Applying Social Informatics
***My topic is on phone addiction*** Assignment Description 1. Choose a social informatics topic that you are already familiar with. The topic could be a current event or a personal experience with an information and communication technology (ICT) (e.g., a topic/problem from your previous discussion board postings). In the current events category, maybe you are curious about cyberbullying issues, the development of the Apple Watch (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. . Or the diversification of emoji (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. . On the personal experience side, perhaps you recently decided to delete your Facebook account and switch to another social media platform (personal experience). Or you have recently witnessed a decision being made about software or technology at your workplace and have seen it (or predict that it will) succeed wildly or fail disastrously. All of these are topics ripe for a social informatics perspective because our understanding of the topic benefits from analyzing the interactions between the technical/technological and the social/sociological. If you are having a hard time thinking of a topic, browse the technology section of any major newspaper (e.g., New York Times) or journal (e.g., Communications of ACM) to see if any recent technology-related news stories spark your interest, then consider whether and how it can be analyzed from a social informatics perspective. Or look for articles about technology in magazines and other media that offer social and cultural commentary about technology (i.e., The Atlantic, Slate, Wired, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, etc.). To think of a topic related to personal experience, make a list of all the ICTs that you use or are familiar with, particularly those that you have strong positive or negative feelings about or experiences with, and consider whether you can explain those feelings from a social informatics perspective. TIP: The more specific the topic, the easier it will be to analyze it; this is why the assignment specifies that the topic should be a current event or personal experience rather than a type or category of ICT. Instead of “virtual reality,” your topic might be the New York Times’ decision to use VR (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. to enhance readers’ experiences of their news stories. Instead of “blogs,” your topic might be your experience starting your own personal blog (personal experience). 2. Examine your chosen topic according to the social informatics perspectives offered in the course readings from Week 1 through 4. Some of the perspectives that you may take include: Kling (2007) – the productivity paradox; how social contexts matter for adoption of new technologies Sanfillipo & Fichman (2010) – institutional and organization contexts for implementation, use, and technological outcomes; impact of politics and interests on technological outcomes; unintended consequences of ICTs; ICT users as social actors; ICTs as socio-technical network systems; technology as affecting identity Norman (1997) – humans (analog) vs. machines (digital); the ever-increasing pace of change; treating people like machines; “human error,” humans and computers as cooperating systems Tenner (1997) – revenge effects, technology “biting back” Baym (2010) – technological determinism; utopian and dystopian narratives of new technologies Pinch & Bijker (1987) – social construction of technology; multidirectional model of technological development (aka variation and selection); interpretive flexibility of technological artifacts Tatnall & Gilding (1999) – actor networks; technology as hybrid (socio-technical) entity; innovation as actor-network Heidemann, Klier, & Probst (2012); Anderson (2015); Perrin & Duggan (2015) – development and adoption/diffusion of new technologies 3. Write a 8-12 pages paper that: Introduces your topic/problem/event and why you choose it/why it is of interest. Explain the topic/problem (e.g., why happened? what are the impacts of the problem/phenomenon) according to at least two different perspectives or theories you learned in course readings (cite at least 4 readings. you can use theories and cite papers that are NOT included in our existing reading lists). Compare different theories or perspectives within the context (e.g., topic/problem/event) you described. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses/limitations of different perspectives. Sample Outline Introduction Topic: The recent crackdown on Airbnb (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. by city governments around the world Thesis statement: The crackdown by city governments on Airbnb is a product of its interpretive flexibility. The various relevant social groups, including the company itself, owners, renters, neighbors, city governments, and the hotel industry, have conflicting interpretations of Airbnb that result in a continuing battle between the traditional economic interests and emerging sharing economy. (Social Construction of Technology) SCOT perspective Describe SCOT Describe relevant social groups of Airbnb – the company itself, owners, renters, neighbors, city governments, and the hotel industry Describe the social problems and solutions that Airbnb represents for each group The current event in more detail Describe the crackdown in more detail Explain how it is a product of the conflicting interests of the relevant social groups Apply SCOT’s concept of “interpretive flexibility” Conclusion Restate thesis Explain what the SI perspective offers, in terms of understanding the crackdown as an inevitable part of teh multidirectional development of Airbnb as a technological artifact. Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) Resources Rutgers University Libraries (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. ) offer numerous resources to assist students. Here you can search the library catalogs, find articles, research resources (including electronic databases), and much more! Do not hesitate to reach out to a reference librarian in person at the reference desk, by phone, email, or chat; see the RUL homepage for “Ask a Librarian” details. The librarian can help you to think through your topic, formulate a search, and teach you how to use the research and reference tools available for research-based assignments.
