[CITASA] "Taken Out of Context" (my dissertation)

DB
danah boyd
Mon, Jan 19, 2009 1:24 PM

I just posted my dissertation online and since many folks from this
list have asked me to share it, I thought I'd post the link and
abstract here.  If you have comments (especially critical feedback),
I'm all ears.

"Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics"
http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf

Abstract: As social network sites like MySpace and Facebook emerged,
American teenagers began adopting them as spaces to mark identity and
socialize with peers. Teens leveraged these sites for a wide array of
everyday social practices - gossiping, flirting, joking around,
sharing information, and simply hanging out. While social network
sites were predominantly used by teens as a peer-based social outlet,
the unchartered nature of these sites generated fear among adults.
This dissertation documents my 2.5-year ethnographic study of American
teens' engagement with social network sites and the ways in which
their participation supported and complicated three practices - self-
presentation, peer sociality, and negotiating adult society.

My analysis centers on how social network sites can be understood as
networked publics which are simultaneously (1) the space constructed
through networked technologies and (2) the imagined community that
emerges as a result of the intersection of people, technology, and
practice. Networked publics support many of the same practices as
unmediated publics, but their structural differences often inflect
practices in unique ways. Four properties - persistence,
searchability, replicability, and scalability - and three dynamics -
invisible audiences, collapsed contexts, and the blurring of public
and private - are examined and woven throughout the discussion.

While teenagers primarily leverage social network sites to engage in
common practices, the properties of these sites configured their
practices and teens were forced to contend with the resultant
dynamics. Often, in doing so, they reworked the technology for their
purposes. As teenagers learned to navigate social network sites, they
developed potent strategies for managing the complexities of and
social awkwardness incurred by these sites. Their strategies reveal
how new forms of social media are incorporated into everyday life,
complicating some practices and reinforcing others. New technologies
reshape public life, but teens' engagement also reconfigures the
technology itself.

                    • d a n a h ( d o t ) o r g - - - - - - - - - -
                      "taken out of context i must seem so strange"

musings :: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts

                    • d a n a h ( d o t ) o r g - - - - - - - - - -
                      "taken out of context i must seem so strange"

musings :: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts

I just posted my dissertation online and since many folks from this list have asked me to share it, I thought I'd post the link and abstract here. If you have comments (especially critical feedback), I'm all ears. "Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics" http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf Abstract: As social network sites like MySpace and Facebook emerged, American teenagers began adopting them as spaces to mark identity and socialize with peers. Teens leveraged these sites for a wide array of everyday social practices - gossiping, flirting, joking around, sharing information, and simply hanging out. While social network sites were predominantly used by teens as a peer-based social outlet, the unchartered nature of these sites generated fear among adults. This dissertation documents my 2.5-year ethnographic study of American teens' engagement with social network sites and the ways in which their participation supported and complicated three practices - self- presentation, peer sociality, and negotiating adult society. My analysis centers on how social network sites can be understood as networked publics which are simultaneously (1) the space constructed through networked technologies and (2) the imagined community that emerges as a result of the intersection of people, technology, and practice. Networked publics support many of the same practices as unmediated publics, but their structural differences often inflect practices in unique ways. Four properties - persistence, searchability, replicability, and scalability - and three dynamics - invisible audiences, collapsed contexts, and the blurring of public and private - are examined and woven throughout the discussion. While teenagers primarily leverage social network sites to engage in common practices, the properties of these sites configured their practices and teens were forced to contend with the resultant dynamics. Often, in doing so, they reworked the technology for their purposes. As teenagers learned to navigate social network sites, they developed potent strategies for managing the complexities of and social awkwardness incurred by these sites. Their strategies reveal how new forms of social media are incorporated into everyday life, complicating some practices and reinforcing others. New technologies reshape public life, but teens' engagement also reconfigures the technology itself. - - - - - - - - - - d a n a h ( d o t ) o r g - - - - - - - - - - "taken out of context i must seem so strange" musings :: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts - - - - - - - - - - d a n a h ( d o t ) o r g - - - - - - - - - - "taken out of context i must seem so strange" musings :: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts
AT
Andrea Tapia
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 5:28 PM

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications
Hello CITASA folks. As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the only sociologist on the faculty. Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This has been a surprisingly difficult task. What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc. So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core competencies? I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of you can aid me in my quest. 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory: 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, 1997 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications
FS
Fred Stutzman
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 5:52 PM

Hi Andrea,

Blaise Cronin recently had an article in JOIS on some of these overlaps.
I've found his bibliography useful in my work.

Cronin, B.  (2008).  The sociological turn in information science.  Journal
of Information Science, 34(4), 465-475.
http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/34/4/465

Best,
Fred

On Mon, 2 Feb 2009, Andrea Tapia wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

--
Fred Stutzman
Ph.D. Student and Teaching Fellow
School of Information and Library Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
fred@metalab.unc.edu | (919) 260-8508 | http://fstutzman.com/

Hi Andrea, Blaise Cronin recently had an article in JOIS on some of these overlaps. I've found his bibliography useful in my work. Cronin, B. (2008). The sociological turn in information science. Journal of Information Science, 34(4), 465-475. http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/34/4/465 Best, Fred On Mon, 2 Feb 2009, Andrea Tapia wrote: > Hello CITASA folks. > > As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the > only sociologist on the faculty. > > Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This > has been a surprisingly difficult task. > What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, > therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? > > So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap > with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of > science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of > communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like > Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc. > > So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core > competencies? > > I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of > you can aid me in my quest. > > > 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² > pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory: > 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, > 1997 > > > 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current > Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications > > > > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org > -- Fred Stutzman Ph.D. Student and Teaching Fellow School of Information and Library Science, UNC-Chapel Hill fred@metalab.unc.edu | (919) 260-8508 | http://fstutzman.com/
CA
Chris Anderson
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 5:52 PM

I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can of worms here) why the
"sociology of technologies" is not some of all of those things, rather than
anything unique in and of itself? In other words, maybe it exists ONLY in
the overlaps. What's wrong with that, apart from the administrative
difficulties such an answer may cause?

Chris Anderson

--

PhD Student, Communications
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
cwa2103@columbia.edu

On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia atapia@ist.psu.edu wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may
overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our
core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some
of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social
Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,²
    Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can of worms here) why the "sociology of technologies" is not some of all of those things, rather than anything unique in and of itself? In other words, maybe it exists ONLY in the overlaps. What's wrong with that, apart from the administrative difficulties such an answer may cause? Chris Anderson -- PhD Student, Communications Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism cwa2103@columbia.edu On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia <atapia@ist.psu.edu> wrote: > Hello CITASA folks. > > As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the > only sociologist on the faculty. > > Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This > has been a surprisingly difficult task. > What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, > therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? > > So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may > overlap > with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of > science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of > communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like > Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc. > > So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our > core > competencies? > > I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some > of > you can aid me in my quest. > > > 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² > pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social > Theory: > 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, > 1997 > > > 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² > Current > Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications > > > > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org > >
CH
Caroline Haythornthwaite
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 6:15 PM

I have to agree with Chris here -- seems you've thrown out everything that
makes a sociology of technology.

Andrea, what do you consider in the term "technology"? This may be as
ambiguous as asking what is meant by "community" but I think we have to start
with what "technology" is.

I've always like the management approach -- technology is a particular way of
getting work done. To me, it can included technologies of rules and
procedures, equipment, organizational structures, and systems (e.g.,
educational systems). Technology constrains not only how we do things, but
also how we think about doing things, and how we reward what gets done.

I would certainly include science and technology studies, sociology of science,
sociology of knowledge because they are particularly focused on systems of
production and organization -- from equipment to disciplinary practices.  And
I'd include social informatics because it focuses on how information
technologies facilitate and constrain practices.

So the issue might be whether the sociology of technology (singular) you are
looking for is an overarching framework across these separate endeavors, or a
better name than social informatics for the case where technology is only taken
to be information and communication technology-based.

/Caroline

---- Original message ----

Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:52:54 -0500
From: Chris Anderson cwa2103@columbia.edu
Subject: Re: [CITASA] Will the real sociology of technologies stand up?
To: communication and information technology section asa

I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can
of worms here) why the "sociology of technologies"
is not some of all of those things, rather than
anything unique in and of itself? In other words,
maybe it exists ONLY in the overlaps. What's wrong
with that, apart from the administrative
difficulties such an answer may cause?

Chris Anderson

--

PhD Student, Communications
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
cwa2103@columbia.edu

On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia
atapia@ist.psu.edu wrote:

 Hello CITASA folks.

 As many of you know, I work in an I-school
 (Information school) and am the
 only sociologist on the faculty.

 Recently I have been asked to define the
 "sociology of technology/ies" This
 has been a surprisingly difficult task.
 What I have been doing is staking out boundaries,
 stating what it is not,
 therefore, what I'll have left is what it is,
 right?

 So far I have removed the following, Sociology of
 Technology/ies may overlap
 with--but is NOT science and technology studies,
 not the sociology of
 science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the
 sociology of
 communications, not social informatics, not a
 bunch of theories like
 Structuration/Actor
 Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science
 etc.

 So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is
 unique? What are our core
 competencies?

 I've found a couple readings that have helped a
 bit, but I am hoping some of
 you can aid me in my quest.

 1.     Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing
 Technology in Social Theory.²
 pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current
 Perspectives in Social Theory:
 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published
 by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
 1997

 2.    Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of
 Information Technology,² Current
 Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE
 Publications

 _______________________________________________
 CITASA mailing list
 CITASA@list.citasa.org
 http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org


CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org


Caroline Haythornthwaite
Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
501 East Daniel St., Champaign IL 61820

Mail will reach me at both haythorn@uiuc.edu AND haythorn@illinois.edu.  NOTE: There is no 'u' before 'illinois' in this address.

I have to agree with Chris here -- seems you've thrown out everything that makes a sociology of technology. Andrea, what do you consider in the term "technology"? This may be as ambiguous as asking what is meant by "community" but I think we have to start with what "technology" is. I've always like the management approach -- technology is a particular way of getting work done. To me, it can included technologies of rules and procedures, equipment, organizational structures, and systems (e.g., educational systems). Technology constrains not only how we do things, but also how we think about doing things, and how we reward what gets done. I would certainly include science and technology studies, sociology of science, sociology of knowledge because they are particularly focused on systems of production and organization -- from equipment to disciplinary practices. And I'd include social informatics because it focuses on how information technologies facilitate and constrain practices. So the issue might be whether the sociology of technology (singular) you are looking for is an overarching framework across these separate endeavors, or a better name than social informatics for the case where technology is only taken to be information and communication technology-based. /Caroline ---- Original message ---- >Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:52:54 -0500 >From: Chris Anderson <cwa2103@columbia.edu> >Subject: Re: [CITASA] Will the real sociology of technologies stand up? >To: communication and information technology section asa <citasa@list.citasa.org> > > I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can > of worms here) why the "sociology of technologies" > is not some of all of those things, rather than > anything unique in and of itself? In other words, > maybe it exists ONLY in the overlaps. What's wrong > with that, apart from the administrative > difficulties such an answer may cause? > > Chris Anderson > > -- > > PhD Student, Communications > Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism > cwa2103@columbia.edu > > On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia > <atapia@ist.psu.edu> wrote: > > Hello CITASA folks. > > As many of you know, I work in an I-school > (Information school) and am the > only sociologist on the faculty. > > Recently I have been asked to define the > "sociology of technology/ies" This > has been a surprisingly difficult task. > What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, > stating what it is not, > therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, > right? > > So far I have removed the following, Sociology of > Technology/ies may overlap > with--but is NOT science and technology studies, > not the sociology of > science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the > sociology of > communications, not social informatics, not a > bunch of theories like > Structuration/Actor > Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science > etc. > > So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is > unique? What are our core > competencies? > > I've found a couple readings that have helped a > bit, but I am hoping some of > you can aid me in my quest. > > 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing > Technology in Social Theory.² > pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current > Perspectives in Social Theory: > 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published > by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, > 1997 > > 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of > Information Technology,² Current > Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE > Publications > > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org >________________ >_______________________________________________ >CITASA mailing list >CITASA@list.citasa.org >http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org -------------------------------------- Caroline Haythornthwaite Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 501 East Daniel St., Champaign IL 61820 Mail will reach me at both haythorn@uiuc.edu AND haythorn@illinois.edu. NOTE: There is no 'u' before 'illinois' in this address.
RA
Ron Anderson
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 6:43 PM

Andrea,
You have raised some very interesting and useful
questions that deserve an answer, but keep in
mind that the historical context will shape the
answer, perhaps more than anything. For a
historical perspective from the point of view of
the CITASA community you should re-read the
articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL
SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171,
"Symposium on the history of CITASA." They show
how drastically the technology, as well as the
sociology of technology, changed in less than 20
years. In 10 to 20 years from now, the
technology, as well as the sociology of
technology, will be dramatically different,
perhaps something like Gibson's Neuromancer. But
in the present age of the Internet, i think no
one has done a better job at showing us what the
sociology of technology is than Manuel Castells
in his many books. If you can find a good
condensation of one of more of his books, it
might provide you with something close to
defining the essential elements of the "field."
Defining the skills is a different and more
difficult task. I have followed the social
movement to define "21st century skills" and some
of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical
thinking about the technology itself, although
most of the literature is oriented toward
changing K-12 learning. I think you will find
some useful ideas from the point of view of
computer scientists in a 10 year old report from
the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with Information Technology:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3
in the section on being analytical about the
complexity of technology and its impact. It's not
much, but it is more than you'll find in the
sociological literature in terms of analytical skills.
All the best,
Ron

At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of
Minnesota, Mpls, MN 55455 rea@umn.edu
Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/        Blog: http://contexts.org/eye/

Andrea, You have raised some very interesting and useful questions that deserve an answer, but keep in mind that the historical context will shape the answer, perhaps more than anything. For a historical perspective from the point of view of the CITASA community you should re-read the articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171, "Symposium on the history of CITASA." They show how drastically the technology, as well as the sociology of technology, changed in less than 20 years. In 10 to 20 years from now, the technology, as well as the sociology of technology, will be dramatically different, perhaps something like Gibson's Neuromancer. But in the present age of the Internet, i think no one has done a better job at showing us what the sociology of technology is than Manuel Castells in his many books. If you can find a good condensation of one of more of his books, it might provide you with something close to defining the essential elements of the "field." Defining the skills is a different and more difficult task. I have followed the social movement to define "21st century skills" and some of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical thinking about the technology itself, although most of the literature is oriented toward changing K-12 learning. I think you will find some useful ideas from the point of view of computer scientists in a 10 year old report from the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with Information Technology: http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3 in the section on being analytical about the complexity of technology and its impact. It's not much, but it is more than you'll find in the sociological literature in terms of analytical skills. All the best, Ron At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote: >Hello CITASA folks. > >As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the >only sociologist on the faculty. > >Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" This >has been a surprisingly difficult task. >What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, >therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? > >So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may overlap >with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of >science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of >communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like >Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc. > >So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our core >competencies? > >I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some of >you can aid me in my quest. > > >1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² >pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social Theory: >1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, >1997 > > >2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² Current >Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications > > > >_______________________________________________ >CITASA mailing list >CITASA@list.citasa.org >http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of Minnesota, Mpls, MN 55455 <rea@umn.edu> Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/ Blog: http://contexts.org/eye/
DT
David Touve
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 7:08 PM

I would think that "the sociology of technology" (not-so-simply put)
would be:

Empirically and/or conceptually rigorous attempts to understand and/or
explain both technology and human, social interaction and/or
structure, as these tools, techniques and/or underlying
transformations that comprise technology(ies) relate to the various
manifestations of human, social interaction and/or structure.


David Touve
PhD Candidate, Management & Organization Studies
Vanderbilt University : Owen Graduate School of Management
david.touve@vanderbilt.edu
Office: +1 (615) 866-1286
http://www.davidtouve.com

On Feb 2, 2009, at 11:28 AM, Andrea Tapia wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and
am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/
ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is
not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may
overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network
science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are
our core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping
some of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. “Reinventing Technology in Social  
    

Theory.”
pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social
Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group
Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen “Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,”
    Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365–388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

I would think that "the sociology of technology" (not-so-simply put) would be: Empirically and/or conceptually rigorous attempts to understand and/or explain both technology and human, social interaction and/or structure, as these tools, techniques and/or underlying transformations that comprise technology(ies) relate to the various manifestations of human, social interaction and/or structure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ David Touve PhD Candidate, Management & Organization Studies Vanderbilt University : Owen Graduate School of Management david.touve@vanderbilt.edu Office: +1 (615) 866-1286 http://www.davidtouve.com On Feb 2, 2009, at 11:28 AM, Andrea Tapia wrote: > Hello CITASA folks. > > As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and > am the > only sociologist on the faculty. > > Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ > ies" This > has been a surprisingly difficult task. > What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is > not, > therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? > > So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may > overlap > with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of > science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of > communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like > Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network > science etc. > > So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are > our core > competencies? > > I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping > some of > you can aid me in my quest. > > > 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. “Reinventing Technology in Social > Theory.” > pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social > Theory: > 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group > Pub Ltd, > 1997 > > > 2. Saskia Sassen “Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,” > Current > Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365–388 SAGE Publications > > > > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org
NP
Nathaniel Poor
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 7:19 PM

Technology changes, people don't. (To quote sociologist Russ Neuman.)

In 10 years, we may study different technological forms, but the
people will be the same (same motivations, desires, etc.). Therefore I
would think that the sociological theories would be pretty much the
same. I don't mean that in a defeatist way, I mean that I hope our
theories are pretty good today and stand the test of time (and peer-
review!).

However I am not actually a sociologist, fwiw. (comm studies)

^_^  ndp...

On Feb 2, 2009, at 1:43 PM, Ron Anderson wrote:

Andrea,
You have raised some very interesting and useful questions that
deserve an answer, but keep in mind that the historical context will
shape the answer, perhaps more than anything. For a historical
perspective from the point of view of the CITASA community you
should re-read the articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL
SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171, "Symposium on the history of
CITASA." They show how drastically the technology, as well as the
sociology of technology, changed in less than 20 years. In 10 to 20
years from now, the technology, as well as the sociology of
technology, will be dramatically different, perhaps something like
Gibson's Neuromancer. But in the present age of the Internet, i
think no one has done a better job at showing us what the sociology
of technology is than Manuel Castells in his many books. If you can
find a good condensation of one of more of his books, it might
provide you with something close to defining the essential elements
of the "field."
Defining the skills is a different and more difficult task. I have
followed the social movement to define "21st century skills" and
some of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical thinking about
the technology itself, although most of the literature is oriented
toward changing K-12 learning. I think you will find some useful
ideas from the point of view of computer scientists in a 10 year old
report from the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with
Information Technology:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3
in the section on being analytical about the complexity of
technology and its impact. It's not much, but it is more than you'll
find in the sociological literature in terms of analytical skills.
All the best,
Ron

At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and
am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/
ies" This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it
is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies
may overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network
science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are
our core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am
hoping some of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social  
    

Theory.²
pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in
Social Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group
Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information
    Technology,² Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365 388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of Minnesota, Mpls, MN
55455 rea@umn.edu
Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/          Blog: http://contexts.org/eye/


CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org


Nathaniel Poor, Ph.D.
http://natpoor.blogspot.com/

Technology changes, people don't. (To quote sociologist Russ Neuman.) In 10 years, we may study different technological forms, but the people will be the same (same motivations, desires, etc.). Therefore I would think that the sociological theories would be pretty much the same. I don't mean that in a defeatist way, I mean that I hope our theories are pretty good today and stand the test of time (and peer- review!). However I am not actually a sociologist, fwiw. (comm studies) ^_^ ndp... On Feb 2, 2009, at 1:43 PM, Ron Anderson wrote: > Andrea, > You have raised some very interesting and useful questions that > deserve an answer, but keep in mind that the historical context will > shape the answer, perhaps more than anything. For a historical > perspective from the point of view of the CITASA community you > should re-read the articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL > SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171, "Symposium on the history of > CITASA." They show how drastically the technology, as well as the > sociology of technology, changed in less than 20 years. In 10 to 20 > years from now, the technology, as well as the sociology of > technology, will be dramatically different, perhaps something like > Gibson's Neuromancer. But in the present age of the Internet, i > think no one has done a better job at showing us what the sociology > of technology is than Manuel Castells in his many books. If you can > find a good condensation of one of more of his books, it might > provide you with something close to defining the essential elements > of the "field." > Defining the skills is a different and more difficult task. I have > followed the social movement to define "21st century skills" and > some of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical thinking about > the technology itself, although most of the literature is oriented > toward changing K-12 learning. I think you will find some useful > ideas from the point of view of computer scientists in a 10 year old > report from the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with > Information Technology: > http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3 > in the section on being analytical about the complexity of > technology and its impact. It's not much, but it is more than you'll > find in the sociological literature in terms of analytical skills. > All the best, > Ron > > > At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote: >> Hello CITASA folks. >> >> As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and >> am the >> only sociologist on the faculty. >> >> Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ >> ies" This >> has been a surprisingly difficult task. >> What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it >> is not, >> therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? >> >> So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies >> may overlap >> with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of >> science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of >> communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like >> Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network >> science etc. >> >> So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are >> our core >> competencies? >> >> I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am >> hoping some of >> you can aid me in my quest. >> >> >> 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social >> Theory.² >> pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in >> Social Theory: >> 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group >> Pub Ltd, >> 1997 >> >> >> 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information >> Technology,² Current >> Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365 388 SAGE Publications >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> CITASA mailing list >> CITASA@list.citasa.org >> http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org > Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of Minnesota, Mpls, MN > 55455 <rea@umn.edu> > Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/ Blog: http://contexts.org/eye/ > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org ------------------------------- Nathaniel Poor, Ph.D. http://natpoor.blogspot.com/
KJ
Keith Johnson
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 7:26 PM

Ron:

You and the group may be familiar with the National Academies Press;

their publications are generally searchable free on their website.
Your useful reference is available at their site:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6482#toc

Thanks for the tip.  Keith Johnson

Andrea,
You have raised some very interesting and useful
questions that deserve an answer, but keep in
mind that the historical context will shape the
answer, perhaps more than anything. For a
historical perspective from the point of view of
the CITASA community you should re-read the
articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL
SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171,
"Symposium on the history of CITASA." They show
how drastically the technology, as well as the
sociology of technology, changed in less than 20
years. In 10 to 20 years from now, the
technology, as well as the sociology of
technology, will be dramatically different,
perhaps something like Gibson's Neuromancer. But
in the present age of the Internet, i think no
one has done a better job at showing us what the
sociology of technology is than Manuel Castells
in his many books. If you can find a good
condensation of one of more of his books, it
might provide you with something close to
defining the essential elements of the "field."
Defining the skills is a different and more
difficult task. I have followed the social
movement to define "21st century skills" and some
of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical
thinking about the technology itself, although
most of the literature is oriented toward
changing K-12 learning. I think you will find
some useful ideas from the point of view of
computer scientists in a 10 year old report from
the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with Information Technology:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3
in the section on being analytical about the
complexity of technology and its impact. It's not
much, but it is more than you'll find in the
sociological literature in terms of analytical skills.
All the best,
Ron

At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am
the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies"
This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may
overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science
etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our
core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some
of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social
Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub
Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,²
    Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of
Minnesota, Mpls, MN 55455 rea@umn.edu
Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/        Blog:
http://contexts.org/eye/


CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

Ron: You and the group may be familiar with the National Academies Press; their publications are generally searchable free on their website. Your useful reference is available at their site: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6482#toc Thanks for the tip. Keith Johnson > Andrea, > You have raised some very interesting and useful > questions that deserve an answer, but keep in > mind that the historical context will shape the > answer, perhaps more than anything. For a > historical perspective from the point of view of > the CITASA community you should re-read the > articles in the Summer 2006 issue of the SOCIAL > SCIENCE COMPUTER REVIEW, pages 139-171, > "Symposium on the history of CITASA." They show > how drastically the technology, as well as the > sociology of technology, changed in less than 20 > years. In 10 to 20 years from now, the > technology, as well as the sociology of > technology, will be dramatically different, > perhaps something like Gibson's Neuromancer. But > in the present age of the Internet, i think no > one has done a better job at showing us what the > sociology of technology is than Manuel Castells > in his many books. If you can find a good > condensation of one of more of his books, it > might provide you with something close to > defining the essential elements of the "field." > Defining the skills is a different and more > difficult task. I have followed the social > movement to define "21st century skills" and some > of it has a very relevant emphasis upon critical > thinking about the technology itself, although > most of the literature is oriented toward > changing K-12 learning. I think you will find > some useful ideas from the point of view of > computer scientists in a 10 year old report from > the National Academy Press, Being Fluent with Information Technology: > http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Information-Technology-Committee-Literacy/dp/030906399X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1233599513&sr=1-3 > in the section on being analytical about the > complexity of technology and its impact. It's not > much, but it is more than you'll find in the > sociological literature in terms of analytical skills. > All the best, > Ron > > > At 11:28 AM 2/2/2009, Andrea Tapia wrote: >>Hello CITASA folks. >> >>As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am >> the >>only sociologist on the faculty. >> >>Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" >> This >>has been a surprisingly difficult task. >>What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, >>therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? >> >>So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may >> overlap >>with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of >>science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of >>communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like >>Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science >> etc. >> >>So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our >> core >>competencies? >> >>I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some >> of >>you can aid me in my quest. >> >> >>1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² >>pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social >> Theory: >>1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub >> Ltd, >>1997 >> >> >>2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² >> Current >>Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>CITASA mailing list >>CITASA@list.citasa.org >>http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org > > Ronald E Anderson, Professor Emeritus, U. of > Minnesota, Mpls, MN 55455 <rea@umn.edu> > Web site: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~rea/ Blog: > http://contexts.org/eye/ > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org >
ST
Sam Tobin
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 7:35 PM

Here here.  I'm certainly not sure that we/us all can agree what
"technology" or "sociology" is anyway. Maybe overlaps are where we
meet, be it this list, as interlocutors or just downloading the same
.pdf for class.

Samuel Tobin
PhD Candidate: Sociology, NSSR
www.samueltobin.com

On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Chris Anderson cwa2103@columbia.edu wrote:

I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can of worms here) why the
"sociology of technologies" is not some of all of those things, rather than
anything unique in and of itself? In other words, maybe it exists ONLY in
the overlaps. What's wrong with that, apart from the administrative
difficulties such an answer may cause?

Chris Anderson

--

PhD Student, Communications
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
cwa2103@columbia.edu

On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia atapia@ist.psu.edu wrote:

Hello CITASA folks.

As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the
only sociologist on the faculty.

Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies"
This
has been a surprisingly difficult task.
What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not,
therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right?

So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may
overlap
with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of
science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of
communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like
Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc.

So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our
core
competencies?

I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some
of
you can aid me in my quest.

  1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.²
    

pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social
Theory:
1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd,
1997

  1. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,²
    Current
    Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications

CITASA mailing list
CITASA@list.citasa.org
http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org

Here here. I'm certainly not sure that we/us all can agree what "technology" or "sociology" is anyway. Maybe overlaps are where we meet, be it this list, as interlocutors or just downloading the same .pdf for class. Samuel Tobin PhD Candidate: Sociology, NSSR www.samueltobin.com On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Chris Anderson <cwa2103@columbia.edu> wrote: > I guess I am curious (and I know I am opening a can of worms here) why the > "sociology of technologies" is not some of all of those things, rather than > anything unique in and of itself? In other words, maybe it exists ONLY in > the overlaps. What's wrong with that, apart from the administrative > difficulties such an answer may cause? > > Chris Anderson > > -- > > PhD Student, Communications > Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism > cwa2103@columbia.edu > > On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Andrea Tapia <atapia@ist.psu.edu> wrote: >> >> Hello CITASA folks. >> >> As many of you know, I work in an I-school (Information school) and am the >> only sociologist on the faculty. >> >> Recently I have been asked to define the "sociology of technology/ies" >> This >> has been a surprisingly difficult task. >> What I have been doing is staking out boundaries, stating what it is not, >> therefore, what I'll have left is what it is, right? >> >> So far I have removed the following, Sociology of Technology/ies may >> overlap >> with--but is NOT science and technology studies, not the sociology of >> science, not the sociology of knowledge, not the sociology of >> communications, not social informatics, not a bunch of theories like >> Structuration/Actor Network/SCOT/SST/Institutionalism/network science etc. >> >> So, I ask you, what is left? What do we do that is unique? What are our >> core >> competencies? >> >> I've found a couple readings that have helped a bit, but I am hoping some >> of >> you can aid me in my quest. >> >> >> 1. Shields, Mark A. 1997. ³Reinventing Technology in Social Theory.² >> pages 187-216. Is a book chapter in...Current Perspectives in Social >> Theory: >> 1997 By Jennifer M. Lehmann, Ben Agger Published by Emerald Group Pub Ltd, >> 1997 >> >> >> 2. Saskia Sassen ³Towards a Sociology of Information Technology,² >> Current >> Sociology, May 2002, Vol. 50(3): 365­388 SAGE Publications >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> CITASA mailing list >> CITASA@list.citasa.org >> http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org >> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > CITASA mailing list > CITASA@list.citasa.org > http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org > >