Editing Actor–network theory (section)

=== ANT in science ===
In recent years, actor-network theory has gained a lot of traction, and a growing number of [[Information system|IS]] academics are using it explicitly in their research. Despite the fact that these applications vary greatly, all of the scholars cited below agree that the theory provides new notions and ideas for understanding the socio-technical character of information systems.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Walsham|first=Geoff|date=1997|title=Walsham, G. (1997). Actor-network theory and IS research: current status and future prospects|chapter=Actor-Network Theory and IS Research: Current Status and Future Prospects |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-0-387-35309-8_23.pdf|journal=Information Systems and Qualitative Research|pages=466–480 |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-35309-8_23|isbn=978-0-387-35309-8 }}</ref> Bloomfield present an intriguing case study of the development of a specific set of resource management information systems in the UK National Health Service, and they evaluate their findings using concepts from actor-network theory. The actor-network approach does not prioritize social or technological aspects, which mirrors the situation in the case study, where arguments about social structures and technology are intertwined within actors' discourse as they try to persuade others to align with their own goals. The research emphasizes the interpretative flexibility of information technology and systems, in the sense that seemingly similar systems produce drastically different outcomes in different locales as a result of the specific translation and network-building processes that occurred. They show how the boundary between the technological and the social, as well as the link between them, is the topic of constant battles and trials of strength in the creation of facts, rather than taking technology for granted.<ref name=":3" />