The content and context of identity in a digital society

  • Michelle Carter
  • , Deborah Compeau
  • , Michael Ian Lawrence Kennedy
  • , Marc Schmalz

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

7 Scopus citations
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Abstract

Our team has undertaken a study designed to explore the context and content of IT identity in a digital society. The work involves conducting semi-structured, reflective interviews—based on the results of a 20 Statements exercise—and analysis based on grounded theory. Our initial findings indicate that our participants have complex relationships with a range of IT that has become embedded in their daily lives, and provide evidence in support of IT’s role as a medium, determinant, and consequent of identity. Further, we see the emergence of weak and strong IT identities and the emergence of a weak anti-IT identity. By iterating on our processes and reflecting on our results, we have been able to tune our methods and inform future recruitment goals. Moving forward, we expect that expanding the diversity in our group of participants will reveal greater insights into the ways that participation in a digital society influences the formation and expression of one’s role, group, personal, and IT (or anti-IT) identities.

Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2017
PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
Pages3245-3254
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9780991556700
StatePublished - 10 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes
Event25th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2017 - Guimaraes, Portugal
Duration: 5 Jun 201710 Jun 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2017

Conference

Conference25th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2017
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityGuimaraes
Period5/06/1710/06/17

Keywords

  • Grounded Theory
  • IT Identity

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