Technological Frames Research Articles

Interpreting technology: Use and non-use of doctor-patient video consultations in Danish general practice

This study uses socio-cognitive theory on technological frames to understand how and why general practitioners in Denmark use or choose not to use video consultations. Video consultations play a vital role in the digitalisation of the Danish healthcare system. Whilst political decision-makers continuously push for increased use of video consultations, uptake accounts for less than 2% of all consultations. Research is needed that explores the actual circumstances and conditions of video consultation use. Our data corpus consists of 30 semi-structured interviews conducted from August 2021 to August 2022 with 27 Danish general practitioners. Interviews were analysed following reflexive thematic analysis. Our findings show that video consultations are interpreted as 1) compromising occupational values, 2) a crisis tool, 3) the future, and 4) a tool to improve work conditions. Video consultations are differently adopted across clinics due to different interpretations of the technology and its relative advantage in specific clinical contexts. We argue that the concept of technological frames offers a useful analytic perspective for elucidating and anticipating attitudes and actions towards a technology. It increases our understanding of the uptake and rejection of video consultations. This knowledge is valuable for clinicians and politicians working with technological innovation in general practice.

A smartphone‐based surveillance system for acute flaccid paralysis: A technology frames perspective

AbstractThere is a consensus in the information systems (IS) discipline that conflicting views among those implementing IS could result in critical implementation challenges. Prior studies on implementing smartphone‐based disease surveillance systems highlight the emergence of diverse perceptions of the system among stakeholder groups. It is argued that these various perceptions play a role in achieving the project's objectives, particularly when there is a strong incongruence. This study examines key stakeholders' interpretations of a smartphone‐based acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system and how these interpretations have influenced the resulting outcomes. We adopt a qualitative interpretive case study method with theoretical underpinnings of technological frames (TF). The findings were drawn from observations, and semi‐structured interviews with project managers (PMs), community health workers (CHWs), informants (CHIs), and disease surveillance and notification officers (DSNOs) in Kano and Adamawa states northern Nigeria. Our findings reveal that training, implementation context, and technical infrastructure use socially shape the smartphone‐based AFP surveillance project. The results also illustrated how TF evolve. We present a model that explains the relationship between these factors and recommendations to manage conflicting views among stakeholder groups.

A Cognitive Method for Comparing and Elaborating on Technology Frames

AbstractFrom employees’ varied interpretations of software efficacy to consumers’ diverse beliefs about data privacy, technology frames refer to cognitive interpretations, assumptions and expectations that people use to comprehend the essence of information technology within a particular context. These frames differ across groups with different values, interests, experiences and expertise, having critical implications for researchers, managers and organizations. Despite theoretical enthusiasm to understand technology frames, limited methodological insights exist on how to systematically explore and compare technology frames. This gap impedes researchers from exploring novel questions related to technology frames, their variations and how they can be managed effectively. This paper proposes a cognitive method for comparing and elaborating on technology frames. Building on causal mapping and empirical studies, the method formulates steps to plan, elicit, compare and elaborate on the relationships that underlie framing differences. The method offers detailed recommendations and templates for effectively organizing and communicating diverse manifestations of framing differences and their implications. The paper concludes by highlighting the method's practical implications and encouraging research to advance extant knowledge of technology frames in the rapidly changing digital world.

Forbidden and necessary: making sense of smartphones in vocational teaching

PurposeThe digitalization of schools has intensified in recent years. It is reflected in policy documents as well as in extensive investments in digital technology and professional development initiatives to promote digitalization. At the same time, attempts are being made to “tame” the same digitization sometimes by regulations banning smartphones in class. This study aims to examine how smartphones are interpreted by vocational teachers in Sweden using the theoretical lens of technological frames.Design/methodology/approachThe data consist of ten semi-structured interviews with vocational teachers, representing eight vocational programs in Sweden.FindingsThe results show breadth in how teachers understand, interpret and relate to the smartphone in vocational education. The authors show how the smartphone often forms an integral part of professional work and is thus difficult to separate from vocational teaching and nurturing vocational competencies.Originality/valueThe authors’ contributions include using technological frames to explore how smartphones are interpreted and understood by vocational teachers by demonstrating how they relate to the nature of the smartphone, the strategy for the smartphone and the smartphone in use. The theoretical framework is used to interpret restrictions on technology use, in this case a smartphone, in education. The results could be of interest to researchers as well as to teachers, school leaders and policymakers.

“A Natural History of Logistics” and Other Studio Briefs

Abstract This article addresses the question of the planetary through three practices that relate to design and architectural pedagogy and research as well as the broader context of Anthropocene discussions. From Strelka Institute's Terraforming program to the Terra Forma book by Frédérique Aït-Touati, Alexandra Arènes, and Axelle Grégoire and a discussion of the Royal College of Art's architecture program's studio “Something in the Air: Politics of the Atmosphere,” the article focuses on framing of “problem spaces” (Celia Lury's term) through studio briefs as well as experimental visualization and mapping. While discussing methodological underpinnings of planetarity as a problem space, the article mobilizes the neologism “natural history of logistics” to analyze practices of scale in the critical design studio briefs and discourses at the center of the article. The term is pitched as a temporary conceptual anchor for a relation specific to the technological framing of a polyscalar Earth.

Power and politics in framing bias in Artificial Intelligence policy

AbstractBias is a key issue in expert and public discussions about Artificial Intelligence (AI). While some hope that AI will help to eliminate human bias, others are concerned that AI will exacerbate it. To highlight political and power aspects of bias in AI, this contribution examines so far largely overlooked topic of framing of bias in AI policy. Among diverse approaches of diagnosing problems and suggesting prescriptions, we can distinguish two stylized framings of bias in AI policy—one more technical, another more social. Powerful technical framing suggests that AI can be a solution to human bias and can help to detect and eliminate it. It is challenged by an alternative social framing, which emphasizes the importance of social contexts, balance of power and structural inequalities. Technological frame sees simple technological fix as a way to deal with bias in AI. For the social frame, we suggest to approach bias in AI as a complex wicked problem, for which a broader strategy is needed involving diverse stakeholders and actions. The social framing of bias in AI considerably expands the legitimate understanding of bias and the scope of potential actions beyond technological fix. We argue that, in the context of AI policy, intersectional bias should not be perceived as a niche issue but rather be seen as a key to radically reimagine AI governance, power and politics in more participatory and inclusive ways.

A matter of perspective: Conceptualizing the role of citizens in E-government based on value positions

Citizens are oftentimes the central unit of analysis in e-government research and treated as one of the stakeholders receiving the most benefits from public sector digitalization. Still, they are mostly described in general terms, and it remains unclear what roles they can assume in relation to e-government. Different understandings of the citizens' role in e-government may impact research, because they entail different axioms mainly in relation to the technological frame for e-government but also for the citizens' relationship to public sector organizations in general. The aim of this article is to investigate and conceptualize the citizens' role in e-government based on public value positions. We depart from Rose et al.'s (2015) framework of value positions for managing e-government. After reviewing and analyzing extensive research on e-government, we use this framework to contribute a clarification of the citizens' role in each value position. Our analysis shows that the ideal citizen is conceptualized differently across the four value positions; ranging from an external entity that should service themselves using digital self-services, to an engaged agent that should be actively involved in policy making and service delivery. In addition to this new perspective on the citizens' role in e-government, we contribute with an extension of the public value positions framework. The extended framework presented in this article makes these differences visible and we discuss consequences of the citizens' role in e-government for other dimensions of the framework.

The argumentative salience of technology frames of reference: An analysis of argumentative discourse in the development of a health information exchange initiative

This study examines the impact that the argumentative salience of technology frames of references has on the execution of complex IS implementation projects. It employs Toulmin's argument model to develop argument maps that depict the structure of argumentation that took place during the development and implementation of an interorganizational health information exchange initiative (HIE) that took place in southeast USA. Toulmin's argument model faciliated the portrayal of frame salience in terms of three structural properties (i.e., blindness, indifference, and ownership). The study used these properties to show how the breadth, depth and conspicuity of frame structures changed during the course of the project and demonstrated how these changes impacted both the level of contestation observed in the project as well as project outcomes. In addition to lending insights that are specific to this case, our conceptualization of frame structure lends itself to cross-case comparisons and future theory building as the impact of these argument structures can be evaluated in a multitude of different contexts.

The importance of theory at the Information Systems Journal

The importance of theory at the <i>Information Systems Journal</i>

(Re)framing technology: The evolution from biogas to biomethane in Austria

Socio-technical niches are often presented as key drivers for transitioning established production and consumption systems to more sustainable configurations. In previous research, the important roles of collectively shared expectations in shaping the development and nurturing of such niches has been emphasised. At the same time, this research has shown that niches are often associated with fluctuating expectations, typically showing patterns of hype and disappointment. In this study, we analyse how such hype and disappointment patterns interact with framing dynamics by combining the concept of technological frames with the sociology of expectations and the multi-level perspective. By using the shift in understanding that has occurred from a ‘biogas’ to a ‘biomethane’ frame in the Austrian anaerobic digestion (AD) niche as an example, we shed light on niche-internal framing struggles, illustrate the normative character of technological frames, and relate the emergence of dominant frames to hype cycle and transition dynamics.

Telepresence robots to reduce school absenteeism among children with cancer, neuromuscular diseases, or anxiety—the expectations of children and teachers: A qualitative study in Denmark

BackgroundThis study explores expectations for telepresence robots as a tool to reduce absence in education as school absence negatively influences children's academic advancement and psychosocial wellbeing. DesignA qualitative semi-structured interview study. Method and populationUsing convenience sampling, we interviewed 11 children aged 8–17 years with cancer (n = 4), neuromuscular diseases (n = 3) or anxiety (n = 4) who had a high level of school absence (more than 15 days’ absence in a school year), and who had recently encountered a telepresence robot; and eight of their teachers. A thematical analysis and a deductive approach based on the theory of Technological frames were used. ResultsThe children's and teachers' expectations of how telepresence robots could support them in reducing their school absence were identified and structured in three categories and five main themes: 1) Nature of technology: a) Learning, b) Sociality, c) Additional supportive resources; 2) Technology strategy: a) Flexible school day; 3) Technology in use: a) New workflows. ConclusionThis study indicates that implementation requires additional resources from teachers. Children with disease-related school absence and their teachers expect telepresence robots to reconnect the children socially, by maintaining or creating new friendships, and academically, by fostering inclusion and reducing absence.

Reflection on the Social Construction of Technology in the Philosophy of Technology

Technological determinism initially emerged in the relationship between technology and society. In the environment surrounding technology and society, technology determinism and social construction of technology (SCOT) have a tense relationship. This study aims to reveal the characteristics of SCOT by exploring and reflecting on the substantive debates and criticisms surrounding the social constructionism of technology, which is opposed to technological determinism in terms of the philosophy of technology. It is intended to substitute for the conclusion of the study by suggesting the implications obtained through reflection on SCOT. First, driving technological development in SCOT is achieved through consensus between social groups and technology developers. In the process of technological development, conflicts arise among social groups due to different problems and solutions with respect to technology, and the form of the technological artifact that has reached an agreement is finally selected. Second, technological flexibility or interpretative flexibility can solve a problem in various technical ways in SCOT. This variety of flexibility appears as a difference of interpretation and conflict between the social groups surrounding technology. Third, in SCOT, the technology frame greatly affects the artifacts. The function of the description frame differentiates it from most other concepts and is intended to be applied to the interaction of various actors. Fourth, for a specific technology to develop from the SCOT perspective, it has momentum through the consolidation of the technology system. A technological system is composed of physical artifacts, organizations, science bases, legal devices, and natural resources, with each element contributing to the overall goal of the system by interacting with other elements.Fifth, in SCOT. Finally, the main criticism of SCOT is that researchers’ methodologies are formal, they focus on the early stage of the emergence of technology, there is indifference to the influence of technology, and the social structures and power relations accompanying technological change are ignored.

Strategizing organizational capabilities for industrial digitalization – exploring managers' technological frames

PurposeThis study draws on technological frames to provide an understanding of organizational processes of strategizing by exploring how strategizing organizational capabilities for industrial digitalization could be understood through managers' perceptions of digital technology applications. This study complements earlier research focused on industry outcomes by addressing technological frames to understand how strategizing organizational capabilities within industrial digitalization may provide insight into socio-cognitive aspects which may affect technology-induced organizational change.Design/methodology/approachThe single case study uses 14 in-depth interviews collected over two years (October 2020 to February 2022). The study follows an interpretative research design exploring managers' perceptions of industrial digitalization through a digitalization project.FindingsThe case study contributes to research by emphasizing socio-cognitive aspects through technological frames exploring how and why managers' perceptions of industrial digitalization affect strategizing organizational capabilities. The study contributes to practice by bringing attention to the disparate views of industrial digitalization. By illustrating how socio-cognitive aspects shape organizational capabilities, this study offers managers valuable insight into the relationship between an organization's capabilities, the individual and the shared structures affecting a digitalization project.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study is limited to Swedish manufacturing industries and is not aiming to be transferred or generalized to other industrial contexts or countries.Originality/valueThis study recognizes that strategizing organizational capabilities depends on managers' ability to illuminate the socio-cognitive aspects. Hence, the study contributes to practice by bringing attention to the disparate views among managers on the enhancement efforts made using digital technologies.

Decoding technological frames: An exploratory study of access to and meaningful engagement with digital technologies in agriculture

Technological advancements undoubtedly impact development in the agricultural industry. However, the digital divide may constrain access to technology in developing countries. Hence, there is a need to explore and understand how different actors make sense of technological advancement for a more meaningful engagement with new technology. To this end, we undertook an exploratory study of an agricultural ecosystem in Brazil comprising a heterogeneous set of actors with varying experiences of digital technologies. Our findings show the essential role of actors' technological frames, and how the type of access to digital technologies influences their development toward digital agriculture. Different actors are found to react to technologies depending on their past experiences and future expectations, leading them to mobilize different framing tactics to respond to the changes that digital agriculture presents. We illuminate how the digital divide not only constrains access to digital technologies but also limits meaningful engagement. We contribute by showing how engaging in framing tactics can advance or preserve actors' technological frames in the digital divide. Our study details implications for both practitioners and policymakers for future consideration.

The mutual configuration of affordances and technological frames: Content creators in the Chilean influencer industry

Examining the case of the Chilean influencer industry, this paper argues for situating affordances within a wider context in which the features of platforms acquire meanings. Our analysis focuses on two dynamics. On the one hand, we examine how the Chilean influencer industry is shaped by a ‘technological frame’ that structures the valence of affordances. We show that affordances are neither ‘naturally’ nor ‘neutrally’ imagined by actors but rather culturally located within technological frames that shape the discourses, values, and practices from which they obtain cultural meaning. On the other hand, we analyze how affordances provide a material support for the temporal and spatial expansion of these technological frames. Thus, cultural contexts and platforms’ features mutually configure each other in ways that have not always been recognized in the scholarly literature about affordances. We situate negotiations about what it means to be an influencer in Chile, the role of intermediaries (eg branding agencies), communication with followers, and the global influencer industry as part of this mutually constitutive relationship.

The cosmic energy gravitational genesis of the strongest earthquakes of the earth occurred near the date 2021.1

We have presented (on January 27, 2023) to the Advances in Environment and Energies the convincing evidence of the cosmic energy gravitational genesis of the strongest earthquakes of the Earth (especially, the Japanese earthquakes) occurred (on February 10, 2021 AD; February 13, 2021 AD and March 4, 2021 AD) near the previously published (in 2019 AD) date 2021.1 AD (corresponding to February 7, 2021 AD) of the local maximal combined planetary and solar integral energy gravitational influence on the internal rigid core of the Earth (and on the Earth as a whole). The date 2021.1 AD is calculated according to the global prediction thermohydrogravidynamic principles (in the frame of the established thermohydrogravidynamic technology) under the first approximation of the circular orbits of the planets around the Sun. The revealed convincing cosmic energy gravitational genesis of the strongest earthquakes of the Earth (occurred near the date 2021.1 AD) is based on the detailed analysis (in the frame of the thermohydrogravidynamic technology) of the strongest earthquakes (according to the U.S. Geological Survey) of the Earth occurred near the local maximal values of the calculated combined planetary and solar integral energy gravitational influences on the internal rigid core of the Earth.

Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Cross-National Survey

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented a range of measures and virus containment strategies, including digital contact-tracing (DCT) in the form of smartphone apps. While early studies showed a high level of acceptability of such technologies, the adoption rates varied greatly between countries after contact-tracing apps became available to download. This cross-national user survey ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${n}=871$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ) aims to explore public attitudes and factors that affect user acceptability and adoption of contact-tracing apps in the USA, UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which employ similar underlying technology, but have uneven adoption rates. The results indicate interactions between installation decisions and public trust in actors and institutions communicating COVID-related information, and releasing such technologies. Beyond the immediate case of contact tracing, our findings hold implications for the deployment and communicative framing of technology for public health and the public good, and inform the design of crisis response public health information systems.

Why developers matter: The case of patient portals.

Existing studies on patient data portals are informative with respect to the patient and physician perspectives, yet relatively little attention has been paid to the role of developers. This case study focuses on how developers view the meaning and purpose of patient portals and how their perspective differs from that of physicians. The findings show that developers and physicians have different views on whether and how the portals can help achieve transparency, efficiency, and patient empowerment. This misalignment emerges because each group makes sense of the portal through a different frame of how they see patient data, medical work, and patient behavior. The study also finds that developers cope with the frame differences by engaging in practices of coproducing, bypassing, and reframing. The implication of the study is that technological frame analysis needs to incorporate the growing complexity and institutional character of modern technology, the diversity of target groups it serves, and their corresponding frames. The study also suggests that developers, instead of being seen as mere operational IT support, may need to be seen as strategically important actor groups for healthcare organizations-since their practices matter for the strategic agenda of transforming healthcare into a more patient-centric practice.

The Injection Molding of Biodegradable Polydioxanone-A Study of the Dependence of the Structural and Mechanical Properties on Thermal Processing Conditions.

Recent years have observed a significant increase in the use of degradable materials in medicine due to their minimal impact on the patient and broad range of applicability. The biodegradable polymer Polydioxanone (PDO) provides a good example of the use of such one polymer that can represent the aforementioned medical materials in the field of medicine, due to its high level of biocompatibility and interesting mechanical properties. PDO is used to produce absorbable medical devices such as sutures and stents, and is also suitable for the fabrication of certain orthopedic implants. Polydioxanone can be processed using the injection molding method due to its thermoplastic nature; this method allows for the precise and easily-controllable production of medical materials without the need for toxic additives. A number of small commercial polymer implants have recently been introduced onto the market based on this processing method. It is important to note that, to date, no relevant information on the molding of PDO is available either for the scientific or the general public, and no study has been published that describes the potential of the injection molding of PDO. Hence, we present our research on the basic technological and material parameters that allow for the processing of PDO using the laboratory microinjection molding method. In addition to determining the basic parameters of the process, the research also focused on the study of the structural and mechanical properties of samples based on the thermal conditions during processing. A technological frame work was successfully determined for the processing of PDO via the microinjection molding approach that allows for the production of samples with the required homogeneity, shape stability and surface quality in a laboratory scale. The research revealed that PDO is a polymer with a major share of crystalline phases, and that it is sensitive to the annealing temperature profile in the mold, which has the potential to impact the final crystalline structure, the fracture morphology and the mechanical properties.

Carbon capture and storage in Saskatchewan: An analysis of communicative practices in a contested technology

Despite the recognition of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a credible technology for reducing emissions, its implementation has been stalled, partly due to the public's perception of the technology. The literature on CCS technology diffusion points to negative public perception of the technology as a barrier to implementation, and the role of media in that framing. Yet, there remains a gap in the knowledge of media framing of a successful CCS project. This study analyzes the Saskatchewan case, the first successful commercial scale CCS technology deployment in the world and finds that the media framing of CCS technology in Saskatchewan applied a narrative/storytelling approach by deploying metaphors that connected to local values, beliefs, and norms. Also, it notes certain conditions in Saskatchewan made it possible for some frames to be advanced while others were minimized, discounted, or absent altogether in the discussion. Applying the Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED) framework, the study highlights the role of authoritative voices, mostly within Saskatchewan's political system in reframing CCS technology from uncertainty and risk into opportunity; minimizing and sometimes discounting or ignoring the negative frames that have been identified in previous studies as a barrier. It concludes that in Saskatchewan there was a trade-off in framing, where opportunities to advance frames that emphasize how CCS technology can support long term low carbon energy transition and climate change mitigation were missed. This study adds to the literature in that it analyzes a successful case of CCS technology deployment.