Social Determinants of Preparing a Cyber-Infrastructure Innovation for Diffusion

摘要

This study presents a case of asynchronous, collaborative problem solving aimed at readying a sophisticated distributed technology for large-scale diffusion. We analyzed e-mail transcripts of 30 technologists negotiating complex technical improvements necessary for wide-scale diffusion and found that the group's social interactions and discursive practices determined the improvements they were willing to realize. We detail these social dynamics and their effects on readying technologies for diffusion and argue that technology teams need to become more aware of diffusion as a social dynamic.