Modern Computing and Actor Network Theory: Two Case Studies Analysis

This essay examines the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT) in modern computing, focusing on the statement "Within modern computing, every actant acts or is acted upon by at least one other actant." It analyzes two case studies: Facebook's internet.org initiative and Yahoo's encrypted email service. The essay defines ANT, its principles, and its relevance in understanding the relationships between human and non-human actors (actants) within technological networks. The analysis explores how Facebook aims to connect the world through internet.org and how Yahoo provides encrypted email services, identifying the actors and actants involved in each scenario, including people, hardware, software, and structural elements. The essay highlights the interplay between hardware and software actants, discussing the advantages and potential issues associated with each technology, such as data management challenges and ethical considerations. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of ANT in understanding technological innovations and their impact, as well as the need to address the challenges to make technologies more effective and efficient. The essay uses various sources to support its arguments.

Computing
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................3
Actor Network Theory and its relevancy.........................................................................................3
Story 1: Facebook's internet.org initiative aims to connect 'the next 5 billion people....................4
Story 2: Yahoo Exec Shows Encrypted Email at SXSW.................................................................5
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Computing is a goal oriented process of using the operations of computers for performing
some calculations. User utilises various computer technologies for completing some sorts of tasks.
It involves designing, developing, processing, structuring and managing of hardware and software
along with various kinds of information. There are various fields of computing such as computer
engineering, software engineering, computer science, information systems and information
technology (Greenhalgh and Stones, 2010).
The statement “Within modern computing, every actant acts or is acted upon by at least one
other actant” is true with respect to the Actor Network Theory. In the present time, there is a strong
relationship between computer and human. The main thing is to take care here is that computer can
be any sort of device. The present essay is based on two stories regarding new technologies. The file
includes actor network theory, its relevancy, relation between hardware and software actant and
issues related to the stories.
Actor Network Theory and its relevancy
Actor Network Theory (ANT) is a continuous process which shows the relationship of
society with technologies and other non-human actors. This theory explains both the human and
non-human actants as well as provides them equal agency within web or actor network. It is one of
most effective and appropriate tools which describes the processes through which invention and
technological systems get success or failed (Fang, Marle, Zio and Bocquet, 2012). While
developing a new technology, inventor passes it through various stages of innovation for connecting
it with the users and different components. An inventor needs to employ both the analytical and
descriptive framework while dealing with humans and machines. In ANT, actor is something that
acts and actant is the one to which activity is granted by another (Armbrust and et.al. 2010).
In addition, actant refers as a collective or individual agent who can be connected to the
other agents whereas actors are the combination of symbolically invested things, relations or
inscriptions. Both actor and actants combine and form a network by connecting each other strongly
(Banks, 2011). This theory is a conceptual frame which helps in exploring collective socio-technical
processes in which spokesperson gives more attention to the science and technology. This theory
does not make comparison in between the science and technology. In ANT, networks overcome the
resistance and make strong bond internally by getting coherence and consistence. Three principles
are given by ANT which are agnosticism, generalised symmetry and free association. While
forming the network, such theory gives emphasis to all the surrounding objects and adds them into
it (Feldman and Orlikowski, 2011).
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Story 1: Facebook's internet.org initiative aims to connect 'the next 5 billion people
The story is based on the innovation of Facebook with respect to the internet.org for
connecting the world with each other with the help of internet. With reference to the Actor Network
Theory, the actor of this story is internet.org whereas actants are people, structural actant and
computing assemblage. By combining both the actor and actant, Facebook is trying to achieve the
objective of world connectivity (Chowdhury, Chen and Tiong, 2011). It is also thinking to provide
internet access to the developing nations for their development and enhancement. This will help in
connecting the people and reducing the distances. By developing relationship between the internet
and human, various business, diverse customers, etc. will get many advantages (Cranmer,
Desmarais and Kirkland, 2012). There are reduction in the cost of internet access and formation of
such applications which can minimize the data usage. Further, it will also increase employment and
provide various opportunities regarding development as well as improvement.
With the help of ANT, Facebook can bring revolution in the world. The actor of this story is
acting and impacting positively on the actants. It is taking all the factors of surrounding and
involving it for developing a good relation (Degenais, Fodor, Schulze and Toohey, 2013). By taking
advantages of various services such as music, Wikipedia, messaging, social networks, etc. free of
cost, people can able to enhance their knowledge and skills in different fields. With respect to the
culture, this innovation will change cultural and social life of people. It will increase virtual
communities, easy access to information, changing beliefs, perception and opinion of human etc.
(Scolari, 2012).
Connection between hardware and software actants is important as its combination helps
individual to perform and complete his/her task effectively. Both the hardware and software actant
play a specific role in the story of internet.org of Facebook. With respect to the hardware actant, this
story includes machines, people, computer systems and technologies (Internet.org, 2016). On the
other hand, software actants are programming, developing, designing, and structuring the hardware
and software as well as different languages. Facebook can effectively and efficiently accomplish its
objective of connecting world and providing internet access to the developing counties by
combining both the hardware and software actants properly. This will provide smooth working,
various services, etc. to the people without any mistake which will also lead to high customer
satisfaction (Venturini, 2010).
With the advantages, there are some problems also which can affect the various factors.
Internet.org will use Big Data due to large amount of information. Management and maintenance of
Big Data are not an easy task. Along with this, it will change the lifestyle of people as they will start
giving more time to internet instead of their personal relations. On the other hand, this will decrease
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thinking, problem solving and risk taking ability of the individuals due to internet. This will also
increase ethical issues such as stealing of information, lack of privacy, increase victimless crimes,
etc. This will decrease the morale, value and ethics of people as they will start using internet
services for their personal purpose and benefits (Berzai, 2012).
Story 2: Yahoo Exec Shows Encrypted Email at SXSW
This story is based on encrypted email services for providing more security to the people.
With reference to the Actor Network Theory, the actor of this story is Yahoo and actants are digital
actant, computing assemblage, encryption protocol actant and human. All these create a network for
accomplishing the Yahoo's objective of encrypted email. Yahoo is going to improve its search
option as it is one of the most using functions by the users (Armbrust and et.al. 2010). The reason
behind providing service of encryption is increasing cause of cybercrime, pervasive computing as
well as issues faced by Wikileaks and Snowden.
By providing the service of encryption, Yahoo can satisfy its users more effectively and can
increase their trust as well as loyalty. With respect to various level of assemblages, technical level
includes encryption protocol which makes unreadable emails to any but intended recipient (Rydin,
2012). Along with this, innovation of Yahoo will affect the cultural factor as it will change the
functioning of sending and receiving emails. In addition, encryption actant will connect people to
the business plan of Yahoo which will result to increase the willingness of people to sign up with
Yahoo account for using its new and improved services. On the other hand, service of encrypted
email will reduce the ability of state and business to keep spy on emails (Arnaboldi and Spiller,
2011).
Understanding relation between the hardware and software actants is important for this story
as it will help in providing simple, easy and protective access of emails. Hardware actant includes
people, computer system and smartphones whereas software actant consists of appropriate
connectivity, codding, designing, developing and structuring so that encrypted email service can
work effectively (Borgatti and Halgin, 2011). It is essential to connect both the actants properly for
getting effective and expected results. Combination of hardware and software actant will provide
smooth functioning to the user without any error or problem. Yahoo can able to implement and
execute its service efficiently which will also lead to fulfil the requirement of security by the users
(Hooper, 2012).
The story contains some issues also which need to be solved. Company is unaware about the
reaction of people towards the change in email service of Yahoo. It can be possible that users will
dislike this due to higher security as well as encrypted data and in such case, they will like to switch
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to other search engines. By this action, company can face great failure. In addition, encrypted data
will create problem for the users in searching data or information. This will also lead to customer
dissatisfaction (Durepos and Mills, 2012).
CONCLUSION
The above study helps in explaining the statement “Within modern computing, every actant
acts or is acted upon by at least one other actant” with the help of two stories. It is concluded that
computing is one of the most important parts of innovations and improvements. Along with this,
Actor network theory helps in combining all the factors for developing network which assists in
achieving the objectives effectively. The story of Facebook and Yahoo helps in understanding that
how various actants are working by creating network. Both the stories are facing some issues which
need to be improved for making the technology and services more effective and efficient.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Armbrust, M. and et.al. 2010. A view of cloud computing. Communications of the ACM. 53(4). pp.
50-58.
Arnaboldi, M. and Spiller, N., 2011. Actor-network theory and stakeholder collaboration: The case
of Cultural Districts. Tourism Management. 32(3). pp.641-654.
Borgatti, S. P. and Halgin, D. S., 2011. On network theory. Organization Science. 22(5). pp.1168-
1181.
Cranmer, S. J., Desmarais, B. A. and Kirkland, J. H., 2012. Toward a network theory of alliance
formation. International Interactions. 38(3). pp.295-324.
Degenais, D. and et.al., 2013. Charting new directions: The potential of actor-network theory for
analysing children's video making. Language and Literacy. 15(1). pp.93.
Durepos, G. and Mills, A. J., 2012. Actor-network theory, ANTi-history and critical organizational
historiography. Organization science. 19(6). pp.703-721.
Fang, C. and et.al., 2012. Network theory-based analysis of risk interactions in large engineering
projects. Reliability Engineering & System Safety. 106. pp.1-10.
Feldman, M. S. and Orlikowski, W. J., 2011. Theorizing practice and practicing
theory. Organization Science. 22(5). pp.1240-1253.
Greenhalgh, T. and Stones, R., 2010. Theorising big IT programmes in healthcare: strong
structuration theory meets actor-network theory. Social science & medicine. 70(9). pp. 1285-
1294.
Hooper, L., 2012. Actor Network Theory. Press.
Rydin, Y., 2012. Using Actor–Network Theory to understand planning practice: Exploring
relationships between actants in regulating low-carbon commercial development. Planning
Theory.
Scolari, C. A., 2012. Media ecology: Exploring the metaphor to expand the theory. Communication
Theory. 22(2). pp.204-225.
Venturini, T., 2010. Diving in magma: How to explore controversies with actor-network
theory. Public understanding of science. 19(3). pp.258-273.
Online
Banks, D., 2011. A brief summary of Actor Network Theory. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/12/02/a-brief-summary-of-actor-network-
theory/>. [Accessed on 9th April 2016].
Berzai, L., 2012. Ethical Problems in Computing. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.aitp.org/news/98451/>. [Accessed on 9th April 2016].
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Internet.org. 2016. [Online]. Available Through: <https://info.internet.org/en/>. [Accessed on 9th
April 2016].
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