Digital divergence: analysing strategy, interpretation and controversy in the case of the introduction of an ebook reader technology

摘要

What happens when a media innovation encounters the marketplace in the form of critical bloggers and commentators? This paper adapts conceptual frameworks from science and technology studies - particularly actor-network theory (ANT) and social construction of technology (SCOT) - in order to analyse the process of introducing new media devices and the role of users and mediators in this process, by way of an empirically based study on digital strategy and marketing by a traditional book industry actor. The case studied is the Kibano Digireader, introduced to the Norwegian book market in 2011 and immediately heavily criticized. Looking into the role of tech bloggers and social media pundits, the paper argues that the success of consumer technologies relies upon an alignment with particular social groups, and their perceptions of relevance and demand. I further argue that the specific insights gained on book industry digitalization are applicable across other media industries and aim at a theoretical contribution by discussing and applying ANT/SCOT concepts on new media development. Based on analyses of press coverage and social media commentaries from November 2011, the paper addresses the following questions: What were the perceived demands and problems intended to be solved by the Digireader? How did the controversy over the Digireader play out and what arguments were raised against and in favour of the device? How can the social media commentators be categorized in terms of their engagement with and interpretation of the Digireader?