Brown & Duguid, The Social Life of Information
Brown, John Seely and Paul Duguid. The Social Life of Information. Harvard Business Review
Press, 2000.
Brown and Duguid argue that in order to really understand information technology we must look around at the context in which it is created, used, and shared. They claim, “Attending too closely to information overlooks the social context that helps people understand what that information might mean and why it matters” (5). In order to address the “social life of information” they examine the ways in which many tools, jobs, and organizations that futurists predict will become extinct actually provide useful social resources. As such, we should look to see how we might use, incorporate, and complement these resources into new(er) technologies. Brown and Duguid explain that information has its limits; it can’t solve every problem. Therefore, we need to draw attention to resources people use, including other people in communities of practice. Likewise, we should resist the temptation to emphasize process over practice and seek to distinguish information from knowledge. Ultimately, Brown and Duguid remind us to theorize about and work with the information age in a socially responsive and contextually situated framework. Although the focus of the book is located in business, the chapter, "Re-education," discusses how the age of information has shaped online and distance learning. The authors are careful to claim that they don't condemn these changes; instead, they explain that change will only be productive if "people look beyond the simplicities of information and individuals to the complexities of learning, knowledge, judgement, communities, organizations, and institutions" (213). Moreover, they discuss the concept of "enculturation" whereby students "learn to be" by engaging with communities of practice and with concepts. One way to foster enculturation is by reducing isolation of learners through access to peers, communities of practice, and other social resources. I think we're getting better at this kind of work, but it definitely still poses a challenge. Brown and Duguid invite us to consider how our course websites can act as more than content-delivery systems by opening spaces for incidental learning, collaboration, and peer support.
Press, 2000.
Brown and Duguid argue that in order to really understand information technology we must look around at the context in which it is created, used, and shared. They claim, “Attending too closely to information overlooks the social context that helps people understand what that information might mean and why it matters” (5). In order to address the “social life of information” they examine the ways in which many tools, jobs, and organizations that futurists predict will become extinct actually provide useful social resources. As such, we should look to see how we might use, incorporate, and complement these resources into new(er) technologies. Brown and Duguid explain that information has its limits; it can’t solve every problem. Therefore, we need to draw attention to resources people use, including other people in communities of practice. Likewise, we should resist the temptation to emphasize process over practice and seek to distinguish information from knowledge. Ultimately, Brown and Duguid remind us to theorize about and work with the information age in a socially responsive and contextually situated framework. Although the focus of the book is located in business, the chapter, "Re-education," discusses how the age of information has shaped online and distance learning. The authors are careful to claim that they don't condemn these changes; instead, they explain that change will only be productive if "people look beyond the simplicities of information and individuals to the complexities of learning, knowledge, judgement, communities, organizations, and institutions" (213). Moreover, they discuss the concept of "enculturation" whereby students "learn to be" by engaging with communities of practice and with concepts. One way to foster enculturation is by reducing isolation of learners through access to peers, communities of practice, and other social resources. I think we're getting better at this kind of work, but it definitely still poses a challenge. Brown and Duguid invite us to consider how our course websites can act as more than content-delivery systems by opening spaces for incidental learning, collaboration, and peer support.
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