Alle Publikationen
- <<
- <
- 1
2015
-
(2015): Money as Medium and Tool in advance. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, S. 358-380. DOI: 10.5840/techne2015121039
Abstract: This article explores the relevance of Georg Simmel’s phenomenology of money and interpretation of modernity for understanding and evaluating contemporary financial information and communication technologies (ICTs). It reads Simmel as a philosopher of technology and phenomenologist whose view of money as a medium, a “pure” tool, and a social institution can help us to think about contemporary financial media and technologies. The analysis focuses on the social-spatial implications of financial ICTs. It also makes links to media theory, in particular remediation theory and Marshall McLuhan, and refers to work in anthropology and geography of money to nuance the story of the progressive dematerialization and delocalization of modern life. The conclusion highlights Simmel’s continuing relevance for thinking about the relation between technologies and social change, and explores alternative social-financial media and institutions.
Keywords: Disziplin, financial ICTs, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Informations- & Kommunikationstechnik, Informationstechnologie, McLuhan, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Philosophie, (Post)phänomenologie, Realtechnik, Reflexionen über MTR, Simmel, Technik, Technikphilosophie, (Theory of) technological mediation, Zeitschrift: techne -
(2015): Karmic Cascades. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 19 (1), S. 69-91. DOI: 10.5840/techne20154228
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/techne20154228 Abstract: The content ranking system of reddit.com, the English language Internet’s most popular social news website, plays a large but often unnoticed role in shaping what users see and how they think. By pairing informational cascade theory with textual analysis, I argue that the “karma” system elevates particular forms of content over others and generates numerical cues that unconsciously guide users’ judgments about said content and about the world. By drawing on Heidegger’s account of modern technology, I argue that the karma system both symptomatizes and engenders an ontological perspective according to which things in general are taken as available, evaluable, and disposable.
2006
-
(2006): The nature of theory in information systems. In: MIS Quarterly 30 (3), S. 611-642
Abstract: The aim of this research essay is to examine the structural nature of theory in Information Systems. Despite the importance of theory, questions relating to its form and structure are neglected in comparison with questions relating to epistemology. The essay addresses issues of causality, explanation, prediction, and generalization that underlie an understanding of theory. A taxonomy is proposed that classifies information systems theories with respect to the manner in which four central goals are addressed: analysis, explanation, prediction, and prescription. Five interrelated types of theory are distinguished: (1) theory for analyzing, (2) theory for explaining, (3) theory for predicting, (4) theory for explaining and predicting, and (5) theory for design and action. Examples illustrate the nature of each theory type. The applicability of the taxonomy is demonstrated by classifying a sample of journal articles. The paper contributes by showing that multiple views of theory exist and by exposing the assumptions underlying different viewpoints. In addition, it is suggested that the type of theory under development can influence the choice of an epistemological approach. Support is given for the legitimacy and value of each theory type. The building of integrated bodies of theory that encompass all theory types is advocated.
- <<
- <
- 1