September 2011
11 posts
Introduction
In short, Social Informatics is the “field of research focusing on the relationships between information and communication technologies and the larger social context in which these ICTs exist” (Sawyer & Eschenfelder 2002, p. 428). It emerges as a necessary trans-disciplinary study, as computerization becomes more prolific and, what this digital scrapbook will demonstrate, technology has become...
Reference List
Bowker, G. C. & Star, S. L. 1999, Sorting Things Out: Classification and its Consequences, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 285 - 317.
Kling, R. 1999, ‘What is Social Informatics and Why Does it Matter?’, D-Lib Magazine, vol. 5, no. 1, <http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january99/kling/01kling.html>
Kling, R., Rosenbaum, H. & Sawyer, S. 2005, Understanding and Communicating Social...
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EMERGING CONCEPTS: Autobots
The trend in robotics research surrounds creating autonomous and life-like robots for human needs. Breazel and Scasselati (2002) believe that these machines should be able to “acquire new knowledge autonomously and become increasingly more complex and capable with the assistance of a person” (Breazeal & Scasselati 2002, p. 481). The benefits of such technology could mean exploration and...
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MISCELLANEOUS: Read Me
QWERTY-style communication is proliferated through the popular use of smart phones, computers and laptops and computer tablets. With touch typing being a necessary skill in the modern work force, the QWERTY keypad is familiar to most computerized societies. However, despite its popularity, in 1988, Charles A. Macarthur predicted that the great differences between typing and writing will transform...
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MISCELLANEOUS: Jumping on the Band Wagon
Social media is one of the great consequences of web 2.0, providing an easy and instant portal for mass personal communication. Catalysed by the introduction of the internet and the social nature of human beings, social media platforms are examples of the combination of online capabilities and human nature have resulted in a cultural phenomenon.
Posse.com has capitalised on the popularity of...
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DIGITAL CONVERGENCE: Staying 'Connected'
Smart touch phones are highly penetrative technologies with a multitude of uses, from entertainment to communication. One of the key ideas in social informatics (Kling 1999, Sawyer 2002, Kling et al. 2005, Humphries 2011) is that social context plays an integral role in the effect technology will have on its users. This also applies to mobile phones, where “the effects of new technologies are not...
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GAMIFICATION: Investorville
Professor Mark Griffiths (2002) has found that there is an incredible list of positive attributes of playing video games to support the idea that it would make a positive contribution to education. He believes that video games are “fun and stimulating for the participants. Consequently, it is easier to achieve and maintain a person’s undivided attention for long periods of time” (Griffith 2002, p....
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MISCELLANEOUS: 3M and IBM New Venture
Professor Elaine Lally (2005) examines the role of technology and information in the home environment and found that technologies, such as desktop computers and mobile devices, have increasingly been used to store and generate personal information. Evolving personal communication, these domestic information technologies have changed the pace, rate of understanding and relationship with personal...
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DIGITAL CONVERGENCE: How much better can your...
The mobile phone industry is one of the key drivers of digital convergence as it has evolved from a portable telephone device into an all-bearing multi-purpose piece of technology. In previous quests, technology giants such as Nokia, Apple and Blackberry have continually tried to make devices smaller and more diverse, until it has finally reached a stage where a mobile touch smartphone is now used...
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GAMIFICATION: Tap Tap Revenging the Misconceptions...
Gaming has traditionally been known for its entertainment value has been hailed by some researchers for its educational qualities. Steven Johnson (2005) looks at research conducted by Professor James Gee, researcher in learning science, to demonstrate how video games enhances cognitive skills rather than diminishes them. This is also supported by the studies of Mark Griffiths (2002) who has...