Introduction to Computing: Actor Network Theory and Case Studies

This essay provides an introduction to computing, focusing on the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT). It begins by defining computing and ANT, explaining its relevance in understanding technological innovations and social networks. The essay then analyzes two case studies: Facebook's internet.org initiative and Yahoo's encrypted email service, illustrating how ANT frameworks can be used to interpret these real-world applications. It examines the roles of various actants, including hardware and software, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of contemporary computing, highlighting issues such as cybercrime and the impact of technology on human relationships. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of ANT in understanding modern computing and the increasing interconnectedness between technology and humans. The essay provides a detailed overview of the concepts, applications, and implications of ANT in the field of computing.

Introduction to Computing

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................4
Actor Network Theory and its relevancy.........................................................................................4
Story 1: Facebook's internet.org initiative aims to connect 'the next 5 billion people'....................5
Story 2: Yahoo Exec Shows Encrypted Email at SXSW.................................................................6
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................8

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Actor Network Theory (ANT)..............................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
“In modern computing, every actant acts on or is acted upon by at least other actant, in order
to fulfil the aims of assemblage.” With respect to this statement, computing refers to the process of
utilising computer technology for accomplishing the objectives or goals. Clients use computer
systems for processing data or performing calculations. The main thing that computing includes is
using any type of computer device while performing operations. There is always one actor who
performs the task and number of Actants who influenced by it (Borgatti and Halgin, 2011).
The proposed essay is based on the two stories which are explained with the help of actor
network theory. Along with it, the report includes connection between software and hardware
Actants, their issues and advantages & disadvantages of contemporary computing. All these factors
will help in understanding the concept of modern computing.
Actor Network Theory and its relevancy
Actor Network Theory (ANT) is also called as enrolment theory which refers to social
theory and research in which objects are treated as a part of social networks. It declares that work
related to the science is not different from other social activists (Borgatti and Halgin, 2011).
Figure 1: Actor Network Theory (ANT)
Source (Actor Network Mapping, 2011)
The theory is a framework and systematic way which includes the infrastructure surrounding
the technological achievements. It is developed for understanding the processes of technological
innovations and scientific knowledge creation (Roberts, 2012). This theory focuses on all the
surrounding factors and considers them while completing some tasks. ANT explains how human
and non-human things need to be integrated into the same conceptual framework. This helps in
getting information about each and every aspect including impartial treatments of the actors. This
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theory explains how material-semiotic networks connect with together for acting as a whole (Barry,
2013).
Actants of the theory represents human and non human actors which assume that nothing
lies outside the network relations and there is no difference in the ability of technology, human or
non human to act (Rydin, 2012). As fast as an actor involves with the actor network, it is integrated
in the web of relations. ANT also makes relationships with the entities of sociology and
anthropology. There are two views of this theory; in the first view, network of actors for a specific
time called as network theory model exist and the second view shows the dynamic nature of the
actor network. In addition, the actor and network are connected in an effort to bypass the difference
between an agency and a structure (Guggenheim and Potthast, 2012).
Story 1: Facebook's internet.org initiative aims to connect 'the next 5 billion people'
It is one of the important stories with respect to new internet revolution. It shows the
connection between internet and the people. With respect to actor network theory, actor of this story
is internet.org and actant is the person (Castells, 2011). With the help of this innovation, Facebook
is trying to connect many more people to the internet. This will bring various benefits to the people
of different countries by minimising cost of internet access, development of more efficient
applications and software with respect to data usage, formation of partnership with the local
operations and firms for providing internet access, etc (Durepos and Mills, 2012). Actor network
theory is implemented by the researcher while creating internet.org. This will bring a revolution in
the world by connecting all the nations with the internet. It is one of the most amazing innovations
in the field of Information Technology (IT) where people of developing countries will also able to
access internet for their development. Facebook and other partners are thinking to provide basic
internet services free of cost which includes messaging, social networks, search engines, Wikipedia,
streaming music, high resolution photos and app downloads (Internet.org, 2016.). With respect to
ANT, the actor i.e. internet.org has positive impact on the development of people living in
developing countries. It is including other non human things to the network for making effective
connection among them (Fenwick and Edwards, 2012).
Connection between the hardware and software actant also play essential role in the story of
Facebook regarding internet.org. In this, hardware actant includes machines, people, various
technologies; computer systems and software. These are the applications, programmes, connection
between the people and internet (Arnaboldi and Spiller, 2011). Hardware refers to the physical part
of the computer and software is the programme that helps in executing the various tasks. These are
stored into the computer system. With reference to the present study, Facebook can achieve its
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objective of connecting the people with the help of internet by connecting hardware and software
appropriately. This will help in proper coding, developing and designing for formation of software
so that people can access the internet properly and can able to develop themselves effectively
(Latour, 2011).
There are some issues such as increase in internet services contributing in enhancing cyber
crimes. Hackers will able to hack personal, professional or private information easily for their own
advantages. It is not explained that how Facebook will resolve the problem of cyber crime. Along
with this, people will start making virtual communities and stop giving importance to their real
relationships (Moliterno and Mahony, 2011). Along with this, if the speed of the internet is not high
then, it will delay the work of users and can create problem for them as well. On the other hand,
there are chances of having various health issues among the human due to increasing use of internet
and connecting their life completely to the internet (Hooper, 2012).
Story 2: Yahoo Exec Shows Encrypted Email at SXSW
This story is focused on the Yahoo's encrypted emails for providing more security to the
users. Yahoo is providing new encrypted services for making email access easier and sending
scrambled emails in simpler form (Contractor, Monge and Leonardi, 2011). With respect to the
Actor Network Theory, there are various Actants in the story which includes digital actant, human,
encryption protocol actant and computing assemblage whereas the actor of the story is Yahoo. All
these Actants and actor develop the relationship for providing the service of encrypted email to the
people for increasing security (Actor Network Theory, 2004). All the Actants act on the basis of
assemblage for achieving the objective of encrypted services. With respect to encryption protocol, it
acts as technical level of the assemblage which makes the email unreadable to the intended recipient
(Zissis and Lekkas, 2012). On the other hand, the story also focuses on the change in cultural and
social life of human. It will change the ways in which people send and receive the emails from
browser to the Smartphone applications. In addition, this will connect the people to Yahoo's
business plan. This will help in knowing the desire of human to sign up for Yahoo account due to
new encryption services. All these services will impact on the political and economic scale of the
nation and people. On the other hand, consumers need to abandon their email for new messaging
systems for taking full advantages of the new services. Yahoo is also going to improve its feature of
search in emails as it is one of the most using features (Maren, Harston and Pap, 2014).
Relationship between hardware and software plays important role in this story as with the
help of them, Yahoo can achieve its goal effectively. With respect to this story, hardware are
computer, people, employees of the Yahoo and computer systems whereas software are coding,
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different applications and programs which will help in better implementation and execution of the
encrypted services for email. This will lead to smooth functioning of the tool without any error
which will also help in satisfying the users (Marston and et.al., 2011).
With the advantages, there are some issues as well which can work as barrier for the email
encryption of Yahoo. It is not identified that whether the individuals are satisfied with this change
into their email services or not (Networks and Layers: Technocultural Encodings of the World Wide
Web, 2005). If they are not satisfied then, it can create loss of users for the Yahoo and which is not
good for its strong competitive market. Along with this, it will become hard for the users to search
their data or information due to email encryption. It will waste time and resources of the consumers
which can dissatisfy them (Mell and Grance, 2011).
CONCLUSION
From the above essay, it is concluded that Actor Network theory plays an important role in
understanding the concept of modern computing. It helps in clearing the statement “within modern
computing, every actant acts on or is acted upon by at least one other actant” By focusing on the
two theories, it is founded that there are both advantages and disadvantages of the modern
techniques. In addition, the relationship between the computing technologies and human being is
increasing and becoming stronger with the time.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arnaboldi, M. and Spiller, N., 2011. Actor-network theory and stakeholder collaboration: The case
of Cultural Districts. Tourism Management. 32(3). pp.641-654.
Barry, A., 2013. The translation zone: Between actor-network theory and international
relations. Millennium-Journal of International Studies. 41(3). pp.413-429.
Borgatti, S. P. and Halgin, D. S., 2011. On network theory. Organization Science. 22(5). pp.1168-
1181.
Castells, M., 2011. Network Theory A Network Theory of Power. International Journal of
Communication. 5. pp.15.
Contractor, N., Monge, P. and Leonardi, P. M., 2011. Network Theory| Multidimensional Networks
and the Dynamics of Sociomateriality: Bringing Technology Inside the
Network. International Journal of Communication. 5. pp.39.
Durepos, G. and Mills, A. J., 2012. Actor-network theory, ANTi-history and critical organizational
historiography. Organization. 19(6). pp.703-721.
Fenwick, T. and Edwards, R., 2012. Researching education through actor-network theory. John
Wiley & Sons.
Guggenheim, M. and Potthast, J., 2012. Symmetrical twins: On the relationship between Actor-
Network theory and the sociology of critical capacities. European Journal of Social Theory.
15(2). pp.157-178.
Hooper, L., 2012. Actor Network Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Latour, B., 2011. Network Theory| Networks, Societies, Spheres: Reflections of an Actor-network
Theorist. International Journal of Communication. 5. p.15.
Maren, A. J., Harston, C. T. and Pap, R. M., 2014. Handbook of neural computing applications.
Academic Press.
Marston, S. and et.al., 2011. Cloud computing—The business perspective. Decision support
systems. 51(1). pp.176-189.
Mell, P. and Grance, T., 2011. The NIST definition of cloud computing. NIST Special Publication.
Moliterno, T. P. and Mahony, D. M., 2011. Network theory of organization: A multilevel
approach. Journal of Management. 37(2). pp.443-467.
Roberts, J. M., 2012. Poststructuralism against poststructuralism: Actor-network theory,
organizations and economic markets. European Journal of Social Theory. 15(1). pp.35-53.
Rydin, Y., 2012. Using Actor–Network Theory to understand planning practice: Exploring
relationships between actants in regulating low-carbon commercial development. Planning
Theory.
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Zissis, D. and Lekkas, D., 2012. Addressing cloud computing security issues. Future Generation
computer systems. 28(3). pp.583-592.
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Actor Network Theory. 2004. [PDF]. Available Through:
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Networks and Layers: Technocultural Encodings of the World Wide Web. 2005. [Online]. Available
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