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Arto Lanamäki

University of Oulu, Department of Information Processing Science, Post-Doc

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Dr. Arto Lanamäki is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Oulu, Finland. He teaches courses on research methods, information systems, and human-computer interaction. His main research interest is technology-mediated collaboration. Lanamäki defended his doctoral thesis in September 2013 at University of Bergen, Norway. Previously he holds a MSc in Computer Science from University of Tampere, Finland. Before joining academia, Lanamäki worked in managerial and development positions for seven years with healthcare IT and one year in VoIP service development.

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Papers by Arto Lanamäki

The Roles of Conference Papers in IS: An Analysis of the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems

by Arto Lanamäki and John Persson

Information Systems (IS) research has both a journal-oriented publication culture and a rich plet... more Information Systems (IS) research has both a journal-oriented publication culture and a rich plethora of conferences. It is unclear why IS researchers even bother with conference publishing given the high focus on journals. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of conference papers in IS and the role they play for the authoring researchers. We present the first analysis of the papers published during the first six years (2010–2015) in the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). We conducted interviews with ten SCIS authors. Following a framework adopted from Åkerlind [1], we identified how SCIS papers have the roles of fulfilling requirements, establishing oneself, developing personally, enabling change, and other roles. This article contributes to the reflection literature on the IS field by applying a practice lens to understand the role of conference papers in research.

Using With Discretion: Identifying Emergent Practices Around Interactive Public Displays

by Arto Lanamäki and Kari Kuutti

In this paper we adopt a practice lens to investigate discretionary use of publicly available urb... more In this paper we adopt a practice lens to investigate discretionary use of publicly available urban ubiquitous technology. We examine what happens when fifteen public interactive multipurpose displays are installed in different locations around a city for the free use of citizens. In city of Oulu, Finland, this technology attracted very little use in all but one location. We conducted a field study at this single " successful " location. There we identified four distinct technology-facilitated emergent practices. The practice lens enabled us to study the public displays not merely as technological entities, but as complex sociotechnical ensembles with cultural, spatial, temporal, social, material, and historical dimensions. This study addressed quite a novel context, technology and user group as regards Information Systems (IS) research. The study contributes to IS literature by pushing the study of discretionary use of technology far from organizational context to technological infrastructures available for citizens in urban settings. The study also offers novel empirical insights for practice oriented IS research. Especially the findings related to children and discretionary technology use are novel in this respect. The practice lens and our findings on the material and bodily aspects are also interesting for the discussions on sociomateriality in IS research.

Mutual Informing Between IS Academia and Practice: Insights from KIWISR-5

by Karen Stendal and Arto Lanamäki

Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 2011

Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was “For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Ac... more Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was “For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Academia and Practice.” As a synthesis of the workshop, we propose that mutual informing consists of, at least, topics such as choice of publication outlets, facilitation of collaboration, roles in research process, and delivery of teaching. Further, we suggest that mutual informing is concerned with transferring and transforming knowledge between the realms of design and development, use, and management of Information ...

Mutual Informing Between IS Academia and Practice: Insights from KIWISR-5

by Karen Stendal and Arto Lanamäki

Communications of the Association For Information Systems, 2011

The relationship between Information Systems (IS) scholars and IS practitioners has been debated ... more The relationship between Information Systems (IS) scholars and IS practitioners has been debated since the birth of the IS discipline. How are academics interacting with practice, and how should we? In this article we propose that academia-practice collaboration, namely -mutual informing,‖ is an existential aspect of the Information Systems field. This article is based on presentations, discussions, group work, and a debate that took place during the Fifth Kristiansand International Workshop on Information Systems Research (KIWISR), held at University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was "For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Academia and Practice." As a synthesis of the workshop, we propose that mutual informing consists of, at least, topics such as choice of publication outlets, facilitation of collaboration, roles in research process, and delivery of teaching. Further, we suggest that mutual informing is concerned with transferring and transforming knowledge between the realms of design and development, use, and management of Information Systems. The biggest challenges to mutual informing are the different knowledge interests and timeframes between the realms of academia and practice.

“The sum of all human knowledge”: A systematic review of scholarly research on the content of Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Chitu Okoli, and Finn Å Nielsen

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2014

Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather a... more Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather all human knowledge in one place. Its accomplishments in this regard have made it an irresistible point of inquiry for researchers from various fields of knowledge. A decade of research has thrown light on many aspects of the Wikipedia community, its processes, and content. However, due to the variety of the fields inquiring about Wikipedia and the limited synthesis of the extensive research, there is little consensus on many aspects of Wikipedia's content as an encyclopedic collection of human knowledge. This study addresses the issue by systematically reviewing 110 peer-reviewed publications on Wikipedia content, summarizing the current findings, and highlighting the major research trends. Two major streams of research are identified: the quality of Wikipedia content (including comprehensiveness, currency, readability and reliability) and the size of Wikipedia. Moreover, we present the key research trends in terms of the domains of inquiry, research design, data source, and data gathering methods. This review synthesizes scholarly understanding of Wikipedia content and paves the way for future studies.

Once You Step Over the First Line, You Become Sensitized to the Next: Towards a Gateway Theory of Online Participation

by Arto Lanamäki, Mikko Rajanen, and Anssi Oorni

This article proposes a gateway theory as a promising alternative to the traditional antecedents-... more This article proposes a gateway theory as a promising alternative to the traditional antecedents-based view of online participation. The traditional view contends that people plan their online participation based on some rational motivations, leading to a foreseeable route. We arrived at our proposition through two entrance stories. These stories offer rich descriptions of formative experiences and consequent participation progression. Our proposition of the gateway theory consists of two parts: First, participation occurs with uncertainty, involving trial and error, unknown risks and rewards, and the availability of technology-facilitated services. Second, participation consists of sequences of activities, in which each step sensitizes the person to opportunities previously not acknowledged. Consistent with the metaphor of the gateway, the first encounter may often be the most critical step. We argue that the gateway theory offers major opportunities for future research, particularly in conceptualizing the early stages of an individual’s path of online participation.

A Consideration for Researcher Career Retrospectives in Information Systems and Organization Studies

Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 2015

This essay considers the researcher career retrospective (RCR) as an emerging publication genre i... more This essay considers the researcher career retrospective (RCR) as an emerging publication genre in information systems (IS) and organization studies (OS). I assess two recent career texts, by/of Daniel Robey and John Van Maanen, as representative exemplars of this genre. I outline the genre, and identify resemblance between this and three genres of academic writing -namely career studies, IS history, and tribute. RCR fills an important niche within IS/OS publishing, and is especially needed in the Scandinavian IS research, in which it is currently absent. The 38 years of the IRIS conference, and 27 years of the SJIS journal, coincide with the careers of dozens of researchers. Reflection on these careers would provide much value for younger researchers and for the whole research community.

“The sum of all human knowledge”: A systematic review of scholarly research on the content of Wikipedia

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2014

Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather a... more Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather all human knowledge in one place. Its accomplishments in this regard have made it an irresistible point of inquiry for researchers from various fields of knowledge. A decade of research has thrown light on many aspects of the Wikipedia community, its processes, and content. However, due to the variety of the fields inquiring about Wikipedia and the limited synthesis of the extensive research, there is little consensus on many aspects of Wikipedia's content as an encyclopedic collection of human knowledge. This study addresses the issue by systematically reviewing 110 peer-reviewed publications on Wikipedia content, summarizing the current findings, and highlighting the major research trends. Two major streams of research are identified: the quality of Wikipedia content (including comprehensiveness, currency, readability and reliability) and the size of Wikipedia. Moreover, we present the key research trends in terms of the domains of inquiry, research design, data source, and data gathering methods. This review synthesizes scholarly understanding of Wikipedia content and paves the way for future studies.

Metacommunication Patterns in Online Communities

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2009

This paper discusses about contemporary literature on computermediated metacommunication and obse... more This paper discusses about contemporary literature on computermediated metacommunication and observes the phenomenon in two online communities. The results contribute by identifying six general-level patterns of how metacommunication refers to primary communication in online communities. A task-oriented, user-administrated, community (Wikipedia in Finnish) involved a remarkable number of specialized metacommunication genres. In a centrally moderated discussion-oriented community (Patientslikeme), metacommunication was intertwined more with primary ad hoc communication. We suggest that a focus on specialized metacommunication genres may appear useful in online communities. However, room for ad hoc (meta)communication is needed as well, as it provides a basis for user-initiated community development.

Genre Analysis of Metacommunication in Wikipedia

Abstract. This article reports an analysis of metacommunication in the Finnish language version o... more

On Online Community Literature Reviews

Collaboration in Online Communities: Exploring Finnish Wikipedia

The People’s Encyclopedia Under the Gaze of the Sages: A Systematic Review of Scholarly Research on Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Chitu Okoli, Finn Å Nielsen, and Mohamad Mehdi

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

Wikipedia has become one of the ten most visited sites on the Web, and the world's leading source... more Wikipedia has become one of the ten most visited sites on the Web, and the world's leading source of Web reference information. Its rapid success has inspired hundreds of scholars from various disciplines to study its content, communication and community dynamics from various perspectives. This article presents a systematic review of scholarly research on Wikipedia. We describe our detailed, rigorous methodology for identifying over 450 scholarly studies of Wikipedia. We present the WikiLit website (http://wikilit.referata.com), where most of the papers reviewed here are described in detail. In the major section of this article, we then categorize and summarize the studies. An appendix features an extensive list of resources useful for Wikipedia researchers.

Identity in Online Communities

apachepersonal.miun.se

On the Internet, online communities have become common and millions of people are daily contribut... more

Genre Analysis of Metacommunication in Wikipedia

IRIS2010, Dec 17, 2010

Abstract. This article reports an analysis of metacommunication in the Finnish language version o... more

What Does a Chair Afford? A Heideggerian Perspective of Affordances

The concept ‘affordance’ has been adopted from ecological psychology into various fields of resea... more The concept ‘affordance’ has been adopted from ecological psychology into various fields of research. The wide adoption signals for the usefulness of the concept, but may also create confusion. We have become alert towards the ambiguous uses of the term – a feature that originates in J.J. Gibson’s ambiguous texts. To contribute to this deliberation, we identified ‘affordances of a chair’ as the most popular ‘affordance example’ in research literature. We analyzed a set of examples through a Heideggerian lens to reveal variations in the operationalization of the concept. Our paper does not aim to provide any absolute answer for the right use of the affordance concept. We wish to contribute to the ongoing debate on affordances; particularly in our own IS community. As academic writers, we should be conscious of the exact meanings of the concepts we use. Thus, this essay questions the affordance concept as a one-size-fits-all solution to characterize the relation between artifacts and their users. We suggest future research to address the conceptual specificity dilemma: should we supplement affordance with new concepts, or should we replace affordance with something better?

Non-response, Social Exclusion, and False Acceptance: Gatekeeping Tactics and Usability Work in Free-Libre Open Source Software Development

by Mikko Rajanen and Arto Lanamäki

Usability is an important aspect of Free-Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), but barriers exist f... more Usability is an important aspect of Free-Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), but barriers exist for usability specialists’ participation in such projects. Organizational boundary literature is interested in the tensions of online communities, including FLOSS communities. While this literature recognizes
the importance of managing boundaries in online communities, little empirical research has been conducted on actual gatekeeping tactics project members perform against outsiders’ contributions. Based on several years of engaged research with FLOSS projects, we characterize three gatekeeping tactics in FLOSS projects: non-response, social exclusion, and false acceptance. They all have hindered usability work. We also offer examples of usability specialists and their contributions succeeding in avoiding these gatekeeping tactics in FLOSS projects. This paper provides an important contribution to the boundary management literature through detailed examination of gatekeeping tactics in action, as well as to the Human Computer Interaction literature interested in contributing to FLOSS projects through usability work.

Battle over Media Choice: Multiplex Tensions in the Online Community of Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Henrik Hedberg, Netta Iivari, and Mikko Rajanen

Media choice theories conceptualize decisions people make when they are faced with communication ... more Media choice theories conceptualize decisions people make when they are faced with communication media alternatives to fit a communicative need. In this paper we address two gaps in extant research on media choice. First, we show that media choices may be intimately intertwined with the questions of power. The second contribution comes from situating an online community as the focus of media choice research – a novel combination. We conducted an interpretive case study on how power is in-termingled with the choice of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in the Finnish Wikipedia. We found that IRC was viewed in starkly different ways by different actors. Moreover, the IRC was largely associated with the notions of power. In particular, it was related to accession and ability to influence decision-making in the community. One party perceived IRC as a useful and open channel for quick-tempo col-laborations and informal interactions, while others saw it as an arena for “the elite” to scheme against “the proletariat”. Overall, IRC was a source of “multiplex tensions”: conflicts originating from communication being dispersed into multiple media and from different perceptions towards a medium. The study provides several important implications for theory and practice.

Bruno Latour: Kohututkija vai tieteen supertähti?

Ranskalainen tieteensosiologi sai yhteiskuntatieteiden nobelina pidetyn, arvostetun Holberg-palki... more

Wikipedia in the eyes of its beholders: A systematic review of scholarly research on Wikipedia readers and readership

by Arto Lanamäki and Chitu Okoli

Hundreds of scholarly studies have investigated various aspects of Wikipedia. Although a number o... more Hundreds of scholarly studies have investigated various aspects of Wikipedia. Although a number of literature reviews have provided overviews of this vast body of research, none has specifically focused on the readers of Wikipedia and issues concerning its readership. In this systematic literature review, we review 99 studies to synthesize current knowledge regarding the readership of Wikipedia and provide an analysis of research methods employed. The scholarly research has found that Wikipedia is popular not only for lighter topics such as entertainment but also for more serious topics such as health and legal information. Scholars, librarians, and students are common users, and Wikipedia provides a unique opportunity for educating students in digital literacy. We conclude with a summary of key findings, implications for researchers, and implications for the Wikipedia community.

The Roles of Conference Papers in IS: An Analysis of the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems

by Arto Lanamäki and John Persson

Information Systems (IS) research has both a journal-oriented publication culture and a rich plet... more Information Systems (IS) research has both a journal-oriented publication culture and a rich plethora of conferences. It is unclear why IS researchers even bother with conference publishing given the high focus on journals. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of conference papers in IS and the role they play for the authoring researchers. We present the first analysis of the papers published during the first six years (2010–2015) in the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). We conducted interviews with ten SCIS authors. Following a framework adopted from Åkerlind [1], we identified how SCIS papers have the roles of fulfilling requirements, establishing oneself, developing personally, enabling change, and other roles. This article contributes to the reflection literature on the IS field by applying a practice lens to understand the role of conference papers in research.

Using With Discretion: Identifying Emergent Practices Around Interactive Public Displays

by Arto Lanamäki and Kari Kuutti

In this paper we adopt a practice lens to investigate discretionary use of publicly available urb... more In this paper we adopt a practice lens to investigate discretionary use of publicly available urban ubiquitous technology. We examine what happens when fifteen public interactive multipurpose displays are installed in different locations around a city for the free use of citizens. In city of Oulu, Finland, this technology attracted very little use in all but one location. We conducted a field study at this single " successful " location. There we identified four distinct technology-facilitated emergent practices. The practice lens enabled us to study the public displays not merely as technological entities, but as complex sociotechnical ensembles with cultural, spatial, temporal, social, material, and historical dimensions. This study addressed quite a novel context, technology and user group as regards Information Systems (IS) research. The study contributes to IS literature by pushing the study of discretionary use of technology far from organizational context to technological infrastructures available for citizens in urban settings. The study also offers novel empirical insights for practice oriented IS research. Especially the findings related to children and discretionary technology use are novel in this respect. The practice lens and our findings on the material and bodily aspects are also interesting for the discussions on sociomateriality in IS research.

Mutual Informing Between IS Academia and Practice: Insights from KIWISR-5

by Karen Stendal and Arto Lanamäki

Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 2011

Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was “For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Ac... more Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was “For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Academia and Practice.” As a synthesis of the workshop, we propose that mutual informing consists of, at least, topics such as choice of publication outlets, facilitation of collaboration, roles in research process, and delivery of teaching. Further, we suggest that mutual informing is concerned with transferring and transforming knowledge between the realms of design and development, use, and management of Information ...

Mutual Informing Between IS Academia and Practice: Insights from KIWISR-5

by Karen Stendal and Arto Lanamäki

Communications of the Association For Information Systems, 2011

The relationship between Information Systems (IS) scholars and IS practitioners has been debated ... more The relationship between Information Systems (IS) scholars and IS practitioners has been debated since the birth of the IS discipline. How are academics interacting with practice, and how should we? In this article we propose that academia-practice collaboration, namely -mutual informing,‖ is an existential aspect of the Information Systems field. This article is based on presentations, discussions, group work, and a debate that took place during the Fifth Kristiansand International Workshop on Information Systems Research (KIWISR), held at University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. The theme of KIWISR-5 was "For Whom Do We Toil? Mutual Informing Between Academia and Practice." As a synthesis of the workshop, we propose that mutual informing consists of, at least, topics such as choice of publication outlets, facilitation of collaboration, roles in research process, and delivery of teaching. Further, we suggest that mutual informing is concerned with transferring and transforming knowledge between the realms of design and development, use, and management of Information Systems. The biggest challenges to mutual informing are the different knowledge interests and timeframes between the realms of academia and practice.

“The sum of all human knowledge”: A systematic review of scholarly research on the content of Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Chitu Okoli, and Finn Å Nielsen

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2014

Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather a... more Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather all human knowledge in one place. Its accomplishments in this regard have made it an irresistible point of inquiry for researchers from various fields of knowledge. A decade of research has thrown light on many aspects of the Wikipedia community, its processes, and content. However, due to the variety of the fields inquiring about Wikipedia and the limited synthesis of the extensive research, there is little consensus on many aspects of Wikipedia's content as an encyclopedic collection of human knowledge. This study addresses the issue by systematically reviewing 110 peer-reviewed publications on Wikipedia content, summarizing the current findings, and highlighting the major research trends. Two major streams of research are identified: the quality of Wikipedia content (including comprehensiveness, currency, readability and reliability) and the size of Wikipedia. Moreover, we present the key research trends in terms of the domains of inquiry, research design, data source, and data gathering methods. This review synthesizes scholarly understanding of Wikipedia content and paves the way for future studies.

Once You Step Over the First Line, You Become Sensitized to the Next: Towards a Gateway Theory of Online Participation

by Arto Lanamäki, Mikko Rajanen, and Anssi Oorni

This article proposes a gateway theory as a promising alternative to the traditional antecedents-... more This article proposes a gateway theory as a promising alternative to the traditional antecedents-based view of online participation. The traditional view contends that people plan their online participation based on some rational motivations, leading to a foreseeable route. We arrived at our proposition through two entrance stories. These stories offer rich descriptions of formative experiences and consequent participation progression. Our proposition of the gateway theory consists of two parts: First, participation occurs with uncertainty, involving trial and error, unknown risks and rewards, and the availability of technology-facilitated services. Second, participation consists of sequences of activities, in which each step sensitizes the person to opportunities previously not acknowledged. Consistent with the metaphor of the gateway, the first encounter may often be the most critical step. We argue that the gateway theory offers major opportunities for future research, particularly in conceptualizing the early stages of an individual’s path of online participation.

A Consideration for Researcher Career Retrospectives in Information Systems and Organization Studies

Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 2015

This essay considers the researcher career retrospective (RCR) as an emerging publication genre i... more This essay considers the researcher career retrospective (RCR) as an emerging publication genre in information systems (IS) and organization studies (OS). I assess two recent career texts, by/of Daniel Robey and John Van Maanen, as representative exemplars of this genre. I outline the genre, and identify resemblance between this and three genres of academic writing -namely career studies, IS history, and tribute. RCR fills an important niche within IS/OS publishing, and is especially needed in the Scandinavian IS research, in which it is currently absent. The 38 years of the IRIS conference, and 27 years of the SJIS journal, coincide with the careers of dozens of researchers. Reflection on these careers would provide much value for younger researchers and for the whole research community.

“The sum of all human knowledge”: A systematic review of scholarly research on the content of Wikipedia

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2014

Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather a... more Wikipedia might possibly be the best-developed attempt thus far of the enduring quest to gather all human knowledge in one place. Its accomplishments in this regard have made it an irresistible point of inquiry for researchers from various fields of knowledge. A decade of research has thrown light on many aspects of the Wikipedia community, its processes, and content. However, due to the variety of the fields inquiring about Wikipedia and the limited synthesis of the extensive research, there is little consensus on many aspects of Wikipedia's content as an encyclopedic collection of human knowledge. This study addresses the issue by systematically reviewing 110 peer-reviewed publications on Wikipedia content, summarizing the current findings, and highlighting the major research trends. Two major streams of research are identified: the quality of Wikipedia content (including comprehensiveness, currency, readability and reliability) and the size of Wikipedia. Moreover, we present the key research trends in terms of the domains of inquiry, research design, data source, and data gathering methods. This review synthesizes scholarly understanding of Wikipedia content and paves the way for future studies.

Metacommunication Patterns in Online Communities

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2009

This paper discusses about contemporary literature on computermediated metacommunication and obse... more This paper discusses about contemporary literature on computermediated metacommunication and observes the phenomenon in two online communities. The results contribute by identifying six general-level patterns of how metacommunication refers to primary communication in online communities. A task-oriented, user-administrated, community (Wikipedia in Finnish) involved a remarkable number of specialized metacommunication genres. In a centrally moderated discussion-oriented community (Patientslikeme), metacommunication was intertwined more with primary ad hoc communication. We suggest that a focus on specialized metacommunication genres may appear useful in online communities. However, room for ad hoc (meta)communication is needed as well, as it provides a basis for user-initiated community development.

Genre Analysis of Metacommunication in Wikipedia

Abstract. This article reports an analysis of metacommunication in the Finnish language version o... more

On Online Community Literature Reviews

Collaboration in Online Communities: Exploring Finnish Wikipedia

The People’s Encyclopedia Under the Gaze of the Sages: A Systematic Review of Scholarly Research on Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Chitu Okoli, Finn Å Nielsen, and Mohamad Mehdi

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

Wikipedia has become one of the ten most visited sites on the Web, and the world's leading source... more Wikipedia has become one of the ten most visited sites on the Web, and the world's leading source of Web reference information. Its rapid success has inspired hundreds of scholars from various disciplines to study its content, communication and community dynamics from various perspectives. This article presents a systematic review of scholarly research on Wikipedia. We describe our detailed, rigorous methodology for identifying over 450 scholarly studies of Wikipedia. We present the WikiLit website (http://wikilit.referata.com), where most of the papers reviewed here are described in detail. In the major section of this article, we then categorize and summarize the studies. An appendix features an extensive list of resources useful for Wikipedia researchers.

Identity in Online Communities

apachepersonal.miun.se

On the Internet, online communities have become common and millions of people are daily contribut... more

Genre Analysis of Metacommunication in Wikipedia

IRIS2010, Dec 17, 2010

Abstract. This article reports an analysis of metacommunication in the Finnish language version o... more

What Does a Chair Afford? A Heideggerian Perspective of Affordances

The concept ‘affordance’ has been adopted from ecological psychology into various fields of resea... more The concept ‘affordance’ has been adopted from ecological psychology into various fields of research. The wide adoption signals for the usefulness of the concept, but may also create confusion. We have become alert towards the ambiguous uses of the term – a feature that originates in J.J. Gibson’s ambiguous texts. To contribute to this deliberation, we identified ‘affordances of a chair’ as the most popular ‘affordance example’ in research literature. We analyzed a set of examples through a Heideggerian lens to reveal variations in the operationalization of the concept. Our paper does not aim to provide any absolute answer for the right use of the affordance concept. We wish to contribute to the ongoing debate on affordances; particularly in our own IS community. As academic writers, we should be conscious of the exact meanings of the concepts we use. Thus, this essay questions the affordance concept as a one-size-fits-all solution to characterize the relation between artifacts and their users. We suggest future research to address the conceptual specificity dilemma: should we supplement affordance with new concepts, or should we replace affordance with something better?

Non-response, Social Exclusion, and False Acceptance: Gatekeeping Tactics and Usability Work in Free-Libre Open Source Software Development

by Mikko Rajanen and Arto Lanamäki

Usability is an important aspect of Free-Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), but barriers exist f... more Usability is an important aspect of Free-Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), but barriers exist for usability specialists’ participation in such projects. Organizational boundary literature is interested in the tensions of online communities, including FLOSS communities. While this literature recognizes
the importance of managing boundaries in online communities, little empirical research has been conducted on actual gatekeeping tactics project members perform against outsiders’ contributions. Based on several years of engaged research with FLOSS projects, we characterize three gatekeeping tactics in FLOSS projects: non-response, social exclusion, and false acceptance. They all have hindered usability work. We also offer examples of usability specialists and their contributions succeeding in avoiding these gatekeeping tactics in FLOSS projects. This paper provides an important contribution to the boundary management literature through detailed examination of gatekeeping tactics in action, as well as to the Human Computer Interaction literature interested in contributing to FLOSS projects through usability work.

Battle over Media Choice: Multiplex Tensions in the Online Community of Wikipedia

by Arto Lanamäki, Henrik Hedberg, Netta Iivari, and Mikko Rajanen

Media choice theories conceptualize decisions people make when they are faced with communication ... more Media choice theories conceptualize decisions people make when they are faced with communication media alternatives to fit a communicative need. In this paper we address two gaps in extant research on media choice. First, we show that media choices may be intimately intertwined with the questions of power. The second contribution comes from situating an online community as the focus of media choice research – a novel combination. We conducted an interpretive case study on how power is in-termingled with the choice of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in the Finnish Wikipedia. We found that IRC was viewed in starkly different ways by different actors. Moreover, the IRC was largely associated with the notions of power. In particular, it was related to accession and ability to influence decision-making in the community. One party perceived IRC as a useful and open channel for quick-tempo col-laborations and informal interactions, while others saw it as an arena for “the elite” to scheme against “the proletariat”. Overall, IRC was a source of “multiplex tensions”: conflicts originating from communication being dispersed into multiple media and from different perceptions towards a medium. The study provides several important implications for theory and practice.

Bruno Latour: Kohututkija vai tieteen supertähti?

Ranskalainen tieteensosiologi sai yhteiskuntatieteiden nobelina pidetyn, arvostetun Holberg-palki... more

Wikipedia in the eyes of its beholders: A systematic review of scholarly research on Wikipedia readers and readership

by Arto Lanamäki and Chitu Okoli

Hundreds of scholarly studies have investigated various aspects of Wikipedia. Although a number o... more Hundreds of scholarly studies have investigated various aspects of Wikipedia. Although a number of literature reviews have provided overviews of this vast body of research, none has specifically focused on the readers of Wikipedia and issues concerning its readership. In this systematic literature review, we review 99 studies to synthesize current knowledge regarding the readership of Wikipedia and provide an analysis of research methods employed. The scholarly research has found that Wikipedia is popular not only for lighter topics such as entertainment but also for more serious topics such as health and legal information. Scholars, librarians, and students are common users, and Wikipedia provides a unique opportunity for educating students in digital literacy. We conclude with a summary of key findings, implications for researchers, and implications for the Wikipedia community.