Sphere transgressions in medical research: tactical engagements with Apple’s ResearchKit

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the last decade, large technology companies have started many initiatives to stimulate and innovate in the sphere of medical research. A prominent example is the ResearchKit software framework launched by tech giant Apple in 2015. This software framework enablesmedical researchers to developresearch apps on the iPhone that collect and access diverse types of research data. The ‘sphere transgressions’ theoretical lens (Sharon, 2021a; 2021b) draws attention to the risks associated with such initiatives. For instance, that large technology companies could utilize the initiatives to change the sphere of medical research in line with their own values and interests. However, the theoretical lens risks portraying a simplistic one-directional understanding of Big Tech colonizing the sphere of medical research. This paper draws attention to medical researchers and their everyday interactions. Based on interviews with medical researchers using Apple’s ResearchKit in the Netherlands and the United States, the paper shows that researchers are not passive recipients of Big Tech’s initiatives. Instead, they respond to their initiatives in a variety of ways: not simply by welcoming or resisting Apple’s ResearchKit, but also by ‘making do’ using a variety of tactics (de Certeau, 1984). Thinking in terms of tactics, it is argued in the discussion, helps to identify needs and interests that are of crucial importance to researchers and the broader sphere of medical research. These insights can be used to strengthen the sphere of medical research and promote responsible innovation.