Why the context matters: A social Informatics approach to the problem of interdependence in information systems research

Throughout the social sciences, theorists have grappled with the problem of interdependence; what is the connection between the social world of individuals, groups and their interactions, and that of complex organizations, institutions, and social structures? This problem is still being investigated in sociology, where is it called by some the “micro-macro” problem and by others problem of the relationship between agency and structure. What ever it is called, the problem of interdependence is a serious theoretical challenge. This paper argues that as an unintended consequence of the social turn in information systems research, the problem can be expected to arise and without useful conceptual tools, much intellectual capital will be spent thinking it through. It offers a concept from social informatics Kling et al.’s (2003) “sociotechnical interaction network” (STIN), as a way to resolve the problem by offering a link between the micro order of information and communication technology use and the larger macro order of organizations and institutions. Extended by incorporating insights from Dourish’s (2004) interactional view of context and Scheff’s (2005) interpretation of Goffman’s concept of frames, STIN is useful for providing a connection between the macro and micro orders.