The mind or the heart? it depends on the (definition of) situation

This paper establishes the importance of situatedness of experience in Information Systems (IS) studies, but also critiques the limited notion of situatedness all too frequently employed. In the original language of phenomenology as used by Heidegger, ‘Befindlichkeit’ means not just ‘state of mind’ but also refers to disposition, mood, affectedness and emotion. The paper reviews the controversies in the literature generated by opponents to the situatedness literature and provides two case studies to show how current IS uses of the situatedness perspectives differ from the original one. From this discussion, the paper argues that the limited IS research agendas on situated action found in AI, cognitive and social sciences need to capture the inner life of the actor, mind and heart, through the scope of a renewed, authentic, phenomenological tradition. Journal of Information Technology (2006) 21, 129–139. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000062