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Digital trace data research is an emerging paradigm in Information Systems (IS). Whether for theory development or theory testing, IS scholars increasingly draw on data that are generated as actors use information technology. Because they are 'digital' in nature, these data are particularly suitable for computational analysis, i.e. analysis with the aid of algorithms. In turn, this opens up new possibilities for data analysis, such as process mining, text mining, and network analysis. At the same time, the increasing use of digital trace data for research purposes also raises questions and potential issues that the research community needs to address. For example, one key question is what constitutes a valid contribution to the body of knowledge and how digital trace data research influences our collective identity as a field? In this panel, we will discuss opportunities and challenges associated with digital trace data research. Reflecting on the panelists' and the audience's experience, we will point to strategies to mitigate common pitfalls and outline promising research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2020 has been a year of unprecedented disruption for the IS community. College campuses have been closed, instruction moved to online, and conferences are virtual. Early indications suggest significant disruption of budgetary and operating norms. At the same time, we are witnessing the miracle of digital technologies that allow us to satisfy our professional obligations and personal needs. Most businesses have figured out ways to continue to operate. Collectively these point to the possibility of significant challenges and opportunities for the IS community. Leveraging content from an AIS online forum, this panel is the first of a three-panel series at ICIS 2020 that is focused on the impacts and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the IS discipline and academic community. This panel will explore the issues from the perspectives of IS faculty, focusing primarily on their views about the likely consequences for IS teaching and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question and Answer (Q&A) websites serve as a platform that brings together individuals posting questions with those that can provide possible answers to those questions. Since Q&A platforms are human-made information technology (IT) artifacts, this study seeks to better understand how the designed interactive components of a platform, particularly those reflective of the crowd, impact the communication between help seekers (those that post questions) and solution providers (those that provide answers). This study sheds light on the composite role that the formation of questions and answers, along with feedback from the crowd, play in arriving at a validated solution (i.e., accepted answer) for a posed question. Using empirical data from one of the largest Q&A platforms, and applying the novel analytical technique of composite modeling, this study finds that the crowd is central in understanding how answers are perceived on the platform, and how a validated solution crystallizes from the set of answers provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks are omnipresent in both our private and professional lives. As social beings, we thrive on the ability provided to us by the technology to be social. But what does it really mean to be social within social networks? To better capture and measure socialness in that context, we look beyond measures of being active and having many connections with others, like Social Network Analysis does. In this paper, we zoom in on a new dimension that captures the content of social exchanges. We propose, that social(ness) markers related to content can be divided into four facets: being personal, being curious, being respectful, and share with others. A correlation analysis is applied to showcase how each facet is related to the dimensions of activity and connectivity. As a result, we provide a comprehensive measurement model for socialness in computermediated and networked environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appearance of concepts such as Industry 4.0 and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has re-focused the attention of innovation management research on the problem of integration of people, technology and information in increasingly distributed manufacturing settings. Information technologies are required to help close the loop between different CPS dimensions, such as expert roles and knowledge, physical objects, data and information, software functionality, and to support collaboration and knowledge creation. Virtual Reality (VR) technologies and VR's precursors have been used to varying extent by several industries. We conceptualize the idea of a VR Digital Twin that incorporates the CPS dimensions with focus on collaboration and knowledge exchange. We investigate guidelines for user interface and experience design illustrating how technological elements such as adaptive visualization, digital content, and functionality for interaction can be used to configure VR environments affording user assistance, attention and session management, and documentation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]