Information Ecologies
Using Technology with Heart
by Bonnie A.Nardi and Vicki L. O’Day, The MIT Press, 1999
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Ⅰ Information Ecologies: Concepts and Reflections
1 Rotwang the Inventor
2 Framing Conversations about Technology
3 A Matter of Metaphor: Technology as Tool, Text, System, Ecology
4 Information Ecologies
5 Values and Technology
6 How to Evolve Information Ecologies
Ⅱ Case Studies
7 Librarians: A Keystone Species
8 Wolf，Batgirl，and Starlight: Finding a Real Community in a Virtua1 World
9 Cultivating Gardeners: The Importance of Homegrown Expertise
10 Digita1 Photography at < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Lincoln High Schoo1
11 A Dysfunctiona1 Ecology: Privacy Issues at a Teaching Hospital
12 Diversity on the Internet
13 Conclusion
Notes
Index
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Preface
One of the most important human stories of the twentieth century is the
impact of technology on the way we live， die， work， and play. This wi11
continue into the twenty-first century. Usually discussions of technology
are either blissfully pro or darkly con. Most of the time， People do not
discuss technology at a11. They simply let it wash over them， adapting as
best they can. This book is an attempt to engender a public conversation
that will be more balanced and nuanced， to develop a critical stance that
is less passive and unreflectively accepting.
There are reasons to be concerned about the impacts of technology ---
the rapid pace of technological change challenges our ability to keep up，
human skill and judgment at work are lost to automation， and standards
of mechanical efficiency are used as benchmarks for human performance.
We see ourselves as critical friends of technology. We believe we can
find ways to enjoy the fruits of technology without being diminished by
it. It is possible to use technology with pleasure and grace if we make
thoughtful decisions in the context of our “local habitations, ” to borrow
Shakespeare’s phrase. By this we mean settings in which we as individuals
have an active role， a unique and valuable local perspective， and a say
in what happens. For most of us， this means our workplaces， schools，
homes，libraries，hospitals，community centers， churches，clubs，and civic
organizations. For some of us, it means a wider sphere of influence. All
of us have local habitations in which we can reflect on appropriate uses
of technology in light of our local practices， goals，and values.
We call these local habitations “information ecologies,”since they have
much in common with biological ecologies， as we will discuss. Because
the goal of this book is to change the way people look at technology in
their own settings，we adopted a metaphor that emphasizes local connections
and offers scope for diverse reflections and analyses. We believe
that we have leverage to affect technological change by acting in spheres
where we have knowledge and authority --- our own information ecologies.
A key to thoughtful action is to ask many more “know-why”
questions than we typically do. Being efficient，productive，proactive
people， we often jump to the “know-how” questions， which are considerably
easier to answer. In this book we talk about practical ways to have
more “know-why” conversations，to dig deeper， and reflect more about
the effects of the ways we use technology.
The phrase “local habitations” helps us understand settings of technology
use in a new and useful way. Fritz Lang’s beautiful film Metropolis
is another source of insight for us. Metropolis is engages some of our
collective fears about our society’s dependence on technological invention.
The film presents a view of technology as a seductive， untamable
force that undermines our humanity. In 1926， Lang sensed the way
technology would keep apart heart and mind， the way people would
heedlessly focus on technical development for its own sake while evading
the social questions of what purpose technology serves in human life.
Rotwang， the unforgettable mad scientist in Metropolis created the
ultimate robot， a creature possessed of full human intelligence. Lang
recognized the deep love that goes into technical creation --- the robot was
created in the image of Rotwang’s beloved dead mistress. Rotwang
refused to consider how such a robot might be used for evi1， and indeed，
heartless forces of capitalism harness the powers of Maria， the robot. It
is important that we understand the message Lang was sending us: we
love our technologies and we are endlessly technically creative， but our
creations can betray us. Rotwang was too entranced with his invention
to consider the possible human consequences. J. Robert Oppenheimer，
in a similar vein， said of the development of the hydrogen bomb that the
mere fact of the possibility of creating the bomb “was technically so sweet
that you could not argue about that.”1
We believe that we can and should argue about how technology is
created and used. Lang suggested in Metropolis that technical sweetness
is not enough. Technology development and use must be mediated by the
human heart.
In this book， we discuss what it could mean to use technology with
heart. We give examples from our research studies， to show how people
can use technology fruitfully by engaging their own values and commitments.
We examine the groundbreaking analyses of scholars such as
Jacques Ellul and Langdon Winner，who have deepened our understanding
through their provocative looks at the social implications of
technology. We hope that these examples and ideas will help you see new
avenues of participation and engagement with technology in your own
local settings.
edited by ©M-SAKU Networks 2008