Introduction

Social informatics is the study of how individuals and society have been effected by informational technologies. This covers a range of theories and topics, my understanding of which has been informed and shaped by a number of artefacts. My digital scrapbook is a collection of these artefacts, and an explanation of how they have helped me to understand social informatics and realise how it plays out in my day-to-day life.      

I have accumulated a variety of artefacts here as each persons interactions with technology is unique and can play out in a number of ways. One of the approaches in social informatics is the social actors approach. This approach tells us that individuals, will they are effected by their social context, still have "individual agency"and are able to use technology for their own purposes (Sawyer & Tyworth 2006). Due to this agency, the effects of new technologies cannot be predicted and therefore there are a number of unexpected consequences. Some of these consequences have been observed within this scrapbook, both positive and negative with each artefact revealing a different aspect. These outcomes can sometimes seem to contradict each other, but again this is because there is no singular outcome. Everyone experiences information technologies differently and all of these are can be true. 

An understanding of social informatics and the effects information technologies have on individuals and society, is important. This is in part because technology is constantly evolving, it is not static (Sawyer & Tyworth 2006). It is not just enough to understand how technologies effect society now, but to understand these views and be able to apply them to future technologies. We simply cannot escape the effects of information technologies these days, they have become pervasive and surround us. We use these technologies in schools, work, for recreation, entertainment, and we carry them around in our pockets. As they surround us so completely it is important to note their effect, both positive and negative. This raises the issue of whether or not the benefits of informatics technology out-weigh the negatives, and whether or not we would be better off without them. While technologies are not in themselves either good nor bad, they enable these behaviours. These issues become even more important as time goes on, with globalisation continuing more and more people become users of these technologies, and we do not know how they will use them.  

This particular digital scrapbook is also important as it provides examples and insight into a number of different themes and topics within social informatics. These artefacts have been collected from every-day encounters as well as authoritative resources. I have used labels in order to organise these artefacts into themes and topics. These are:

Social actors
While individuals are effected by society and their environment, they ultimately have agency (Sawyer & Tyworth 2006). As such they are able to use information technologies in ways the creators did not predict.  

Pervasiveness of technology
Technology is now everywhere we look, with 6 billion mobile subscriptions (Fitzpatrick 2012), 34.3% of the worlds population uses the Internet (Miniwatts Marketing Group 2014), and 89% of the worlds households own a television (Ahonen 2011). With technology being so prevalent it is only reasonable that it was impact on our lives.

Effects on society
Information technologies effects how individuals understand and interact with the world around them and their relationships with the people in it. Social informatics teaches us that when we study technology we have to take society into account, likewise to understand society we have to take technology into account (Saywer & Tyworth 2006).

Effects on individuals
It is fairly easy to see how individuals are affected by technology, though each person my be affected differently. Information technologies have affected our home-life, professionalising it and increasing our personal information and our relationship to it (Lally 2005). As well as changing our habits, such as constantly checking our phones.

Unexpected consequences
Individuals do not always use technology for their original purpose, or indeed in any ways creators could imagine. Because they can use these technologies for their own benefit there are consequences, sometimes for just these individuals and sometimes for all of society. These unexpected consequences can be both good or bad, depending on the users intentions.

Ethical implications
With all this technology comes ethical concerns, this is especially evident when it comes to scientific advancements. There are a number of ethical questions raised when we consider how information technologies can be used to manipulate individuals and society to the benefit of those in power.

Some of these artefacts have multiple labels, making connections between them and showing how these themes inter-connect. The organisation of these artefacts is important as seeing patterns helps humans to understand and make inferences. Compiling this digital scrapbook as helped me make these connections and better understand social informatics as a whole.    

How TV Ruined Your Life

Found online: 
NotPercy203 2012, How TV Ruined Your Life - s01e01 - Fear, video recording, YouTube, viewed online 4 April 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQBwNyJDHsw>.

As Kling mentions in 'What Is Social Informatics and Why Does It Matter?, ICTs only benefit sections of society, not the whole (Kling 1999). How TV Ruined Your Life points out how TV has been used by those in power to control and manipulate society, showing how ICTs are political. One of the reasons this works so well is because it played on human biology and our ingrained reactions to threats and fear.    This makes us realise the effects our biology and history have on how ICTs affect society in a noticeable way. One of the reasons TV has such an affect on us is its pervasiveness, with most people owning at least one TV. TV has been presented as a necessary item, allowing those in power, both those in government and in media, to control a large section of society.   

My Laptop Committed Suicide. It was Horrific.

Taylor, M. 2014, My Laptop Committed Suicide. It was Horrific. What We Wrote, 8 March, viewed online 20 March 2014, <http://whatwewrote.com/my-laptop-committed-suicide-it-was-horrific/>.

This short story like all those published on What We Wrote, is based on true events, though it has been retold with the intention of entertaining. The events at the core of the story are unchanged, and these show how pervasive technology has become in our lives. To study social informatics we have to take into account both society and technology (Sawyer & Tyworth 2006). Reading this it is clear that society has become so reliant on technology that we can no longer be separated from it easily. Even after the unpleasant experiences we have with technology we cannot live without them, we use them for work, study, entertainment, and to run our every-day lives.

8 Out of 10 Cats Clip

Found online:
TrolllTPiz 2013, 8 Out of 10 Cats S15E05 (HD), video recording, YouTube, viewed 4 April 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0nAanFvZDM>.

17:40-20:33

This clip points out the pervasiveness of technology, we now carry phones with us at all times and they have affected both our social interactions and our view of information. It is only once these changes are pointed out to us that we realise how strange our actions are, and in this case pointless. Social informatics looks at how technology has affected how we relate to one another, and here we see how the ability to quickly verify facts while incredibly helpful, is shortening our conversations (Kling 1999). As Jon Richardson points out, technology has also transformed how we use and view our personal information. Where we used to write letters, we now use email and text, and while these are more durable, this does not make them more meaningful. As Lally points out, these do not feel as personal possibly because less time was spent on them or because we cannot hold a physical copy (Lally 2005). Letters are kept at home in safe places, while texts and emails can be cared everywhere, viewed when bored. Personal communications are no longer as cherished or protected as they once were.

Not sure if meme

Source:

MemeGenerator n.d. #2 Futurama Fry, viewed online 4 April 2014, <http://memegenerator.net/instance/32019067>.

This meme, like all others, is a product of hybridity, a combination of television and the Internet as well as a number of references. It only makes sense if you understand the multiple references, Futurama, Somebody That I Used To Know, Call Me Maybe. The fact that it is a meme suggests that people do understand all these references, one of the consequences of ICTs in the connectivity around the world. Large amounts of people from all around the world are now able to view the same thing, which has helped with the rise of pop-culture.  

Laptop

Davenport points out that there are "unintended consequences" of ICTs, which has made me notice all the ways in which my laptop has impacted on my life. One of the major ways is the way I study, because it is portable I am able to take it anywhere at work at anytime. While this is productive, it has changed what I would have once have considered time for relaxation, such as during a bus or train ride or while I am eating. Anther consequence is a change in my sleeping pattern, able to use my laptop in bed I find it hard to switch off, feeling as if I'm going to miss out on something important.

'Opening: Networking minds, creating meaning, contesting power'

Castells, M. 2012, ‘Opening: Networking minds, creating meaning, contesting

power', in Networks of Outrage and Hope, Polity, Cambridge, pp. 1-19. 

Castells writing points to the inextricability of society from technology (Sawyer & Tyworth 2006). The Internet and social media here is seen to be an extension of society, particularly when it comes to political movements. Mass-communication has helped to spread the awareness of political injustice and demonstrations taking place, giving power back to the people. Individuals saw the potential for ICTs to help with these movements, both spreading awareness and allowing people to become involved no matter where they are located.