Toward Information Infrastructure Studies: Ways of Knowing in a Networked Environment

It is rare enough in human history that fundamentally new ways of working are developed, which changed the way in which information was gathered, processed, stored, and reused. When we developed speech, writing, and printing, new forms of action at a distance over time became possible (Clanchy, 1993; Goody, 1987). It now seems natural to update this triad by adding the internet. It is clear that each new work mode has accompanied – rather than preceded or followed – social, economic, and organizational upheavals. In this article we explore the current change accompanying the development of the internet in terms of its relationship with the nature and production of knowledge. We move from a definition of infrastructure to the exploration of a historical context for its development. We continue with the organizational, political, and finally ontological dimensions of its development. Many of our examples will be drawn from scientific cyberinfrastructure; however, where appropriate, links to knowledge work in the arts and humanities and in business will be made.