Week Three: Actor-Network Theory

Although the concept was a bit hard to understand at first, after reading a few different descriptions on the subject, I've been able to come up with this conclusion: the actor-network theory, often abbreviated ANT, explains the relationships between actors (human and nonhuman) and other actors, between actors and ideas, and between ideas and other ideas, all of which create an ever-shifting network of actors and ideas. The actions occuring within the network, however, must be continuously repeated, or else the network will fall apart. I found a helpful example of ANT in its Wikipedia article: teachers and children (human actors) interact with one another as well as with various technologies, such as tables, chairs, and computers (nonhuman actors), all the while exchanging ideas, thereby creating a network; if the teachers do not come to school each morning, or the computers cease to work, the network will disintegrate. Actor-network theory is not, however, about the network itself, nor does it explain why a network forms between certain actors and ideas. Rather, it explains how a network begins, how it maintains itself, and how it falls apart. Norwegian Professor Ole Hanseth provides another helpful example of ANT: when driving a car, a person is influenced by a number of things, including the condition of the car, traffic regulations, and his or her previous experience driving said car, thus creating a network consisting of both human and nonhuman actors, various ideas, and the relationships that exist between each of these factors. This network was set into motion the moment the person stepped into the car, the actors, ideas and relationships falling into place immediately afterward. The network will temporarily disintegrate once the person turns off his or her car and walks away, only to begin once again the next time he or she decides to drive, perhaps adding more components to the network (driving lessons, a police ticket, a passenger) upon doing so. To sum this concept up, I would like to quote Hanseth: "You do not go about doing your business in a total vacuum but rather under the influence of a wide range of surrounding factors." Actor-network theory, therefore, explains how the "wide range of surrounding factors" comes together as a network, how that network persists, and how that network falls apart.

Articles on Actor-Network Theory:

• Actor-Network Theory and the Adoption of Mobile Communications
  Neil McBride
  Geography
  Vol. 88, No. 4 (October 2003), pp. 266-276
  Published by: Geographical Association
  Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40573881
  
  This article, "Actor-Network Theory and the Adoption of Mobile Communications", written by Neil McBride, suggests that ANT is a major factor in a community's taking up of communication technology, especially because, although mobile technology is usually concentrated in developed nations and large cities (which is to be expected), it is also occuring in developing nations and rural areas (which is unexpected). According to McBride, the spread of mobile technology is not dependent on location as much as one might initially believe; a network of actors (government control and legislation, the ease and usefulness of the product, the physical infrastructure of said area, culture, how expensive the technology is) all play an enormous role in whether or not mobile technology spreads throughout a region, whether it's developing or fully developed.
• Dismissed Content and Discontent: An Analysis of the Strategic Aspects of Actor-Network Theory
  Daniel Neyland
  Science, Technology, & Human Values
  Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 2006), pp. 29-51
  Published by: Sage Publications, Inc.
  Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29733924
• Crossing Boundaries: An Integrative Framework for Studying Technological Change
  Henrik Bruun, Janne Hukkinen
  Social Studies of Science
  Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2003), pp. 95-116
  Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd.
  Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3183137

Additional Information:

• http://www.learning-theories.com/actor-network-theory-ant.html
  
  A short summary of what the actor-network theory is, as well as some criticisms of the concept.
• http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~mryder/itc/ant_dff.html
  
  Numerous actor-network theory definitions provided by sociologists, authors and professors.
• http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Actor-Network_Theory
  
  A description of the actor-network theory. Includes why the theory is controversial.
• https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/citd/holtorf/3.11.html
  
  Another explanation of what the actor-network theory is, using a more scientific approach and touching upon the idea of "translating".
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2YYxS6D-mI
  
  A YouTube video explaining what the actor-theory network is "in plain English".