Search

In a society driven by clock time and technology, it is no suprise that a robotic working pace is often viewed as inevitable, even ideal. However, ultimately discussions regarding robotic pace are shaped by different perspectives and contexts. In this paper, content-frame analysis was used to examine how ‘working at a robotic pace’ is addressed in academic discourse across scientific disciplines. The statements (N=22) were coded and examined for their positive, negative, or neutral appraisal, as well as the value base derived from either a human(e) or efficiency perspective. In academic communication, the concept has been framed by justifying, criticizing, and problemsolving discourses. The criticising frame was not found exclusively in the social sciences but across disciplines. It was the most common discourse frame, with its subjective perspective focusing on people and well-being. The problem-solving frame included a neutral, constructive and more objective approach associated with socio-technical ideals emphasized in engineering disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public perception of artificial intelligence may not coincide with its actual capabilities, but it plays the key role in how algorithms are developed, implemented, used and regulated. Mass media are not bystanders to this perception but shape public opinion: they influence attitudes towards technologies by setting the agenda and framing news. Given the fact that the issues of artificial intelligence have become increasingly requested in search engines and discussed on news resources in 2023-2024, we need to focus on the dominants of technological discourse and control over the transformation of society under the influence of new technological forms/orders. The sociological study conducted by the authors aimed at identifying representations and strategies for constructing the image of artificial intelligence in the Russian media under the active implementation and routinization of algorithmic technologies. The study was based on the discourse analysis as developed by sociology of knowledge - to understand how social actors form and use discursive strategies to realize their own interests. The article presents the results of the analysis, showing how the media represent artificial intelligence, which actors participate in the discussion and what meta-frames for the technology the media use. Thus, the authors mention that the news discourse at the time of the study was not sensitive to the potential risks of algorithms: possible negative consequences were considered less often than advantages, and the list of threats was usually incomplete and rather hyperbolic. The authors focus on the tendency to perceive artificial intelligence systems as superior to human capabilities, which can lead to the anthropomorphization of technical progress, and, therefore, to new ethical and social challenges.

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Young Intellectuals / Genç Mütefekkirler Dergisi is the property of Journal of Young Intellectuals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Sociedad is the property of Centro de Estudios sobre Ciencia, Desarrollo y Educacion Superior and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Družboslovne Razprave is the property of Druzboslovne Razprave and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The effectiveness of robot implementation in various societal sectors depends not only on the robot’s technical characteristics but also on how different social groups perceive and interact with them. Social attitudes towards robots, in turn, are influenced by sociocultural and sociodemographic factors. In the context of the sociology of technology and actor-network theory, this research explores the social significance of technical devices, the processes of social adaptation, and communication with robots. However, empirical research on human-robot interaction (HRI), especially in the Russian context, remains limited. This article presents the results of a study that examines the perceptions of robots by actual and potential users in two aspects: the level of basic social attitudes towards new technologies and robots (social acceptability) and the evaluation of interactions with robots in specific situations (practical acceptability). The empirical basis of the study consists of survey data from customers at a multifunctional center providing state and municipal services in Perm. They received services from either a service anthropomorphic robot, Promobot V.4, or a human employee at the center. Using cluster analysis, three types (clusters) of attitudes towards innovations and robots were identified at the level of basic social attitudes: robo-skeptics, robo-phobes, and robo-philes. The social characteristics of these identified types were examined. The study introduces an original method for measuring satisfaction with actual interactions with service robots based on various parameters (evaluation of service convenience, communication quality, personal activity, willingness to recommend robot services, etc.). The study confirms the hypothesis of the connection between the type of attitude towards innovations and robots and the satisfaction with actual interactions with robots in specific situations. The lowest levels of satisfaction with robot interactions and the desire to avoid such interactions were observed among robo-phobes, who are more frequently represented by individuals of senior age group (age 55 and above). The research results allow determining the prospects for implementing service robots in the public space of a major Russian city based on understanding the social attitudes of users.

Hernán Thomas--a well-known figure in Science and Technology Studies (STS) in Latin America--talks about his academic career and some of the questions that drive his research. In this interview, he narrates his encounter with STS--which was marked by the aspiration to create a space of reflection and intervention around technology an incipient field in Latin American academia. When asked "How can we forge paths to development using technologies for social inclusion in Latin America?", Thomas adopts a broad perspective. He relates the persistence of a hegemonic thought that reproduces the models of dependency, with their manifestation in scientific production evaluation focused on publication in international journals. This contributes to build a scientific field in line with central countries' research agendas, while constructing sociotechnical systems that detach technologists from local problems. In the face of this diagnosis, Thomas holds that theory is necessary, but insufficient. Plans and strategies should be designed to integrate production and artifacts with their technoeconomic macrostructures. Forging a path of inclusive technologic development requires a counter-hegemonic vision that would enable more egalitarian and free futures for the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Tecnología, Ciencia & Educación is the property of Centro de Estudios Financieros SL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Soziale Welt is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The sociology of technology needs more nuanced conceptualizations of the temporal aspects of sociotechnical change. In this article, we propose liminality as a useful analytical entrypoint to study technologies that seemingly remain in a 'no man's land' - what we call liminal technologies. Drawing on anthropological accounts and technology studies literature, we propose a framework to be used as a sensitizing device that includes four ways of understanding liminal technologies: (1) technologies in shielded transition, (2) technologies under construction through negotiation, (3) technologies that are morphing between worlds, and (4) technologies remaining in an in-between space. We use the Belgrade metro effort - an infrastructure project that has been in development for almost a century - as an extreme case through which to explore the achievements of this framework. The analysis shows that the liminality of the metro was characterized by a combination of spiral, multi-linear and halted temporality. Despite severely dis-aligned expectations, liminality persisted due to a shared belief that a metro would benefit Belgrade. We conclude that using liminal technology as a sensitizing device may in particular be relevant to technologies with prolonged liminality because it highlights temporal patterns that may prevent technological development from being either completed or terminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theoretical work by Internet and social media scholars promises to offer valuable clarity to a concept which has been historically rather muddy: the affordance. Connections and shared themes within this recent literature have been thus far rather under-developed, and therefore the first contribution of this article is to strengthen those connections. It argues for a nascent conceptualisation of affordances as 'sites of contestation', improving on unsatisfactory applications of affordance theory to date by focusing on the specificity of user-groups, on social media's status as both textual and material, and on power imbalances between users and platforms. The second contribution of this article is an empirical application of this analytical tool. Drawing on ethnographic work in a do-it-yourself ('DIY') music scene in Leeds, it considers what is 'afforded' to these practitioners by the Facebook Pages platform. Three key affordances are outlined – 'digging', 'rallying' and 'surveilling' – which shed light on the complexity and variety of contestations enacted between platforms and users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Qualitative Forschung (ZQF) is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Societies are on the way to becoming smarter every day by following, copying, and observing one another; the increase of knowledge is already accelerating, but do we know what all of us know? Or more critically, are we able to benefit from everything one has learned? The literature normatively postulates techno-social interactions to be a multi-motivated and multi-consequential phenomenon driven by imbalances in economic, social, cultural, and political situations (non-philosophical facts). Nevertheless, the literature has not highlighted its modern sociological assumptions; it acts as a Techno-utopianist (Nietzschean thoughts) or at least as a dominated technological-determinist (Giant wishes). In this sense, this study takes a different approach to analyzing techno-social interactions using the principles of Technorealism to discuss the issues that concern Technorealists. This paper argues that Technorealists wish to break loose from being pure modern technophiles whose revolts, freedoms, and passions are governed by techno-social struggles. The paper shall metaphorically envisage the extent to which current and future controllers should be avoided without taking any peculiar postmodern moral objective (e.g., stop surveillance governance). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the implications of a real and common alternative to attempting the transformation required to embrace a new, dominant, technology—the choice to maintain focus on the old technology. In considering this choice, we distinguish between “racing” strategies, which attempt to fight off the rise of the new technology by extending the performance of the old technology, and “retreat” strategies, which attempt to accommodate the rise of the new technology by repositioning the old technology in the demand environment. Underlying our arguments is the observation that the emergence of a new technology does more than just create a substitute threat—it can also reveal significant underlying heterogeneity in the old technology’s broader demand environment. This heterogeneity is a source of opportunities that can support a new position for the old technology, in either the current market or a new one. Using this lens, we explore the decision to stay with the old technology as a rational, proactive choice rather than as a mark of managerial and organizational failure. We then consider the distinctive challenges and organizational dynamics that arise in technology retreats, and their implications for the ways in which managers and scholars should approach questions regarding the management of capabilities, lifecycles, and ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How and why did the Internet accumulate so many valuable improvements during the era of US-government sponsorship? The essay interprets the creation of the Internet through the lens of collective invention, focusing attention on the institutional factors that shaped the aspirations of participants and that constrained the realization of those aspirations. The analysis provides insight about why the technology developed beyond its prototype status, and extended the Internet to new users or uses, especially nontechnical users. The essay features the development of email as an illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marketing tends to view technology as a means to meeting customer needs and desires. This view has led some marketers to focus perhaps too exclusively on the customer to the detriment of a deep understanding of technology and its interaction with society. Drawing on the ideas of the philosophers Heidegger and Popper, this article contends that technology is more than a means to the end of satisfying consumer needs and wants, it is an active force which frequently escapes the control of the marketer. The article explores the ways in which technologies, firms, customers and society interact, and it suggests how firms might adopt different strategies towards technology to take advantage of these emergent interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative technologies such as group support systems (GSS) are often developed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teams; however, the satisfaction users have with the processes and outcomes of the teamwork itself often determines the ultimate adoption and sustained use of collaborative technologies. Much of the research on teamwork has focused on meetings in particular and, consequently, satisfaction with the process and outcomes of meetings, referred to collectively as meeting satisfaction. Research on meeting satisfaction in GSS-supported groups has been equivocal, indicating the need for advancement in our theoretical understanding of the construct. To that end, this paper presents a causal model of meeting satisfaction derived from goal setting theory. The model is tested with an empirical study consisting of 15 GSS groups and 11 face-to-face (FTF) groups engaged in the 'lost at sea' task. The results of analysis using structural equation modeling indicate support for the model's integrity across both GSS and FTF groups. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed, including how the model can be used to improve future research on the use of collaborative technology to support teamwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of social subsystem costs and benefits in information technology (IT) investment choices has been a difficult problem for IT decision-makers. Past research has shown that although some organizations adequately and consistently consider social subsystem issues when making IT investment decisions, many do not. This demonstrates a discrepancy between prescriptive theory and descriptive evidence. Our study addresses this theory-practice disconnection by investigating which firms, and under what conditions IT investments are likely to follow or violate prescriptions. Data collected from a national sample of 200 firms shed light on the firm and situational factors that affect the consideration of social subsystem issues during the IT investment decision process. The amount of social subsystem disruption associated with the IT in question, the strategic relevance of the IT to the organization, and the firm's continuous-learning culture each have direct or interactive influences on the decision process. Specifically, they impact the consideration of social subsystem costs and benefits for IT investments. Organizational size and industry are unrelated to this facet of decision-making. Overall, the empirical results help us better understand (1) what kinds of IT decisions cause stronger evaluation of social subsystem costs and benefits, (2) what types of firms give the greatest consideration to these issues, and (3) which intangible social subsystem costs or benefits are seen as the most important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confucius's teachings fall under four headings: "culture, moral conduct, doing one's best, and being trustworthy in what one says" (7/25). Trust or, more precisely, being trustworthy, plays a central role in the Confucian ethic. This paper begins by examining the Confucian concept of trustworthiness. The second part of the paper discusses how the ideal of trustworthiness makes itself felt in business practices within China. The paper concludes by raising and addressing several objections to the Confucian emphasis on trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical paper describes the effect of social action on technological artifacts and explores how innovation may flourish or be diminished in society. Using the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) perspective, three main elements namely, flexibility of interpretation, relevant social groups and technological frame are described and their impact on innovation is discussed. The paper proposes that in developing societies, flexibility is hardly pressed by technological frames and concrete social norms do not allow the alternative designs and the useage of artifacts. This paper proposes that innovation might flourish in a society if technological frame change, and entrepreneurship become technological frames that can change the fixed meaning of artifacts and create a path for alternative designs and interpretations.

Technology implementation is complex and often unpredictable. Although previous research describes mechanisms related to the social construction of technology and technology use in organizations, researchers have focused little on the inputs to these models. In this article the author attempts to fill this void by examining triggers for initial user sensemaking. The prediction of sensemaking should enhance the application of theories, such as adaptive structuration, and inform the management of technology through greater anticipation of user understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard narrative of the emergence, rise and decline of Silicon Valley companies focuses on the evolution of institutions and technological waves, not the mentality of the innovators and entrepreneurs. This article argues that this type of explanation of the rise and decline of the Silicon Valley firms and institutions can hardly be sufficient. The suggestion is that a neo-Khaldunian theory could shed light on the issue. This article is an attempt to, first, distinguish between the medieval and modern aspects of Ibn Khaldun's theory and second, to use the latter to examine Silicon Valley as a social phenomenon. It will be argued that Ibn Khaldun's theory is of most contemporary relevance when we read it as a general account of a cyclical replacement of the untrained with the trained, while over and above the specific, environmentally deterministic cycle he identifies between 'city-dwellers' and 'Bedouins'. In the case of Silicon Valley, these could be read as metaphors for, respectively, the established tech firms versus the garage-based start-up 'geeks'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]