The Associations between Technologies and Societies: The Utility of Actor-Network Theory

Abstract

This article discusses the strengths and limitations of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a framework for Science and Technology Studies (STS). While ANT was originally rooted in Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) approaches, ANT has become a theoretical framework commonly used by scholars in numerous disciplines beyond STS, including Information Sciences. Although some scholars consider ANT to be now closer to sociomateriality studies, we claim that ANT differs from sociomateriality in that it suggests a different notion of power. In ANT, power results from actors’ associations enacted into being rather than the sociomateriality claim that power results from existing power structures. We draw from our work on information technologies and social movements to illustrate this important distinction, and to show how ANT can be further strengthened by including the study of histories, memories and trajectories, in order to better understand power relations as associations enacted into being. In this way, we offer a deeper understanding of ANT and its utility for STS research in general, and information studies in particular.