Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.
TL;DR: Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract: Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic literature review on the connection between mindfulness and sustainable consumption is presented, focusing on four potential mechanisms of mindfulness for sustainable consumption: to disrupt routines, to promote more congruence with regard to the attitude-behavior gap, to nurture non-materialistic values, to enhance well-being, and to foster pro-social behavior.
146 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...While this is plausible given the interest in advancing a better understanding of how people experience mindfulness and relate it to their everyday consumption behaviors, it at the same time lacks a more social and cultural dimension of consumption (as a social practice, see Giddens, 2008)....
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TL;DR: In this article, a strategy for measuring and comparing the cultural toolkits in use by different actors in a larger field is presented, which allows quantitative comparisons of similarity at the level of large comprehensive toolskits instead of selective elements or inferred deeper dimensions.
145 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the landscape comes to appear in the world as it is put to task and that the existence of the landscape's existence is not founded on its capacity to inscribe or normalize consciousness through its appearance in the real world but on the landscape capacity to be called forth through practice.
145 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of multicommunicating is proposed to describe overlapping conversations, an increasingly common occurrence in the technology-enriched workplace, and it is defined and distinguished from other behaviors, and developed propositions for future research.
Abstract: We offer the concept of multicommunicating to describe overlapping conversations, an increasingly common occurrence in the technology-enriched workplace. We define multicommunicating, distinguish it from other behaviors, and develop propositions for future research. Our work extends the literature on technology-stimulated restructuring and reveals one of the opportunities provided by lean media—specifically, an opportunity to multicommunicate. We conclude that the concept of multicommunicating has value both to the scholar and to the practicing manager.
145 citations
Cites background or methods from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Facilities refer to capabilities “over objects, goods, or material phenomena” (Giddens, 1984: 33), including communication technologies (Giddens, 1979: 103)....
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...In this paper we have introduced the concept of multicommunicating to describe an emerging communication practice arising from human/technological interaction (Giddens, 1984)....
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...Human agency and social structures interact within three arenas or, as Giddens prefers, “modalities”: facilities, norms, and interpretative schemes (Giddens, 1984: 28–29)....
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...We elaborate the mediating process between technology and human behavior, showing that humans both adapt technology in use and also adapt themselves to it (Giddens, 1979, 1984)....
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...Our research begins with an emerging practice rather than a technology—a practice that transcends a single technology or a single workplace (Giddens, 1984: 181)....
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Book•
11 Jun 2009
TL;DR: In this article, Malaby spent a year at Linden Lab, the real-world home of Second Life, observing those who develop and profit from the sprawling, self-generating system they have created.
Abstract: The past decade has seen phenomenal growth in the development and use of virtual worlds. In one of the most notable, Second Life, millions of people have created online avatars in order to play games, take classes, socialize, and conduct business transactions. Second Life offers a gathering point and the tools for people to create a new world online. Too often neglected in popular and scholarly accounts of such groundbreaking new environments is the simple truth that, of necessity, such virtual worlds emerge from physical workplaces marked by negotiation, creation, and constant change. Thomas Malaby spent a year at Linden Lab, the real-world home of Second Life, observing those who develop and profit from the sprawling, self-generating system they have created. Some of the challenges created by Second Life for its developers were of a very traditional nature, such as how to cope with a business that is growing more quickly than existing staff can handle. Others are seemingly new: How, for instance, does one regulate something that is supposed to run on its own? Is it possible simply to create a space for people to use and then not govern its use? Can one apply these same free-range/free-market principles to the office environment in which the game is produced? "Lindens"-as the Linden Lab employees call themselves-found that their efforts to prompt user behavior of one sort or another were fraught with complexities, as a number of ongoing processes collided with their own interventions. In Making Virtual Worlds, Malaby thoughtfully describes the world of Linden Lab and the challenges faced while he was conducting his in-depth ethnographic research there. He shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion. In exploring the practices the Lindens employed, he questions what was at stake in their virtual world, what a game really is (and how people participate), and the role of the unexpected in a product like Second Life and an organization like Linden Lab.
145 citations
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