Social Informatics

Social Informatics Social Impacts of Technological Advances

social informatics defined: • ”The body of research and study that examines social aspects of information and communication technologies, particularly computerization.” • [Kling, Rosenbaum & Hert, 1998]

social informatics is a multidisciplinary field of study, crossing the disciplines of sociology, library and information science, education, human factors, computer science, economics, usability, information systems, and communications

other terms for social informatics • social impacts of computing • social analysis of computing • studies of computer-mediated communication [CMC] • information policy • computers and society • organizational informatics

social informatics acknowledges that the relationship between technology and people is RECIPROCAL

What does this mean? design of computers needs to reflect the functionalities people value AND the ways people communicate are altered by technological advances such as the Internet

History of Social Informatics • concern over the relationship between society and technology is not new • invention of printing in the 15th century redefined society and reshaped Western culture • Provenzo, 1986

the label “social informatics” emerged from a 1996 workshop at UCLA on the social aspects of digital libraries • the label was developed in order to characterize the interests and serve as a banner for the research efforts of this field

1997 National Science Foundation workshop: Advances in Organizational and Social Informatics • term was further refined to cover “the interdisciplinary study of the design, uses and consequences of information and communication technologies that takes into account their interaction with institutional and cultural contexts” • NSF, 1997

Viewpoints within and about Social Informatics Issues • the computerization of society is generally destructive, insidious and de-humanizing • Postman, 1993 • computerization is leading to a transformation of a new civilization • Hillis, 1998

interactive computer-mediated environments lead to a destructive fragmentation of the self • Turkle, 1995 • computerization of society leads to social fragmentation between the information haves and the information have-nots • Johnson, 1997

computerization actually reduces productivity in the workplace • Foust, 1995 • technological advances create problems but we need to study the negative effects of computing so those effects can be reduced..technology is not an immutable force outside of human control • Baase, 1997

occupations and occupational roles must change with the technological advances, but this also causes a displacement in the society of workers who can keep up and those who can not • Bradley, 1993

social informatics matters--it has important repercussions for public policy, professional practice, and the education of information technology professionals • it is important to understand the design, use, configuration, and /or consequences of information and communication technologies so that they are actually workable for people • Kling, 1999

Summary and Implications of these Varying Viewpoints • social informatics provides a starting point for discussion and debate about the shaping of social structure by technology • there is no unifying viewpoint in this field • researchers often seek to control the overwhelming number of factors in social informatics by concentrating on only one aspect of study

multiple agendas can be problematic and confusing for those concerned with the social aspects of technological advance • how can this research inform practice for the manager?

Why should the Manager be Conversant in Social Informatics? • As managers we must manage and interact with information, the technology that provides access to that information and the people who must use that information productively

A Key Problem for Social Informatics • studies are scattered among different fields and numerous journals • each of those fields has its own research domain, culture, preferred research methodologies, language and nature of forming research questions • this can make it hard to conduct research and/or locate studies

The Flip Side of this Problem is… • the multiplicity of agendas can contribute to a synergy of interdisciplinary conversations that motivate research

Key Social Informatics Concepts • technological access: physical availability of suitable equipment for a given activity • social access: a mixture of technical skills and resources that allows the individual to use technologies in ways that enhance professional practices and social life

socio-technical systems: “computerized information systems as social technical systems” • design of socio-technical systems requires learning about the preferences of the men and women who will use the system [reciprocity]

A socio-technical system is an interdependent system made of: • people in various roles and relationships with each other and with other system elements • hardware • software • techniques • support resources • information structures

Social Informatics Research • the “productivity paradox” • work processes • electronic journals • Internet use • public access to information • technological infrastructure

The “Productivity Paradox” • issue: does technology make people more productive or does technology create barriers to productivity for workers?

social informatics research on the “productivity paradox” is inconclusive at this point • many researchers have concluded that technology actually decreases work productivity • other researchers call for further study • as a result, this presentation does not concentrate on this issue

Work Processes • how have work processes changed as technology has advanced? • example: the prediction that computers and monitor screens will eliminate the need for paper in the office

1980s vision of a “paperless office” is in stark contrast to rising sales of laser printers in the 90s • problem of limited screen space [even 17” displays] not compatible with complex activities of workers, for example, working with multiple documents

paper is more versatile and simpler to use • documents can be viewed side-by-side • paper is extremely portable

Social informatics research on work processes asks • how can workability and design of systems and information services for various workers and settings be improved? • given the interrelated and complex elements of a socio-technical system, how much weight does each element carry into the final design?

Electronic Journals • has communication via literature changed as technology has advanced? • example: the technological capability to transmit information via ejournals is predicted to reduce the use of paper journals

“From a technological information processing perspective, new media such as electronic journals, databases, preprint servers--are said to reduce the costs of communication, expand the range of people and locations from which materials are accessible, and generally speed communications.” • Kling, 1999

Social informatics research on e-journals asks • why would someone read electronic journal “A” rather than journal “B”? • how can value be added to an electronic journal? • how does communication between the journal and its readers change [if it does] with the e-journal format?

Internet Use • social informatics frames Internet use as a socio-technical environment • Internet use is closely related to public access to information and issues of technological infrastructure

Internet use in the US is still pretty uncommon in comparison to other home-based technologies, such as video games or television • comparison with other countries, especially Third World countries, shows that access to the Internet is far from universal

universal access depends on the net providing value in the form of information access, commerce, entertainment, and communications

one of the more significant barriers to achieving access is lack of training and inability to diagnose problems once people were given access-which leads to "dropping out" of the net • Johnson, 1997

Social informatics research on Internet use asks • how does Internet use fit into the workplace culture, rules, work practices, communication? • how do groups use the Internet and how can we incorporate their needs into the design of these systems? • when will the Web enable the public to locate 'better information'? under what conditions? who will do this?

Public Access to Information • it was predicted that 50% of US households will have computers by the year 2000 • social access is integral to the design and development of systems and services that are to be widely used

home ownership of personal computers has increased more than 50 percent since 1994 • the number of households using e-mail has nearly quadrupled • US Department of Commerce, 1999

African-American and Hispanic households are well behind the national average for telephone penetration, personal computer ownership, and online access • the gap between white information-haves and non-white information-haves has widened in the past 3 years • Pietrucha, 1998

Universal access outside the US • the simple truth is the information superhighway is not bringing the fruits of cyberspace to all • there are far too many people in the developing world who have not been touched by the information and communication revolutions-the have-nots and the know-nots who risk being always behind

the already existing gulf in the levels of science and technology performed in the developed and the poorer countries will be widened further, and that could lead to increased levels of brain drain and dependence on foreign aid of a different kind (knowledge imperialism) • Arunachalam, 1998

..to help prevent a division of haves and have-nots, competing firms must be free to provide customers all over the world with the best and most affordable network computing products and services..

[however]..governments must be prepared to fund universal access programs for those who are left unserved by competition • IBM Corporation, 1997

Social informatics research on public access to information asks • given problematic access, how can this be changed? • if Internet use is “too hard” for many people, how can the usability barriers be broken down? • how can social access be more prominently incorporated into system and service design?

Technological Infrastructure • technological elements and social relationships are inseparable parts of technological infrastructure • excellent technological design includes usability requirements of the people who will use the technology

Special attention needs to be paid to: • the roles and relationships between individuals and groups of people in relation to the system elements • training, help and support resources provided • the structures that provide information, such as access controls, rules and regulations

effective computer systems that use Internet services will require reliable complementary technological resources -- such as printers, electricity (reliable in urban settings, sometimes problematic after disasters and in remote regions)

the infrastructure for making computer systems workable also includes a variety of resources that are social in character, the most obvious are: • skilled technical installers • trainers • consultants

in addition, people who use advanced networking applications need know-how -- to be able to learn to effectively integrate them into their working practices -- based on learning from others • Kling, 1998

Social Informatics