The Social Informatics of the Internet: An Ecology of Games

Key insights revealed by social informatics studies have come from the new light they have shone on the social dynamics underlying broad changes tied to technological innovations. In particular, they have shown how major developments in computing and other information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet, are often the outcome of complementary or conflicting social movements, and their intersections. This paper focuses on an important supportive and complementary framework that helps to further understanding of these social dynamics: the concept of an ‘ecology of games’. The focus of this approach is on examining the unfolding interaction of various actors pursuing a diverse array of goals and objectives in a variety of interrelated arenas where everyday and strategic decisions are taken about whether to use – or not use – various ICTs.