WHERE ENROLLMENT MEETS STRUCTURE:UNDERSTANDING PDA EVOLUTIONTHROUGH SOCIOTECHNOLOGICAL THEORY

摘要

Sociotechnological theory seeks to understand technology as both material and social artifacts. Actor-NetworkrnTheory (ANT) offers an approach to sociotechnological theory that emphasizes a micro-level analysis ofrnpolitical strategies, but has been criticized for not considering larger social and cultural processes. This paperrnpresents an approach to sociotechnological theory that links the enrollment process of ANT with broader socialrnpractices, and social group memberships. Two case studies of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) evolutionrn(Psion, led by David Potter, and Palm, led by Jeff Hawkins) are used to illustrate this approach.