Start Date
12-17-2013
Description
This article explores how humans come into being with a technological world, that is, a world where information technologies are present in every aspect of human activities becoming internal to what it means to be human. Its empirical focus is on technological scenarios since they uniquely assemble both humans and non-humans into a coherent narrative prescribing what can be legitimately said and done within everyday practices. Their normative character allows a critical reworking of sociomateriality which brings to the fore how both norms and technological objects enable and constrain meaning within everyday practices. The idea of constitutive entanglement, central to sociomateriality, is articulated in more detail while its political repercussions are brought to the fore and examined in detail. As such, sociomaterial accounts acquire more depth as they can challenge the inherited languages of description of technological phenomena, show their historical character and experiment with the possibility of transcending them.
Recommended Citation
Prasopoulou, Elpida, "Rethinking sociomateriality: Information technologies and the possibility for imagination" (2013). ICIS 2013 Proceedings. 3.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2013/proceedings/BreakthroughIdeas/3
Rethinking sociomateriality: Information technologies and the possibility for imagination
This article explores how humans come into being with a technological world, that is, a world where information technologies are present in every aspect of human activities becoming internal to what it means to be human. Its empirical focus is on technological scenarios since they uniquely assemble both humans and non-humans into a coherent narrative prescribing what can be legitimately said and done within everyday practices. Their normative character allows a critical reworking of sociomateriality which brings to the fore how both norms and technological objects enable and constrain meaning within everyday practices. The idea of constitutive entanglement, central to sociomateriality, is articulated in more detail while its political repercussions are brought to the fore and examined in detail. As such, sociomaterial accounts acquire more depth as they can challenge the inherited languages of description of technological phenomena, show their historical character and experiment with the possibility of transcending them.