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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Hi all<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">I am a PhD candidate in Information Systems and
I study the relation between (collective) memory constitution and technologies
of virtuality. From my point of view (that of a young researcher) questions like
the one raise here are double-edged, in a sense that form one hand they seem to
try to conceptually unite an a priori dichotomized field, and from the other
hand they construct a comprehensive understanding of the technology-world
relation.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">With the fear to sound too naïve, I have to say
that to define/understand (at least hermeneutically) technology as an object is
extremely difficult. It seems that even among the researchers of the IS
community, the definition of technology (as a IT artifact) is elusive. Take for
example the long discussions that begun after the Orlikowski and Iacono paper:
Orlikowski, W., and Iacono, S. “Desperately Seeking the ‘IT’ in IT Research—A
Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact,” Information Systems Research (12:2), June
2001, pp. 121-134.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">During my research I came face-to-face with a
similar question. What should I consider as technology and technology of
virtuality? I have come to the conclusion that technologies of virtuality can be
treated with different … attitudes: as a ‘technology’ (i.e ICT), as an
‘art’ (i.e. a salient statue or an architectural construct), or as a
‘metaphysical’ structure (i.e. not-real worlds). These three ‘attitudes’ come
with different worldviews, philosophies and research methodologies.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">I decided to follow the phenomenological
worldview and I found particular helpful the works of Don Ihde (Technology and
the Lifeworld: From Garden to Earth) as well as Heidegger’s and </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Gadanmer’s ideas technology and
hermeneutics. Then form the sociological perspective, I found relevant the works
of Alferd </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Schutz and
Paul Ricoeur. Additional sources that had great impact were Bruno Latour’s
“Technology is Society Made Durable” (in J. Law’s edited book A Sociology of
Monsters) and the book by Bijker & Law (1994)</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">“</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Shaping Technology / Building Society: Studies
in Sociotechnical Change”.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Best regards<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Anthony<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>_______________ _<BR>Anthony Papargyris,
MSc.<BR>Research Officer, ISTLab/OIS<BR>Department of Management Science and
Technology<BR>Athens University of Economics and Business <BR>76 Patission St.,
GR104 34, Athens, GREECE<BR>tel. +30 210 8203 755, fax. +30 210 8203
756,<BR>mailto: <A href="mailto:apaparg@aueb.gr">apaparg@aueb.gr</A>, <BR><A
href="http://istlab.dmst.aueb.gr/content/members/m_apaparg.html">http://istlab.dmst.aueb.gr/content/members/m_apaparg.html</A><BR><A
href="http://www.imagesofvirtuality.org">http://www.imagesofvirtuality.org</A></FONT></DIV>
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