The social construction of technology and information systems

The Social Construction of Technology and Information Systems Roger Cooley Computing Laboratory, The University of Kent ABSTRACT This paper deals with the use made by information systems researchers of Wiebe Bijker's work on the social construction of technology. In order to use Bijker's method of analysis, it is necessary to make an adjustment to cater for the organisational setting of most information systems, and it is necessary to move the focus of an analysis from ''innovation'' to the issue of ''success or failure''. Three case studies, based on published research papers, are presented and considered with respect to these adaptations of Bijker's method. The paper concludes with a note on the limitations of this method of analysis.