Social positioning matters: A socialized affordance perspective of mHealth in India

TY - JOUR

T1 - Social positioning matters

T2 - A socialized affordance perspective of mHealth in India

AU - Pandey, Priyanka

AU - Zheng, Yingqin

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Information Systems Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2023/6/7

Y1 - 2023/6/7

N2 - Existing research on technology affordance rarely considers the role of social structures in shaping the interaction between human actors and technology. In this paper, we draw upon the concept of social positioning to explore how socialized affordances of technology adoption, as well as their impact in work and social life, are shaped by the social positions that human actors occupy within multiple social structures. We do so by examining the adoption of mHealth devices by community health workers in India. The study generates theoretical implications for research on affordances of technology and social structures by integrating social positioning of actors in the analysis of a digital practice, and enriching IS research by incorporating the broader social arrangements and power relations.

AB - Existing research on technology affordance rarely considers the role of social structures in shaping the interaction between human actors and technology. In this paper, we draw upon the concept of social positioning to explore how socialized affordances of technology adoption, as well as their impact in work and social life, are shaped by the social positions that human actors occupy within multiple social structures. We do so by examining the adoption of mHealth devices by community health workers in India. The study generates theoretical implications for research on affordances of technology and social structures by integrating social positioning of actors in the analysis of a digital practice, and enriching IS research by incorporating the broader social arrangements and power relations.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146071718&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/isj.12421

DO - 10.1111/isj.12421

M3 - Article

SN - 1350-1917

VL - 33

SP - 703

EP - 732

JO - INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL

JF - INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL

IS - 4

ER -