Social Informatics Research Symposium

The 5th Annual Social Informatics Research Symposium (SIG SI, co-sponsored by SIG-CRIT) will take place in November 7, 2009, in Vancouver. Based on their call for participation, the main theme is “People, information, technology: The social analysis of computing in a diverse and pluralistic world”. At this event general questions like the following ones will be explored: “How do difference and diversity shape design, implementation, use, disuse, and reconfiguration of information and ICTs where groups and organizations work and play in a global environment? In what ways do information and ICTs shape those creating, implementing and using them? How does this vary across cultures? How may such difference be managed in global interactions? What can we learn about information and ICT and ongoing social and cultural change at different levels of social analysis such as groups, organizational units, political entities or cultural systems? Can we harmonize our insights? How may we explore the complex reciprocal relationships among information, ICT, people, groups and the social and cultural environments that surround and pervade them? What are the variations in meanings or interpretations of information and ICT across social groups, organizations, and cultures? and what are the moral obligations of ICT system development and use particularly in global communication networks and what are the consequences for diverse ethnic groups?

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