Information technology and organisational change

the concept of technological practice

Gerd Schienstock

pp. 95-107

in: Gerhard Banse, Petr Machleidt, Dagmar Uhl, Christian J. Langenbach (eds), Towards the information society, Berlin, Springer, 2000

Abstract

Research on information economy has been dominated for a long time by technological determinism. However, in the frame of this theory, the concept of technology has not been systematically discussed. Most researchers have confined themselves to the description of technical aspects. In the following, we will argue that, to be able to understand social aspects related to information and communication technologies (ICTs), we have to turn our attention to the various forms in which they are applied. However, technological development itself often creates the preconditions for specific forms of application.