ANALYSIS OF COMPUTING NEWS USING ACTOR NETWORK THEORY (ANT)
Module code
Analysis of Computing News Using Actor Network Theory (ANT)
Introduction
Rapid development of digital information technologies has created a new dimension of relationships in the modern society. Nowadays, almost all people encounter with the IT during their daily life, either texting in their smartphone or sending an email on the laptop. At the same time, the interconnections among all actors involved in this process are the subject of constant discussions due to the difficulty of understanding the relationship between human and non-human objects. While it is hard to determine the links between these actors, as they are bound by social and symbiotic connections, there is an approach explaining the relationship between them. One of such approaches is Actor Network Theory (ANT) claiming that “within modern computing, every actant acts on or is acted upon by at least one other actant, in order to fulfill the aims of the assemblage” (Latour, 2005). In other words, the theory recognizes the relationship between all human and non-human objects involved in the process that in one way or another have to interact in order to function in a system.
It is a complex approach that requires a thorough analysis using specific cases to interpret its principles. The current research aims to evaluate ANT applied to two case studies concerning the events in modern computing. The main goal is to assess the applicability of ANT to the computing and determine if the framework is correct in interpreting the issues in this domain. The cases analyzed during the course of the present inquiry concerns the most recent hacking scandals occurred in the healthcare facilities and an innovation in the data storage methods enabling to create a back up within a monocle-sized transparent disc. Both cases are dissected with the help of ANT and its main principles of the interaction between the actants in the assemblage. The research argues that security breaches occur due to lack of understanding of the multifaceted relationship between the actors. Also, it is argued that innovations in data storage are dictated by the need to establish sustainable relationship in the assemblage.
Discussion
Introduction
The framework of Actor Network Theory (ANT) has been discussed for a long time now. The main issue is a difficulty to see non-human and human actors in one assemblage as well as to predict the interconnection between them. The theory was designed by the researchers working in the field of science and technology studies (STS), specifically Michel Callon and Bruno Latour as well as one sociologist, John Law (Cresswell, Worth, & Sheikh, 2010). The main focus of ANT is on the inanimate entities and their impact on social processes. According to Latour (2005), actant is the “source of an action regardless of its status as a human or non-human”, which is quite a radical concept, as it implies that non-humane objects, like for example technology, may have agency as well (Latour, 2005). At the same time, actant is able to act in the assemblage with the other actants due to the specific perception of reality proposed by ANT where the actants perform in a specific time and place (Latour, 2005).
This approach is radically different from the view that technologies affect humans as an external power. ANT claims that IT emerged by social interests, for example economic or professional, and thus, it is able to mold social interactions. This framework is suitable to study computing, because it enables the researcher to view humans and technology as the actants remaining in the active and complementary interconnection where each of them affects each other equally. Also, ANT helps the researchers to predict the innovations as well as problems in computing through the social changes, new requirements to IT field, and alterations in the relationship between the technologies and humans.
It was reported by Strickland (2016) that in the last several years, the cyber attacks on hospitals have increased. According to the story, the reasons are different in each case, from stealing personal patients’ records to political statements and simple fun. Yet, the results of such attacks are substantial. The article describes five major cases hacks in the healthcare facilities around the world, involving ransomware and DDoS attacks, identity and financial theft, and spread of malware (Strickland, 2016). The main actants in this case are hackers, software used by them, cyber security of the hospitals, and those responsible for the security in the healthcare facilities. Using the framework of ANT, it is possible to say that hackers and software they use to intrude or steal act on the hospitals and their security systems as well as the specialists responsible for them. This act interferes with the ability of the hospitals as actants to function and attain their primary aims.
The understanding of why it is possible to attack the hospitals by the hackers is depicted in the negotiation process between the actants. Here, the hospitals fail to follow decisions and apply negotiated security measures because they prioritize other interests, such as providing healthcare to patents and serving their needs. It is possible to imply that the hospitals do not recognize the link between the security breach and its outcomes for the patients’ health, thus, due to weak cyber security system, the hackers has the ability to affect the functioning of these facilities. For instance, in one of the cases, the theft of personal records resulted in the loss of X-rays data in China, where the citizens are not allowed to travel abroad if they have certain diseases (Strickland, 2016). As the hackers have stolen the records to sell them, it can result in the spread of virus outbreak inside and outside the country. Therefore, such results imply that the hackings are the result of the not enough negotiations between the different actants, especially the key players in this case, like network administrators, software installed to secure the information; and lack of comprehension of the abilities and motives of the actants, like hackers and malware they use to act.
News Story #1: Forever Data in Quartz
Anderson (2016) reported that in the UK the scientists invented a new way of storing the data by using a monocle-sized transparent disc that has ability to preserve 360 terabytes of data. This technology proved to be particularly durable, being able to stand the fire and heat up to 1000º C and retain for around billion years (Anderson, 2016). The information may be read by automated microscope algorithm and it is called “5D” data storage system (Anderson, 2016). The main aim of this technology is to optimize the space for storage of information and make storage medium more durable and sustainable. It is widely known that in the modern days of rapidly developing technologies, storage of data is becoming a problem for the field, as the modern methods for preserving data are prone to damages an require a lot of efforts to be produced.
In this case, the main actants are digital data, methods of storage, and society in general. As the quantity of information is boosting in geometrical progression and the space for storage is not increasing, the actants have to revisit their relationship in terms of sustainability and economy. The interconnection between data and humans is complementary, where people require it to maintain daily tasks, and information requires humans to be elaborated and increased. By recognizing this relationship, modern scientists try to increase the sustainability of the data storage methods and create technology that will increase the longevity of the storage mediums for preserving valuable information for the future actants. Here, realization of the necessity of the information as an actant leads to the elaboration of the translation, which is a development of an alliance regarding the need for better storage between human and non-human actants.
The issues raised in the cases point to the several problems existing in the modern computing. First of all, the cyber attacks on hospitals will continue until the behavior of the actants responsible for security is changed. Secondly, it is essential to create new methods of data storage, which demands more time and efforts dedicated to this purpose. Each of these issues roots in the different relationships between the technology and humans. In the first case, there is a misconception in the relationship between the actants in the assemblage, which leads to malfunction of one of the actants. The second cases involves the need to improve the relationship between the actants, which stemmed from the increase of time people spend on technologies that in its own turn boosts the quantity of information. Therefore, the human actants try to improve their interconnection with the data by making it durable and sustainable.
According to Shirky (2011), nowadays, people tend to spend more free time with the technologies, by using the social media and communicating with the help of new gadgets. This phenomenon produces endless information that has to be preserved at some point, which leads to the development innovations like a monocle-sized transparent disc. Also, the theory of Cognitive Surplus developed by Shirky (2011) states that humans have to use their time more constructively, where new technologies may help to attain these goals by saving time. The innovation described in the second case has the same purpose, namely to decrease the time of reading the material and making sure that there will be no need to increase the production of new storage modules. Shirky’s (2011) ideas are more techno-optimistic, as they imply that the innovations may save free time for humans that they can spend more constructively, which is confirmed by new ideas in data storage methods.
In the first case, increasing hacking attempts require the human behaviors to be changed in terms of understanding the intentions of the attacks. According to Carr (2004), IT has changed human behavior as well as the entire social structure, especially after the increased popularity of the technologies and mass production of hardware and software. As the technologies became cheaper, in the present case, the hackers have a wide variety of instruments to attack all facilities, including the hospitals. As the practice shows, it is possible to disrupt the functioning of the healthcare institutions, steal the personal identities of the patients as well as the financial records of the hospitals. Therefore, the situation requires an immediate change of perspective among the hospitals’ officials and their decisions concerning the cyber security. Carr’s (2004) views towards the impact of IT on human life is techno-pessimistic, as he claims that the internet limits the abilities of humans and forms new links between the technology and society. Following this idea, it is possible to predict that the cyber attacks will not stop in the nearest time, until new perspective arrives.
Conclusion
The current research attainted its main aims and evaluated new events in computing by utilizing ANT framework. The results reveal that all actants interact in the assemblage by affecting each other that leads to certain changes in their relationships. The actions of an actant are observable in the case when there is an impact of its actions on another actant in the assemblage. It was observed in both stories, as in the first case, the disruption in the negotiated relationship lead to malfunction of an actant; in the second case, new requirements to information storage created a need to introducing new ways of interacting with non-human actants. ANT proved to be an effective framework in terms of analysis of the issues emerging in the computing, because it has provided a perspective of evaluating the complementary interaction between the human and non-human objects. The research met all challenges by proving that the relationship between human and non-human actants has to be revisited in order to satisfy the conditions of modern technological environment.
References
Anderson, M. 2016. Forever Data in Quartz: The Quest for the Immortal Bit. IEEE Spectrum. [Online] (updated 25 Feb. 2016) Available at: < http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/memory/forever-data-in-quartz-the-quest-for-the-immortal-bit> [Accessed 17 Apr. 20106].
Carr, N. G. 2004. Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Cresswell, k. M., Worth, A. & Sheikh, A. 2010. Actor-Network Theory and its role in understanding the implementation of information technology developments in healthcare. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 10, 67-74.
Latour, B. 2005. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Shirky, C. (2011). Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators. London: The Penguin Press.
Strickland, E. 2016. 5 Major Hospital Hacks: Horror Stories from the Cybersecurity Frontlines. IEEE Spectrum. [Online] (updated 15 Mar. 2016) Available at: <http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/5-major-hospital-hacks-horror-stories-from-the-cyber-security-frontlines> [Accessed 17 Apr. 20106].
Appendix: Definition of Terms
Software – it is the system of organized information that developed in the form of a programs or applications enables the systems to operate.
Ransomware – it is the malware that is designed to prevent the users from using their devices and accessing the system.
DDos attack – this is a hacking technique performed by using multiple malware to target a single system that cause the denial of service (DOS) attack.
Storage modules – these are the tools used for storing digital information.
