TY - JOUR

T1 - Why people do and don't wear active badges

T2 - A case study

AU - Harper, R.H.R.

PY - 1995/12

Y1 - 1995/12

N2 - This paper reports findings from an analysis of attitudes toward and use of active badges and associated applications in a large corporate research laboratory. The evidence will show that there were two distinct sets of views about active badges, leading one group within the institution to be strongly opposed to their introduction and use, and another very supportive. Analysis of these views will show that they were the manifestation of two different morally cohered communities. The demonstrable existence of these communities was in part achieved through and displayed by the avowal of these distinct sets of attitudes and views. Further, analysis of the particular communities will suggest that some of these views and attitudes had the character of being sacred or semi-sacred; in this sense they were beliefs. On the basis of these materials, the paper will conclude with discussion of how beliefs can form the bedrock of any and all communities, and how it is necessary to respect those beliefs if one wishes to introduce technologies to support group activities. Failure to do so can lead to the rejection of systems on grounds well removed from the purported purpose of those systems. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

AB - This paper reports findings from an analysis of attitudes toward and use of active badges and associated applications in a large corporate research laboratory. The evidence will show that there were two distinct sets of views about active badges, leading one group within the institution to be strongly opposed to their introduction and use, and another very supportive. Analysis of these views will show that they were the manifestation of two different morally cohered communities. The demonstrable existence of these communities was in part achieved through and displayed by the avowal of these distinct sets of attitudes and views. Further, analysis of the particular communities will suggest that some of these views and attitudes had the character of being sacred or semi-sacred; in this sense they were beliefs. On the basis of these materials, the paper will conclude with discussion of how beliefs can form the bedrock of any and all communities, and how it is necessary to respect those beliefs if one wishes to introduce technologies to support group activities. Failure to do so can lead to the rejection of systems on grounds well removed from the purported purpose of those systems. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

KW - active badges

KW - communities

KW - CSCW

KW - ethnography

KW - evaluation

KW - religion

KW - sociology

KW - work practice

KW - Decision making

KW - Evaluation

KW - Information technology

KW - Job analysis

KW - Problem solving

KW - Research laboratories

KW - Social aspects

KW - Societies and institutions

KW - Active badges

KW - Communities

KW - Computer artifacts

KW - Corporate research

KW - Ethnography

KW - Religion

KW - Sociology

KW - Work practice

KW - Distributed computer systems

U2 - 10.1007/BF01846697

DO - 10.1007/BF01846697

M3 - Journal article

VL - 4

SP - 297

EP - 318

JO - Computer Supported Cooperative Work

JF - Computer Supported Cooperative Work

SN - 0925-9724

IS - 4

ER -