dramatically increased inequality across the world. Those with access to the latest technologies and the ability to use them effectively can indeed transform their lives, but those who are left without access have become increasingly disadvantaged and marginalized. The central purpose of this book is to account for why this is so, and it does so primarily by laying bare the interests that have underlain the dramatic expansion of ICTs in recent years. Unless these are fully understood, it will not be possible to reclaim the use of these technologies to empower the world’s poorest and most marginalized. The book is grounded in the Critical Theory of Jürgen Habermas, drawing especially on his notions of knowledge constitutive interests, and a particular conceptualization of the relationship between theory and practice. The book espouses the view that development is not just about economic growth, but must also address questions of inequality.Less
The development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed the world over the last two decades. These technologies are often seen as being inherently ‘good’, with the ability to make the world better, and in particular to reduce poverty. However, their darker side is frequently ignored in such accounts. ICTs undoubtedly have the potential to reduce poverty, for example by enhancing education, health delivery, rural development, and entrepreneurship across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, all too often, projects designed to do so fail to go to scale, and are unsustainable when donor funding ceases. Indeed, ICTs have actually dramatically increased inequality across the world. Those with access to the latest technologies and the ability to use them effectively can indeed transform their lives, but those who are left without access have become increasingly disadvantaged and marginalized. The central purpose of this book is to account for why this is so, and it does so primarily by laying bare the interests that have underlain the dramatic expansion of ICTs in recent years. Unless these are fully understood, it will not be possible to reclaim the use of these technologies to empower the world’s poorest and most marginalized. The book is grounded in the Critical Theory of Jürgen Habermas, drawing especially on his notions of knowledge constitutive interests, and a particular conceptualization of the relationship between theory and practice. The book espouses the view that development is not just about economic growth, but must also address questions of inequality.
Jack Linchuan Qiu
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262170062
- eISBN:
- 9780262255073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262170062.003.0092
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communications
This chapter presents an overview on the making of working-class communities where the information have-less and working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) are most concentrated, ...
More
This chapter presents an overview on the making of working-class communities where the information have-less and working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) are most concentrated, specifically the concrete urban places where the information have-less live and work. It considers the urban village (chengzhongcun) and the factories. The chapter analyzes the commercial informational services in Shipai Village based on data collected from April to December 2007, and shows that the booming IT sector in Shipai Village positively affected the indigenous population. It also reveals that the cases of Foxconn and Uniden exhibit the possibility of change in Chinese factories. Workers in factory dormitories are now much less separated from urban society and much less atomized with the spread of working-class ICTs.Less
This chapter presents an overview on the making of working-class communities where the information have-less and working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) are most concentrated, specifically the concrete urban places where the information have-less live and work. It considers the urban village (chengzhongcun) and the factories. The chapter analyzes the commercial informational services in Shipai Village based on data collected from April to December 2007, and shows that the booming IT sector in Shipai Village positively affected the indigenous population. It also reveals that the cases of Foxconn and Uniden exhibit the possibility of change in Chinese factories. Workers in factory dormitories are now much less separated from urban society and much less atomized with the spread of working-class ICTs.
Yoel Raban and Malcolm Brynin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195312805
- eISBN:
- 9780199847730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195312805.003.0004
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter examines the social distribution of diffusion, concentrating on differences in information and communication technologies (ICTs) use that are dependent on age. Although adoption of new ...
More
This chapter examines the social distribution of diffusion, concentrating on differences in information and communication technologies (ICTs) use that are dependent on age. Although adoption of new technologies declines with age, and ‘technophobic’ attitudes increase, there is considerable variation within age groups. People should not dismiss the older population as being technologically illiterate. In fact, the key distinction determining use or non-use is not age itself but resources. Older people tend to be poorer. In addition to the effects of age itself, their relative lack of resources determines their use of the new information technologies.Less
This chapter examines the social distribution of diffusion, concentrating on differences in information and communication technologies (ICTs) use that are dependent on age. Although adoption of new technologies declines with age, and ‘technophobic’ attitudes increase, there is considerable variation within age groups. People should not dismiss the older population as being technologically illiterate. In fact, the key distinction determining use or non-use is not age itself but resources. Older people tend to be poorer. In addition to the effects of age itself, their relative lack of resources determines their use of the new information technologies.
Maria Bakardjieva
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195312805
- eISBN:
- 9780199847730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195312805.003.0008
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
There is a measure of uncertainty in the adoption of new information and communications technologies (ICTs). For instance, people drop in or out of usage in rather complicated ways. This chapter ...
More
There is a measure of uncertainty in the adoption of new information and communications technologies (ICTs). For instance, people drop in or out of usage in rather complicated ways. This chapter looks at this uncertainty in a different way, through the detailed history of people's decisions to use a computer or the Internet for the first time. Here we can see that a range of influences, which are not easy to predict, need to be taken into account. The chapter argues that it is possible to discern patterns in usage (e.g. in how people use technology as an interface with the real world, and how other people mediate this relationship). It finds that one cannot see either the technology or the individual user as an ‘enclosed’ entity. Computer behaviour is a complex package of interrelationships.Less
There is a measure of uncertainty in the adoption of new information and communications technologies (ICTs). For instance, people drop in or out of usage in rather complicated ways. This chapter looks at this uncertainty in a different way, through the detailed history of people's decisions to use a computer or the Internet for the first time. Here we can see that a range of influences, which are not easy to predict, need to be taken into account. The chapter argues that it is possible to discern patterns in usage (e.g. in how people use technology as an interface with the real world, and how other people mediate this relationship). It finds that one cannot see either the technology or the individual user as an ‘enclosed’ entity. Computer behaviour is a complex package of interrelationships.
Elisabetta Ruspini, Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, and Consuelo Corradi
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447336358
- eISBN:
- 9781447336396
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447336358.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This introductory chapter discusses the relationship between social change, religion, and women's lives and self-definition in the contemporary world. Using international and interdisciplinary ...
More
This introductory chapter discusses the relationship between social change, religion, and women's lives and self-definition in the contemporary world. Using international and interdisciplinary perspectives reflective of different religious traditions, this volume pays attention to the specific experiences and positions of women, or particular groups of women, to understand current patterns of religiosity and religious change. Recent studies have shown that there is a strong connection between processes of change — such as the impact of globalization, increased intercultural and transcultural interaction and exchange, migration flows, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) — and religious identities. Overall, recent literature has revealed a great complexity and often contradiction in late modern negotiations of religion and secularism by women and men, and a range of possibilities for change.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the relationship between social change, religion, and women's lives and self-definition in the contemporary world. Using international and interdisciplinary perspectives reflective of different religious traditions, this volume pays attention to the specific experiences and positions of women, or particular groups of women, to understand current patterns of religiosity and religious change. Recent studies have shown that there is a strong connection between processes of change — such as the impact of globalization, increased intercultural and transcultural interaction and exchange, migration flows, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) — and religious identities. Overall, recent literature has revealed a great complexity and often contradiction in late modern negotiations of religion and secularism by women and men, and a range of possibilities for change.
Patricia M. Greenfield, Elisheva F. Gross, Kaveri Subrahmanyam, Lalita K. Suzuki, and Brendesha Tynes
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195312805
- eISBN:
- 9780199847730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195312805.003.0013
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Youth is a major predictor of use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). This chapter attempts to give a detailed examination of the functions for which teenagers use the Internet. ...
More
Youth is a major predictor of use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). This chapter attempts to give a detailed examination of the functions for which teenagers use the Internet. It notes that interpersonal communication and downloading music dominate teens' time online. Almost all of teens' online communication is with other teens that they know from school and other local contexts, although online gaming and participation in chat rooms puts them in contact with strangers. By analysing the multiple conversational threads intertwined in an online chat room, the chapter provides a description of how teenagers use online conversation to cope with the perennial concerns of adolescent life, such as gender and racial identity, sexual development, and romantic partners.Less
Youth is a major predictor of use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). This chapter attempts to give a detailed examination of the functions for which teenagers use the Internet. It notes that interpersonal communication and downloading music dominate teens' time online. Almost all of teens' online communication is with other teens that they know from school and other local contexts, although online gaming and participation in chat rooms puts them in contact with strangers. By analysing the multiple conversational threads intertwined in an online chat room, the chapter provides a description of how teenagers use online conversation to cope with the perennial concerns of adolescent life, such as gender and racial identity, sexual development, and romantic partners.
Ewan Ferlie, Louise Fitzgerald, Gerry McGivern, Sue Dopson, and Chris Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199603015
- eISBN:
- 9780191752995
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603015.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management
This book characterizes the nature of key reforms—namely managed networks—introduced in the UK National Health Service during the New Labour period (1997–2010). It combines rich empirical case ...
More
This book characterizes the nature of key reforms—namely managed networks—introduced in the UK National Health Service during the New Labour period (1997–2010). It combines rich empirical case material of eight such networks drawn from different health policy arenas with a theoretically informed analysis. It makes three main contributions. First, it argues that New Labour’s reforms included an important network element consistent with underlying network governance ideas, complementing the interpretation of other authors who have stressed either choice and markets or the continuation of NPM. It contributes to the wider NPM/post NPM debate by suggesting conditions of sedimentation. It specifies conditions of ‘success’ for these managed networks and explores how much progress was empirically evident. Second, the concept of ‘wicked problems’ is used to conceptualize many of the complex health policy arenas studied. It argues that networks are the least bad governance mode to tackle such wicked problems. Wicked problems conditions may become even more important in the future. It offers a qualified defence of network forms and caution against a whole-scale tilt to marketization in ‘wicked problem’ arenas. Third, it brings in a governmentality perspective to retheorize some of the novel organizational processes which do not fit either professional dominance or NPM models. A number of long-run policy developments under New Labour (such as clinical governance, EBM guidelines, energized clinical and managerial hybrids, patient safety regimes) appear consistent with this governmentality perspective.Less
This book characterizes the nature of key reforms—namely managed networks—introduced in the UK National Health Service during the New Labour period (1997–2010). It combines rich empirical case material of eight such networks drawn from different health policy arenas with a theoretically informed analysis. It makes three main contributions. First, it argues that New Labour’s reforms included an important network element consistent with underlying network governance ideas, complementing the interpretation of other authors who have stressed either choice and markets or the continuation of NPM. It contributes to the wider NPM/post NPM debate by suggesting conditions of sedimentation. It specifies conditions of ‘success’ for these managed networks and explores how much progress was empirically evident. Second, the concept of ‘wicked problems’ is used to conceptualize many of the complex health policy arenas studied. It argues that networks are the least bad governance mode to tackle such wicked problems. Wicked problems conditions may become even more important in the future. It offers a qualified defence of network forms and caution against a whole-scale tilt to marketization in ‘wicked problem’ arenas. Third, it brings in a governmentality perspective to retheorize some of the novel organizational processes which do not fit either professional dominance or NPM models. A number of long-run policy developments under New Labour (such as clinical governance, EBM guidelines, energized clinical and managerial hybrids, patient safety regimes) appear consistent with this governmentality perspective.
James Leach and Lee Wilson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780262027168
- eISBN:
- 9780262322492
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027168.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
Subversion, Conversion, Development explores alternative cultural encounters with and around information technologies, encounters that counter dominant, Western-oriented notions of media consumption. ...
More
Subversion, Conversion, Development explores alternative cultural encounters with and around information technologies, encounters that counter dominant, Western-oriented notions of media consumption. We include media practices as forms of cultural resistance and subversion, ‘DIY cultures’, and other non-mainstream models of technology production and consumption. The contributors—leading thinkers in science and technology studies, anthropology, and software design—pay special attention to the specific inflections that different cultures and communities give to the value of knowledge. The richly detailed accounts presented challenge the dominant view of knowledge as a neutral good—that is, as information available for representation, encoding, and use outside social relations. Instead, we demonstrate the specific social and historical situation of all knowledge forms, and thus of the technological engagement with and communication of knowledges. The chapters examine specific cases in which forms of knowledge and cross-cultural encounter are shaping technology use and development. They consider design, use, and reuse of technological tools including databases, GPS devices, books, and computers, in locations that range from Australia and New Guinea to Germany and the United States. Contributors: Laura Watts, Gregers Petersen, Helen Verran, Michael Christie, Jerome Lewis, Hildegard Diemberger, Stephen Hugh-Jones, Alan Blackwell, Dawn Nafus, Lee Wilson, James Leach, Marilyn Strathern, David Turnbull, Wade Chambers.Less
Subversion, Conversion, Development explores alternative cultural encounters with and around information technologies, encounters that counter dominant, Western-oriented notions of media consumption. We include media practices as forms of cultural resistance and subversion, ‘DIY cultures’, and other non-mainstream models of technology production and consumption. The contributors—leading thinkers in science and technology studies, anthropology, and software design—pay special attention to the specific inflections that different cultures and communities give to the value of knowledge. The richly detailed accounts presented challenge the dominant view of knowledge as a neutral good—that is, as information available for representation, encoding, and use outside social relations. Instead, we demonstrate the specific social and historical situation of all knowledge forms, and thus of the technological engagement with and communication of knowledges. The chapters examine specific cases in which forms of knowledge and cross-cultural encounter are shaping technology use and development. They consider design, use, and reuse of technological tools including databases, GPS devices, books, and computers, in locations that range from Australia and New Guinea to Germany and the United States. Contributors: Laura Watts, Gregers Petersen, Helen Verran, Michael Christie, Jerome Lewis, Hildegard Diemberger, Stephen Hugh-Jones, Alan Blackwell, Dawn Nafus, Lee Wilson, James Leach, Marilyn Strathern, David Turnbull, Wade Chambers.
James Leach and Lee Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780262027168
- eISBN:
- 9780262322492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027168.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
Certain epistemologies, politics, and metaphysics are built into mass produced technological offerings. Apparently neutral seeming tools carry normative principles, and are built on unexamined ...
More
Certain epistemologies, politics, and metaphysics are built into mass produced technological offerings. Apparently neutral seeming tools carry normative principles, and are built on unexamined assumptions about social relations. This chapter argues for comprehending the situated-ness of design by attending to how these assumptions and interests are exposed by the use, and the repurposing, of technologies in differing social and historical situations. As many of the examples detailed in the volume refer to cross-cultural appropriations, subversions, or unexpected (re)-uses of technologies, we discuss the specific treatment of knowledge in different social and cultural contexts, and the effects of particular Euro-American assumptions about knowledge and communication on the design of ICTs. The chapter discusses the potential of anthropology and ethnography as modes of approaching and understanding the design and use of technologies, and makes a strong argument, through examples from Papua New Guinea and the US, for the specificity of technology and design as emergent in particular social relations and forms.Less
Certain epistemologies, politics, and metaphysics are built into mass produced technological offerings. Apparently neutral seeming tools carry normative principles, and are built on unexamined assumptions about social relations. This chapter argues for comprehending the situated-ness of design by attending to how these assumptions and interests are exposed by the use, and the repurposing, of technologies in differing social and historical situations. As many of the examples detailed in the volume refer to cross-cultural appropriations, subversions, or unexpected (re)-uses of technologies, we discuss the specific treatment of knowledge in different social and cultural contexts, and the effects of particular Euro-American assumptions about knowledge and communication on the design of ICTs. The chapter discusses the potential of anthropology and ethnography as modes of approaching and understanding the design and use of technologies, and makes a strong argument, through examples from Papua New Guinea and the US, for the specificity of technology and design as emergent in particular social relations and forms.
Poline Bala
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780262027168
- eISBN:
- 9780262322492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027168.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
The chapter examines why and how the Kelabit, a people of Central Borneo, engaged with information and communication technologies through the electronic Bario (e-Bario) development initiative. It ...
More
The chapter examines why and how the Kelabit, a people of Central Borneo, engaged with information and communication technologies through the electronic Bario (e-Bario) development initiative. It explores the ways that aspects of Kelabit society and history provided the context for implementation of the project, and constituted a rationale for attitudes to social change among the Kelabit. The chapter argues that the basis for adoption and application of ICT in the Kelabit Highlands was framed by local understandings of ‘progress’ and ‘development’, and conditioned by fundamental Kelabit concepts of doo-ness, or ‘goodness’, and iyuk, or status mobility. Through doo-ness and iyuk the kelabit engaged with new tropes of success and progress associated with the e-Bario initiative as a development project. The Kelabit used ICT to facilitate greater political agency and capacity for engagement with government, to preserve their cultural identity and protect traditional land rights. The hegemonic imperatives of new forms of technology were subordinated to and integrated with existing practices and values, sociopolitical arrangements and products in the Kelabit community. The Kelabit case thus illustrates the ways in which engagement and appropriation of developmental initiatives can subvert the intended outcomes of policy makers with regard to the use of ICTs as drivers of development.Less
The chapter examines why and how the Kelabit, a people of Central Borneo, engaged with information and communication technologies through the electronic Bario (e-Bario) development initiative. It explores the ways that aspects of Kelabit society and history provided the context for implementation of the project, and constituted a rationale for attitudes to social change among the Kelabit. The chapter argues that the basis for adoption and application of ICT in the Kelabit Highlands was framed by local understandings of ‘progress’ and ‘development’, and conditioned by fundamental Kelabit concepts of doo-ness, or ‘goodness’, and iyuk, or status mobility. Through doo-ness and iyuk the kelabit engaged with new tropes of success and progress associated with the e-Bario initiative as a development project. The Kelabit used ICT to facilitate greater political agency and capacity for engagement with government, to preserve their cultural identity and protect traditional land rights. The hegemonic imperatives of new forms of technology were subordinated to and integrated with existing practices and values, sociopolitical arrangements and products in the Kelabit community. The Kelabit case thus illustrates the ways in which engagement and appropriation of developmental initiatives can subvert the intended outcomes of policy makers with regard to the use of ICTs as drivers of development.
Ewan Ferlie, Louise FitzGerald, Gerry McGivern, Sue Dopson, and Chris Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199603015
- eISBN:
- 9780191752995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603015.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management
Networks in sexual health services began in the mid-1980s in response to the needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS and were mandated for all sexual health services in the National Strategy for Sexual ...
More
Networks in sexual health services began in the mid-1980s in response to the needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS and were mandated for all sexual health services in the National Strategy for Sexual Health (DoH, 2001). This chapter compares and contrasts two urban sexual health networks. Metropolitan City was separately funded and clinician led. It focused on service reconfiguration and improvement, achieving some success in meeting new government guidelines on speedy referral. Cathedral City's network, run by the Primary Care Trust, had a greater focus on prevention issues, particularly teenage pregnancy. Neither network was wholly successful in meeting the needs of service users from ethnic minorities. Both networks benefited from strong leadership (initially tri-partite in Metropolitan City) and had systems for promoting organizational learning. New ICTs helped in some ways but were a hindrance in others. Availability of new resources was a key factor in enabling network development and functioning.Less
Networks in sexual health services began in the mid-1980s in response to the needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS and were mandated for all sexual health services in the National Strategy for Sexual Health (DoH, 2001). This chapter compares and contrasts two urban sexual health networks. Metropolitan City was separately funded and clinician led. It focused on service reconfiguration and improvement, achieving some success in meeting new government guidelines on speedy referral. Cathedral City's network, run by the Primary Care Trust, had a greater focus on prevention issues, particularly teenage pregnancy. Neither network was wholly successful in meeting the needs of service users from ethnic minorities. Both networks benefited from strong leadership (initially tri-partite in Metropolitan City) and had systems for promoting organizational learning. New ICTs helped in some ways but were a hindrance in others. Availability of new resources was a key factor in enabling network development and functioning.
Ewan Ferlie, Louise FitzGerald, Gerry McGivern, Sue Dopson, and Chris Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199603015
- eISBN:
- 9780191752995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603015.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management
It has been argued that new ICTs will be important in the development of effective networks. This chapter considers if evidence from our eight case studies supports this assertion. Statistical data ...
More
It has been argued that new ICTs will be important in the development of effective networks. This chapter considers if evidence from our eight case studies supports this assertion. Statistical data collected for reporting purposes were often considered irrelevant or flawed and sometimes misinterpreted. A number of networks were trying to develop ways of sharing clinical information, often hampered by system incompatibilities and in some cases by reluctance to allow knowledge to cross organizational boundaries. ICTs could have a role in governance and governmentality. However, reporting systems were often dismissed as 'tick box' exercises, though statistical information was sometimes used to influence dissenters to conform to group norms. In a few instances new ICTs, such as video conferencing and websites, were used in creative ways to promote organizational learning. Overall, the chapter concludes that ICTs were not acting as a major driver of organizational transformation towards network forms.Less
It has been argued that new ICTs will be important in the development of effective networks. This chapter considers if evidence from our eight case studies supports this assertion. Statistical data collected for reporting purposes were often considered irrelevant or flawed and sometimes misinterpreted. A number of networks were trying to develop ways of sharing clinical information, often hampered by system incompatibilities and in some cases by reluctance to allow knowledge to cross organizational boundaries. ICTs could have a role in governance and governmentality. However, reporting systems were often dismissed as 'tick box' exercises, though statistical information was sometimes used to influence dissenters to conform to group norms. In a few instances new ICTs, such as video conferencing and websites, were used in creative ways to promote organizational learning. Overall, the chapter concludes that ICTs were not acting as a major driver of organizational transformation towards network forms.
Mark Coeckelbergh
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035460
- eISBN:
- 9780262343084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035460.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
The introduction explains that the main argument and narrative of this book is that technology and romanticism are not in opposition to each other. The literature of the philosophy of technology ...
More
The introduction explains that the main argument and narrative of this book is that technology and romanticism are not in opposition to each other. The literature of the philosophy of technology lacks attention to the relationship between romanticism and technology; conversely, in related fields like cultural studies, sociology, and media studies, there is much literature about this relationship and its history. This book focuses on specific and contemporary technologies and critically examines its own arguments. The book also discusses how to move past romanticism, while acknowledging that the means of analysis are informed by Romanticism. It is comprised of three parts which discuss the traditional opposition between technology and romanticism, the complex relationship between them, and the ways to move beyond romantic and machine thinking.Less
The introduction explains that the main argument and narrative of this book is that technology and romanticism are not in opposition to each other. The literature of the philosophy of technology lacks attention to the relationship between romanticism and technology; conversely, in related fields like cultural studies, sociology, and media studies, there is much literature about this relationship and its history. This book focuses on specific and contemporary technologies and critically examines its own arguments. The book also discusses how to move past romanticism, while acknowledging that the means of analysis are informed by Romanticism. It is comprised of three parts which discuss the traditional opposition between technology and romanticism, the complex relationship between them, and the ways to move beyond romantic and machine thinking.
Mark Coeckelbergh
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035460
- eISBN:
- 9780262343084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035460.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Chapter 5 continues constructing the “hybridity” and “fusion” narrative, but now focused on contemporary electronic ICTs. For the purpose of trying to understand the relation between romanticism and ...
More
Chapter 5 continues constructing the “hybridity” and “fusion” narrative, but now focused on contemporary electronic ICTs. For the purpose of trying to understand the relation between romanticism and these ICTs, it constructs the working thesis that contemporary use and development of ICTs can meaningfully be interpreted as contributing to, if not completing, material romanticism’s project to marry Enlightenment and Romanticism: rather than creating new “machines”, there is an attempt to reach a synthesis of rationalism and romanticism by fusing humans and machines.
The chapter reveals romanticism in the development and use of smartphones, social media, games, surveillance technology, algorithmic art, robots, transhumanist human enhancement, and other technological practices and phenomena. It is also shown how romanticism and even gothic is present in contemporary science and scientific-technological practice. It seems that with these new hybrids, technology and romanticism merge to an unprecedented extent.Less
Chapter 5 continues constructing the “hybridity” and “fusion” narrative, but now focused on contemporary electronic ICTs. For the purpose of trying to understand the relation between romanticism and these ICTs, it constructs the working thesis that contemporary use and development of ICTs can meaningfully be interpreted as contributing to, if not completing, material romanticism’s project to marry Enlightenment and Romanticism: rather than creating new “machines”, there is an attempt to reach a synthesis of rationalism and romanticism by fusing humans and machines.
The chapter reveals romanticism in the development and use of smartphones, social media, games, surveillance technology, algorithmic art, robots, transhumanist human enhancement, and other technological practices and phenomena. It is also shown how romanticism and even gothic is present in contemporary science and scientific-technological practice. It seems that with these new hybrids, technology and romanticism merge to an unprecedented extent.
Jack Linchuan Qiu
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262170062
- eISBN:
- 9780262255073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262170062.003.0011
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communications
This book offers a panoramic view of working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the information have-less, and develops a systematic examination of the emergent working-class ...
More
This book offers a panoramic view of working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the information have-less, and develops a systematic examination of the emergent working-class network society in urban China. Part I describes the diverse forms of working-class ICTs—their patterns of diffusion, transformation, and the broader implications—while Part II analyzes the different groups of the information have-less: their informational needs, the way they use and appropriate communication technologies, and the dilemmas they face. Part III evaluates how the have-less people and their technologies come together to produce concrete urban places and critical events that mark the beginning of a new class formation process in the enlarged network society. Finally, an overview of the chapters included in the book is given.Less
This book offers a panoramic view of working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the information have-less, and develops a systematic examination of the emergent working-class network society in urban China. Part I describes the diverse forms of working-class ICTs—their patterns of diffusion, transformation, and the broader implications—while Part II analyzes the different groups of the information have-less: their informational needs, the way they use and appropriate communication technologies, and the dilemmas they face. Part III evaluates how the have-less people and their technologies come together to produce concrete urban places and critical events that mark the beginning of a new class formation process in the enlarged network society. Finally, an overview of the chapters included in the book is given.
Jack Linchuan Qiu
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262170062
- eISBN:
- 9780262255073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262170062.003.0053
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communications
This chapter offers an overview of the basic conditions of have-less migrants under conditions of industrialization and urbanization in a global context. It examines the link between have-less ...
More
This chapter offers an overview of the basic conditions of have-less migrants under conditions of industrialization and urbanization in a global context. It examines the link between have-less migrants and their working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs), concentrating on the connection between empowerment and networked connectivity. The chapter then describes variations among have-less migrants by gender, ethnicity, and regional identity, and their translocal networking through working-class ICTs. It shows that ICT connectivity produces openings for empowerment and upward social mobility, and also paves the way for alienation and disempowerment in the context of an overwhelmingly commercialized urban society. Physical mobility has increased with the spread of working-class ICTs. The chapter then suggests that the rise of working-class ICTs is a harbinger of new class dynamics.Less
This chapter offers an overview of the basic conditions of have-less migrants under conditions of industrialization and urbanization in a global context. It examines the link between have-less migrants and their working-class information and communication technologies (ICTs), concentrating on the connection between empowerment and networked connectivity. The chapter then describes variations among have-less migrants by gender, ethnicity, and regional identity, and their translocal networking through working-class ICTs. It shows that ICT connectivity produces openings for empowerment and upward social mobility, and also paves the way for alienation and disempowerment in the context of an overwhelmingly commercialized urban society. Physical mobility has increased with the spread of working-class ICTs. The chapter then suggests that the rise of working-class ICTs is a harbinger of new class dynamics.
