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An interdisciplinary approach in understanding internet as a practice : a case study of internet cafes in a small town

This study aims at understanding how Internet being a particular technology, integrates into daily practices in a small town. By doing this, it follows a theoretically informed ethnography based research concluding that the relationship between technology and society cannot be grasped by analysing both as separate entities. Hence, it attempts to develop a theoretical and methodological framework that is constantly aware of problems raised by dualistic assumptions analysing technology-society or human-nonhuman as separate entities one impinging upon other. It is this awareness that led the study to apply Bourdieu&rsquo / s concept of habitus and Latour&rsquo / s concept of actant into its field of inquiry. These two notions promote an understanding that takes into account the contingency of practices and provides researchers with the analytical means to comprehend technologies within the contexts of their &ldquo / use&rdquo / . It is also denoted by the findings of the study that a particular &lsquo / technology&rsquo / does not create a &lsquo / social impact&rsquo / but as itself being social, it allows this already occurring practice to find an avenue for its expression.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12606784/index.pdf
Date01 November 2005
CreatorsUzuner, Demet
ContributorsTarhan, Belkiz
PublisherMETU
Source SetsMiddle East Technical Univ.
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeM.S. Thesis
Formattext/pdf
RightsTo liberate the content for public access

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