Our institute announces a research presentation by Dr. Harindranath on the “The Role of Social Media Affordances and Platforms for Social Transformation Movements”.

The presentation will take place on Friday 23rd October, 10am in the large meeting room (D2.2.094, 2nd floor) of the Department of Information Systems and Operations.

The corresponding ECIS paper can be downloaded from the AIS electronic library (AISeL).

Abstract:

Social media (SM) have played a critical role in recent social transformation movements and yet information systems (IS) literature has only sparsely examined the role of particular SM platforms and their affordances that facilitate such collective action, and how such affordances are appropriated for decentralised forms of collaboration and cooperation. We draw on theories of affordances and collective action to identify a range of functional SM affordances, and related SM platforms, impacting online activism in the recent social transformation movements in Egypt, based on field interviews with a variety of movement participants. We identify nine perceived affordances of SM that were instrumental during the social transformation movements. When these affordances are appropriated by movement participants, they interact with and complement each other, thereby significantly impacting mobilization for social change. Our findings provide a more nuanced perspective on the role of SM in social transformation movements and have implications for both IS and collective action theories.

Short bio:

Dr G. 'Hari' Harindranath is a Senior Lecturer in Information Systems in the School of Management. Hari has a background in political economy and holds a doctorate in Information Systems from the London School of Economics. His research interests cover both the social and organisational implications of information and communications technology (ICT). Hari's work on social implications of ICT examines the use of ICT for development and in developing/transition countries, and more recently the use of social media in social transformation movements. With regard to the organisational impact of ICT, he is interested in the use of ICT in SMEs, and in the way emerging market multinationals are using ICT as a key lever in their internationalisation strategies. Hari is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Global Information Management, and a founding Executive Committee member of the Association for Information Systems-affiliate conference called, International Conference on Information Resources Management (Conf-IRM).