Discussion On Actor Network Theory And Its Applications In IT Network Essay.

Discussion

Discuss about the Discussion On Actor Network Theory?

In this modern world of communication and technology, computers have become a significant element of business sectors as well as day-to-day living of human beings. It is essential for every business sector to invest more on Information technology rather than depending only just upon the human resources. The implementation of a well-planned Information system will increase the efficiency, productivity, performance, scalability, capacity as well as accuracy related to business process (Bijker et al. 2012). Hence, in this study, two live stories has been taken into account for analyzing the various actants and non-human actors to define the role that play in a network of Information Technology. The main stories that have been taken for this study are based on the renowned smartphone company Apple to discuss the various contributions of the actors and actants in the network of this organization. 

The Actor-network theory is based on social science theories where its main functionality belongs to its translation or enrollment theory. Actor-network theory is abstract of theoretical knowledge where information is processed from a set of collected data that indicate different scientific activities (Bechmann and Lomborg 2013). In here, the primary function of collected dataset is to provide a successive guideline, and it creates a monitoring framework to identify and inspect different activities that are associated with the connected network.

The main course of actor-network theory is to concentrate on human interaction with computing device or machine and its machine related functions. In addition, this technology makes an excellent approach towards advance computing technology (Kapko 2016). Different actors and network elements are identified with the help of collected data set that created after making an analysis of entire data collection, which is very much functional to determine a process state due to interaction in-between human and machine.

Apple is one of the most prominent brand name in the field new age smartphone technology. Apple introduces much different and unique mobile technology that involved in making the change or evolution of new generation electronics devices. Apple Mobile devices are equipped with high-value system applications but apart from this advantage, this method also plunged with its complexity. The main reason for this massive complexity is created due to its high degree application functionality (AdWeek 2016). The co-founder of Apple Steven Wozniak has criticized the company for its smart watch that has taken Apple "into the jewelry market". As opined by Bechmann and Lomborg (2013), in an interview, Wozniak said the Apple Watch was more of a status symbol than a technological breakthrough, and questioned how it fit with the company's mission. In the interview session, Steven Wozniak says that Apple Watch is taken into a jewelry market where the customers are going to buy a watch between $500 (approximately £345) or $1,100 (approximately £760) based on how important is the person. Furthermore, the statement was added that this is not the company that Apple was originally, or the company that really changed the world a lot. Other than that numerous clients of the savvy trusts that the watch satisfies every one of the elements and elements of existing smart watches, including wellness following and warnings, however it still depends on the telephone for all its availability. This implies the clients are still fastened to the very gadget that the Apple Watch is intended to supplant in day-by-day use.

Story 1: Criticism by Steve Wozniak on Apple for entering jewelry market

The Apple Watch is intended to be fastened to an iPhone. The pair conveys over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which gives the Watch, included processing power (Mpazanje, Sewchurran and Brown 2013). In any case, this relationship implies that when the iPhone is out of the mathematical statement, the Watch turns out to be minimal more than a watch. In the UK, Apple's most expensive Watch is made of 18-carat rose gold and costs £13,500. The Hermès Apple Watch costs £1,150. This current lineup of Apple Watches betrayed the history of a company that really changed the world a lot.

 Apple makes a step towards its usability function to reduce the complexity factor among twitter account holders. The main barrier for these advance applications is the misconception and lack of information about device functionality. Peoples are unaware of many outstanding features that are implanted in apple’s devices (Kapko 2016). Therefore, taking this issue on their account, now Apple displayed their application and device functionality over the social network. Apple decided to make their applications related discussion and feedback forum at twitters.com because Twitter is world’s number one micro blogging site. Using of Twitter they can use it as their blog platform that is more than a general blog site.  Twitter is fast, secure and globalized social platform, which can accelerate the organization performance by processing customer query, Device description, etc. Nowadays maximum social network user has a twitter id, so it is pretty much accessible and suitable for any user to connect with Apple's services and for this, they do not need to create any other extra account on Apple's website.

Apples make their twitter id as @Applesupport to create an identity of apple in Twitter networks. Now Apple's experts are processed customers query through their designated Twitter account. Twitter also provides account verification for their high-value user accounts that are also applied over Apple's account id. Therefore, a Twitter user can easily track down the actual Twitter account of Apple’s. Apart from this apple’s Twitters Account also receive self-reflective comment among their device and application user (Kapko 2016). It is very much essential for a big organization like Apple. By collecting this information, Apple can evaluate the customer’s decision about their product and services.

The Co-founder of Apple shows a strong criticism towards the entering of Apple into the jewelry market with the production of Apple smart watch (The Huffington Post UK 2016). This represents that the person has a strong opposed view on this act of Apple to enter the jewelry market as it has changed the company. In the first story, the actants can be determined as Steven Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple along with the users of smart watch, and the non-human actors as Apple and smart watch that has changed the main perception behind the brand name Apple.

Story 2: Apple support is available now on Twitter

According to Wired UK (2016), in second story the IT supportive network has been considered as programming actant where each of its segments has claimed significances to improve the administrative elements of the whole system framework. In this developing specialized world, beginning from renowned personalities to basic individuals everybody bears a twitter account. Accordingly, Apple association authority utilizes this tool for their client administration, which is a more prominent advantage for the Twitter account holders (Kapko 2016). The association made its twitter account named as @AppleSupport, where they give instructional exercise and tips to its Twitter supporters and subsequent to dispatching this, by the following day it has answered to 500 inquiries and accomplished more than 45,000 twitter believers toward their administration (Parasie and Dagiral 2012). Clients additionally get the tips with respect to their new items and administrations. A large portion of the inquiries have come identified with the IOS, Apple music store, and Safari program and by the backing of the Twitter account; they offered an explanation to the inquiries exceptionally well and acquired more prominent client fulfillments. The database administration framework keeps up information quality by confining the unapproved access, constrains the entrance to ensure private data and uphold appropriate security amid the system operations (Ruppert, Law and Savage 2013). The client relationship administration helps the Apple supporters to give stakes on quality administration with respect to the questions of the clients holding Twitter accounts.

From the analysis on the two depicted computing stories, a share of the biggest issues has come before the progressive society. The concept of Actor-Network theory is utilized as the impression of the modern advancements in the computing society. This area is highlighted to depict the points of interest and weaknesses concerning the modern computing with respect to the Actor-Network theory. Perspectives of various experts and researchers have been received to examine the upsides and downsides of modern day computing. From the learning and data viewpoint, (Venturini 2012) expressed that accounting in modern day gives suitable data and information to streamline the whole business operations. In any case, data and information can be hacked because of the nonappearance of appropriate security systems. Then again, as per Schreurs et al. (2013), present day processing can give best instructive, diversion components to the clients. In any case, parts of this modern computing can be assaulted by a few malware and infections that can release the secret data of the association. These issues ought to be checked with appropriate concern.

Enhancing management in the computing stories

Conclusion

From this study, it can be presumed that, each actant of the computing stories are affected by different actants to accomplish the point of gathering. The two extraordinary stories, which have talked about for this specific task, have distinctive equipment and programming actants, which are interrelated to each other. The introduction of information technology is vital to acquire the desired results in terms of competitive market as well as successful conduction of the business processes. IT plays an important role in the decision-making procedure of an organization to decide how well an organization can run the business and market their products as well as services. Administration power of Apple association attempted to reach to their clients through the backing of Twitter records. However, now and again inquiries of clients get to be unanswered because of appropriate client administration support. Thusly, the joint efforts of Twitter with the administration of Apple Company insert appropriate IT supportive network to serve their twitter account holder clients by means of online-specialized strategies. Hence, in both the cases, Actor-Network hypothesis covers every one of the parts of human activities to non-human exercises.

References

AdWeek. 2016. Apple Finally Joins Twitter With an Eye Toward Socializing Its Customer Service. [online] Available at: https://www.adweek.com/news/technology/apple-finally-joins-twitter-eye-toward-socializing-its-customer-service-169979 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016].

Bechmann, A. and Lomborg, S., 2013. Mapping actor roles in social media: Different perspectives on value creation in theories of user participation. New media & society, 15(5), pp.765-781.

Bijker, W.E., Hughes, T.P., Pinch, T. and Douglas, D.G., 2012. The social construction of technological systems: New directions in the sociology and history of technology. MIT press.

Kapko, M. 2016. Apple launches new @AppleSupport channel on Twitter. [online] CIO. Available at: https://www.cio.com/article/3040863/tech-support/apple-launches-new-applesupport-channel-on-twitter.html [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016].

Mpazanje, F., Sewchurran, K. and Brown, I., 2013. Rethinking Information Systems Projects using Actor-Network Theory–Perspectives from a Developing Country. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 58.

Parasie, S. and Dagiral, E., 2012. Data-driven journalism and the public good:“Computer-assisted-reporters” and “programmer-journalists” in Chicago.New Media & Society, p.1461444812463345.

Ruppert, E., Law, J. and Savage, M., 2013. Reassembling social science methods: The challenge of digital devices. Theory, Culture & Society, 30(4), pp.22-46.

Schreurs, B., Teplovs, C., Ferguson, R., De Laat, M. and Buckingham Shum, S., 2013, April. Visualizing social learning ties by type and topic: Rationale and concept demonstrator. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 33-37). ACM.

The Huffington Post UK. 2016. This Big Part Of Online Trolling Is About To Become Illegal. [online] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/03/03/internet-trolls-fake-profiles-humiliate-people-criminal-charges-cps_n_9371548.html [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016].

Venturini, T., 2012. Building on faults: how to represent controversies with digital methods. Public Understanding of Science, 21(7), pp.796-812.

Wired UK. (2016). Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak criticises Apple Watch in Reddit AMA (Wired UK). [online] Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-03/17/steve-wozniak-criticises-apple-watch-reddit-ama [Accessed 18 Mar. 2016].

Wired UK. 2016. Apple Support is now available on Twitter (Wired UK). [online] Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-03/03/apple-support-twitter-customer-support [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016].