Place-making: A Phenomenological Theory of Technology Appropriation

We study the introduction of new technology into (organizational) practices. We argue against the dualist under-pinning of typical IS technology appropriation literature and develop a phenomenological theory of appropriation based on Martin Heidegger’s analysis of equipment. On this view, technology moves from being an object inspected in the practice foreground to becoming equipment as a transparent means located in the practice background. We show that this transformation occurs through a practice of actively performed place-making in which the technology is accommodated in the practice among existing equipment, practical logics and social identities. We illustrate our theory with a rich case study of social media appropriation, making methodological use of the novel feature that self-referential conversations are captured within the technology, providing access to direct evidence of the appropriation phenomenon. The paper contributes a more nuanced sociomaterial account of the simultaneous transformation of technology and practices occurring in technology introduction.