This chapter summarizes the main themes associated with relationships between digital technology ... more This chapter summarizes the main themes associated with relationships between digital technology and society. It first proposes four central characteristics of digital technology that differentiate this concept from the more general term “information society.” Then it maps the growth of the use of terms associated with digital technology in articles in academic databases from 1972 through 2018, and in books from 1967 through 2008. However, the main focus is on summarizing the emergent themes associated with 89 recent books on digital technology society: (A) theory and conceptualization of this vast social change; (B) technology (venues and characteristics), (C) issues (content, creation; big data; civic issues; participation, engagement; inclusion, exclusion, discrimination; ethics, ethical issues; and managing the digital experience), (D) contexts (digitization of self and others; health; relationships; user groups; culture, everyday life, education, learning; work and organization...
This chapter contains sections titled: Summary of Basic Issues and Survey Results, The Internet: ... more This chapter contains sections titled: Summary of Basic Issues and Survey Results, The Internet: Access, Involvement, Interaction, and Social Capital, Conclusion
Abstract This study develops and tests a simple model predicting influences on use of voice mail,... more Abstract This study develops and tests a simple model predicting influences on use of voice mail, and influences of voice mail use on later system evaluations. Data were collected in two organisations, using self-report and system-monitored usage measures. The study makes distinctions between individual and organizational innovativeness, communication-based and location-based group interdependence, overall and intentional voice mail usage, and generic and specific appropriateness of voice mail. Results were quite similar across the two organizations. Individual innovativeness had no influence, but organizational conservativeness had a positive influence on system usage, possibly for less innovative uses of voice mail as voice answering rather than as a voice messaging. Task analysability had a small positive influence on usage. Group location interdependency had perhaps the most consistent influence on voice mail usage. Greater intentional self-reported use of voice mail for voice messaging, rather than s...
Everyone working in and with organizations will, from time to time, experience frustrations and p... more Everyone working in and with organizations will, from time to time, experience frustrations and problems when trying to accomplish tasks that are a required part of their role. This is an unusual routine - a recurrent interaction pattern in which someone encounters a problem when trying to accomplish normal activities by following standard organizational procedures and then becomes enmeshed in wasteful and even harmful subroutines while trying to resolve the initial problem. They are unusual because they are not intended or beneficial, and because they are generally pervasive but individually infrequent. They are routines because they become systematic as well as embedded in ordinary functions. Using a wide range of case studies and interdisciplinary research, this book provides researchers and practitioners with a new vocabulary for identifying, understanding, and dealing with this pervasive organizational phenomenon, in order to improve worker and customer satisfaction as well as organizational performance.
This research, which began fielding surveys in 1995 (and thereafter with variation in 1996, 1997,... more This research, which began fielding surveys in 1995 (and thereafter with variation in 1996, 1997, and 2000), was apparently the first to use national random telephone survey methods to track social and community aspects of Internet use and compare users and nonusers. The program has explored the Internet in terms of trends in access, political and civic involvement, and social interaction. The authors uncovered serendipitously what they call the Internet dropout phenomenon. The findings have found a decline in some aspects of the digital divide, especially once awareness has been achieved and when the year of adoption is considered. Contrary to the pessimistic assertions of many, no loss was discerned in terms of the indicators of political or community involvement. The findings support a more positive interpretation of the Internet's impact, at least in terms of interpersonal communication, where Internet use was associated with greater levels of telephone use (although not of correspondence by mail) and social interaction (although this was more widely dispersed). It also led to many face-to-face friendships that were judged by respondents as a positive experience. Thus, some of the earliest research on the social consequences of the Internet, confirmed during a half-decade of additional surveys, finds a decreasing but still significant digital divide, few negative effects on civic involvement and social interaction, and some positive consequences.
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are significant contributors culturally, socially, and economicall... more Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are significant contributors culturally, socially, and economically, but little research has focused on their management of organizational crises. Research has been quickly documenting impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on different sectors, but again less so for NPOs. This is significant because research and recommendations developed in one sector (such as for-profit corporations) may not translate to others (such as NPOs). NPOs are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on public financial support and demands on their resource during crises. We report on a unique and unfortunate opportunity to assess response dynamics from a half year before (2019) and a half year after (2020) the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We draw on a unique dataset (combining surveys at two points in time, Twitter use data, and financial information, from 578 NPOs) to develop a general model (grounded in the discourse of renewal theory) of five sources of influence (communication, organizational resources, crisis experience, crisis management, crisis impacts) on three types of strategic responses by nonprofits (retrenchment, persevering, and innovating) to COVID-19. Higher levels of communication, crisis experience, and crisis management all predicted greater tendencies for persevering and innovating in response to COVID-19. The implications for research and practice include extending crisis communication research to the nonprofit sector and demonstrating how NPOs can strengthen themselves to recover from COVID-19 or the next crisis.
This chapter summarizes the main themes associated with relationships between digital technology ... more This chapter summarizes the main themes associated with relationships between digital technology and society. It first proposes four central characteristics of digital technology that differentiate this concept from the more general term “information society.” Then it maps the growth of the use of terms associated with digital technology in articles in academic databases from 1972 through 2018, and in books from 1967 through 2008. However, the main focus is on summarizing the emergent themes associated with 89 recent books on digital technology society: (A) theory and conceptualization of this vast social change; (B) technology (venues and characteristics), (C) issues (content, creation; big data; civic issues; participation, engagement; inclusion, exclusion, discrimination; ethics, ethical issues; and managing the digital experience), (D) contexts (digitization of self and others; health; relationships; user groups; culture, everyday life, education, learning; work and organization...
This chapter contains sections titled: Summary of Basic Issues and Survey Results, The Internet: ... more This chapter contains sections titled: Summary of Basic Issues and Survey Results, The Internet: Access, Involvement, Interaction, and Social Capital, Conclusion
Abstract This study develops and tests a simple model predicting influences on use of voice mail,... more Abstract This study develops and tests a simple model predicting influences on use of voice mail, and influences of voice mail use on later system evaluations. Data were collected in two organisations, using self-report and system-monitored usage measures. The study makes distinctions between individual and organizational innovativeness, communication-based and location-based group interdependence, overall and intentional voice mail usage, and generic and specific appropriateness of voice mail. Results were quite similar across the two organizations. Individual innovativeness had no influence, but organizational conservativeness had a positive influence on system usage, possibly for less innovative uses of voice mail as voice answering rather than as a voice messaging. Task analysability had a small positive influence on usage. Group location interdependency had perhaps the most consistent influence on voice mail usage. Greater intentional self-reported use of voice mail for voice messaging, rather than s...
Everyone working in and with organizations will, from time to time, experience frustrations and p... more Everyone working in and with organizations will, from time to time, experience frustrations and problems when trying to accomplish tasks that are a required part of their role. This is an unusual routine - a recurrent interaction pattern in which someone encounters a problem when trying to accomplish normal activities by following standard organizational procedures and then becomes enmeshed in wasteful and even harmful subroutines while trying to resolve the initial problem. They are unusual because they are not intended or beneficial, and because they are generally pervasive but individually infrequent. They are routines because they become systematic as well as embedded in ordinary functions. Using a wide range of case studies and interdisciplinary research, this book provides researchers and practitioners with a new vocabulary for identifying, understanding, and dealing with this pervasive organizational phenomenon, in order to improve worker and customer satisfaction as well as organizational performance.
This research, which began fielding surveys in 1995 (and thereafter with variation in 1996, 1997,... more This research, which began fielding surveys in 1995 (and thereafter with variation in 1996, 1997, and 2000), was apparently the first to use national random telephone survey methods to track social and community aspects of Internet use and compare users and nonusers. The program has explored the Internet in terms of trends in access, political and civic involvement, and social interaction. The authors uncovered serendipitously what they call the Internet dropout phenomenon. The findings have found a decline in some aspects of the digital divide, especially once awareness has been achieved and when the year of adoption is considered. Contrary to the pessimistic assertions of many, no loss was discerned in terms of the indicators of political or community involvement. The findings support a more positive interpretation of the Internet's impact, at least in terms of interpersonal communication, where Internet use was associated with greater levels of telephone use (although not of correspondence by mail) and social interaction (although this was more widely dispersed). It also led to many face-to-face friendships that were judged by respondents as a positive experience. Thus, some of the earliest research on the social consequences of the Internet, confirmed during a half-decade of additional surveys, finds a decreasing but still significant digital divide, few negative effects on civic involvement and social interaction, and some positive consequences.
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are significant contributors culturally, socially, and economicall... more Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are significant contributors culturally, socially, and economically, but little research has focused on their management of organizational crises. Research has been quickly documenting impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on different sectors, but again less so for NPOs. This is significant because research and recommendations developed in one sector (such as for-profit corporations) may not translate to others (such as NPOs). NPOs are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on public financial support and demands on their resource during crises. We report on a unique and unfortunate opportunity to assess response dynamics from a half year before (2019) and a half year after (2020) the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We draw on a unique dataset (combining surveys at two points in time, Twitter use data, and financial information, from 578 NPOs) to develop a general model (grounded in the discourse of renewal theory) of five sources of influence (communication, organizational resources, crisis experience, crisis management, crisis impacts) on three types of strategic responses by nonprofits (retrenchment, persevering, and innovating) to COVID-19. Higher levels of communication, crisis experience, and crisis management all predicted greater tendencies for persevering and innovating in response to COVID-19. The implications for research and practice include extending crisis communication research to the nonprofit sector and demonstrating how NPOs can strengthen themselves to recover from COVID-19 or the next crisis.
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