Actor Network Theory is applied to the analysis of three IT-mediated change projects and their contexts. Results show that the interpretative flexibility of the technology gave rise to conflicting translations, causing continuous realignments of competing networks enacted through battles of wills and face-saving strategies. We argue that to understand and foresee the complex interactions betwee...

Wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) consist of powerful actors and resource constraint sensors that are linked together in wireless networks. They mostly rely on actors to make proper decisions and perform desired coordination to achieve the goals of the entire network. They are usually deployed in critical applications and actor-actor network connectivity is thus vital to their effectiv...

In this paper, we propose to investigate three main social ontological schools – practice theory, assemblages theories and actor-network theory – to focus on the assemblage theory, and to clarify social ontology underlying the last one, for finally discussing its contribution in the debate on the philosophies of the (social)Web, in order to specify what social ontology for social web.

This article explores the methodological implications of actor-network theory for social research. Pointing to an increasing awareness of ANT in sociological discourse, but assuming that it is more widely known than well understood, the article outlines some of the key features of ANT as an approach to social life, before addressing the tricky question of how these ideas translate into methodol...

This paper outlines a research in progress set to study network effects in social media. The focus is on outlining the theoretical framework in which this study is embedded. The concepts of cumulative network effects and segmentive network effects are introduced to explain the processes by which social media can generate and maintain both a larger network of members (an online city) and a more ...

Rather than conceptualising the curriculum as a mandate which guides a teacher’s task of advancing the knowledge of students, or what the author will call the simple story, the curriculum as an object of complexities is explored in this article. The article considers how approaching the curriculum relationally can be a more fruitful quest than simply accepting that curriculum activity is predet...

Teaching innovative schools of thought call for innovative methods of instruction. This article investigates the challenges associated with teaching Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and proposes a creative pedagogical approach of ‘performing’ ANT in the classroom. This article presents a small case study of an instance where this theatrical method was employed in an undergraduate classroom to teach A...