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Started by Rob Kling
Sat, 15 Jun 1991 17:41
Article:Reading All About Computerization
Author: Rob Kling
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1991 17:41
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1991 17:41
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Note: This is a long article of about 1420 lines. Please address any
comments to the author at the adresses listed below. This first file of
3 contains just the abstract.
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Reading "All About" Computerization:
Five Common Genres of Social Analysis
Rob Kling
Department of Information and Computer Science
University of California
Irvine, CA 92717
kling@ics.uci.edu
714-856-5955
August 1990
ABSTRACT
This paper examines unstated, but critical, social assumptions which
underlie analyses of computerization. It focuses on the popular,
professional and scholarly literature which claims to describe the
actual nature of computerization, the character of computer use, and
the social choices and changes that result from computerization. This
literature can be usefully segmented five ideal type genres: utopian,
anti-utopian, social realism, social theory, and analytical reduction.
Each genre is characterized and illustrated. The strengths and
weaknesses of each genre are de-scribed. In the 1990s, there will be a
large market for social analyses of computerization. Utopian analyses
are most likely to dominate the popular and professional discourse. The
empirically oriented accounts of social realism, social theory and
analytical reduction, are likely to be much less common and also less
commonly seen and read by computer professionals and policy-makers.
These genres are relatively subtle, portray a more ambiguous world, and
have less rhetorical power to capture the imagination of readers. Even
though they are more scientific, these empirically anchored genres
don't seem to appeal to many scientists and engineers. It is ironic
that computing -- often portrayed as an instrument of knowledge -- is
primarily the subject of discourses whose knowledge claims are most
suspect. Conversely, the discourses whose claims as valid knowledge are
strongest seems to have much less appeal in the mass media and
technological communities.
To appear in: Directions in Advanced Computer Systems, 1990. Doug
Schuler, (Ed.) Norwood, N.J. Ablex Publishing Co.
Summary and review of ``Reading All About Computerization''
Author: Paul Eggert
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1991 20:57
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1991 20:57
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Summary: Rob Kling's article ``Reading All About Computerization'' says that writings about computing generally fall into the following classes: (1) _Utopian_ writings, the majority, argue or assume that life will be better if we use new computing technology. (2) _Anti-utopian_ writings say it'll be worse. Both (1) and (2) oversimplify reality. (3) _Social realism_ reports real observations about computing, but it is too detailed. This is typical for journalists. (4) _Social theory_ is more abstract, e.g. web models say you have to study the whole social system, not just computers separately. (5) _Analytical reductionism_ reduces everything to a few key concepts; this is controversial. Review: Kling favors (4) and (5), areas to which he has contributed. But he gives little evidence that these writings produce new insights. Instead, they merely restate commonsense ideas using academic jargon. Groupware innovators and users might find it more useful to read the primary sources for (1) through (3), and then think about the big picture themselves.
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