The document presents the concept of social informatics, focusing on the interactions between humans and information technologies within their socio-technical contexts. It underlines the importance of these relationships in understanding the impact of technology on organizations and communities, while highlighting various research interests and expertise within the field. Additionally, it mentions the Centre for Social Informatics as a hub for interdisciplinary studies related to digital economies, e-democracy, and knowledge management.

1. What’s so social about informatics?
Professor Hazel Hall
Centre for Social Informatics
Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation/School
of Computing

2. Hazel Hall
@hazelh
Event hashtag
#profhazel

3. Enduring
behaviours & tools
Social informatics
Social media Centre for Social
Informatics

5. Social informatics

10. Edinburgh Social Informatics Site

12. “Exploring real users and real life”
 “Real users”
 Humans and information technologies create socio-
technical interaction networks
 Humans are “actors”
 … and so are technologies

15. “Exploring real users and real life”
 “Real users”
 Humans and information technologies create socio-
technical interaction networks
 Humans are “actors”
 … and so are technologies
 “Real life”
 The context in which the technologies are situated is
important, e.g.
 the users of the technology
 policies that relate to the use of the technology
 resources to support the use of the technology

17. Social media in the 16th century: how
Luther went viral
The Economist December 17th 2011

18. In short, social informatics researchers
study
 Relationships between humans and information
technologies
 … taking into account the context in which they
interact

19. In short, social informatics researchers
study
 Relationships between humans and information
technologies
 … taking into account the context in which they
interact
 To understand the impact of information
technologies on organisations and
communities, e.g.
 How information technologies are used (differently) in
particular contexts
 How information technologies bring about change

20. Social media

21. Fascinating time: intense interest in social
media

22. Social media combine social & technical
Technology
Add value Provides
Social
elements

24. C21st reiving

25. So we research social
media – but as part of
a much wider agenda
and as related to our
research interests

26. Centre for Social
Informatics

28. Our qualifications include:
Accountancy; Business Studies;
Computing; Drama & Theatre
Studies; Economics; Energy
Engineering; Fashion Design; Fine
Art; French; History; Library &
Information Science; Linguistics;
Multimedia; Philosophy; Political
Science; Software Engineering…
Our interests and expertise cover:
Digital economies; E-democracy & E-
participation; Information Society;
Journalism; Knowledge Management;
Library & Information Science;
Organisational Studies; Philosophy;
Project Management; Social Media…

30. Library &
Information
Science

31. Intersection of Information
Science, Journalism, and
Philosophy

32. E-democracy and
E-participation

33. Knowledge Management

34. PhD research - CSI
Topic Student
Evolution of knowledge working in a public sector
Knowledge Management Louise Rasmussen
agency
Success factors for organisational systems Robert Irvine
Knowledge & Project
development
Management
Community engagement in the wild to inspire new Ella Taylor-Smith
uses of technology to increase social inclusion
E-participation
and involve more (diverse) people in democracy

35. PhD research – Cross centre/faculty
Topic Student CSI with
Information assessment for Nicole Hazelhoff-Roelfzema
Security risk Society CDCNS
personal health information
Creating transformational,
Digital economies Hannah Rudman CID
sustainable and resilient
digital developments in the
cultural sector
Organisational learning, Jan Auernhammer Business
Knowledge Management
creativity and innovation in School
manufacturing industry
Social Media, Knowledge David Jarman
Relationships between Business
festivals, live events and School
Management
communications
technologies

36. 1. People
2. Communities
3. Technologies

37. Desire for community
belonging

38. Desire to contribute to
the community

39. Enduring
behaviours & tools

41. Durham Cathedral
Est. 1093

42. “We’re going forward to
the past…[The] new
world is in some ways an
old world. It is the world
from before print.”
(Pettitt, 2011)

43. What’s so social about informatics?
Professor Hazel Hall
Centre for Social Informatics
Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation/School
of Computing

44. Introduction to organisational
research and case studies
http://about.me/hazelh
Professor Hazel Hall • @hazelh
• h.hall@napier.ac.uk
Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation/School
of Computing

45. Blipfoto journal photo credits
182/365 jigsaw job (18 May 2010) by fomu (Fokko Muller). Available from fomu’s
daily photo: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/573568, accessed 5 March 2012. [Slide
4]
All thing bright and twittery (9 July 2011) by SimonJordan. Available from My world
in photos: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1266216, accessed 4 March 2012. [Slide
3]
Allsorts (9 February 2011) by alanpeacock. Available from Alan’s Album:
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/961902, accessed 5 March 2012. [Slide 29]
Blip Meta (wtf?) Meet… (10 March 2012) by LeeAnne. Available from Daily
Wanderings: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1815401, accessed 11 March 2012.
[Slide 37]
Below average (29 December 2011) by mooncoin. Available from The fool on the
hill: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1621763, accessed 4 March 2012. [Slide 14]
Christmas Cheviot (27 December 2011) by JennyWrenny . Available from My 35th
year: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1617632, accessed 5 March 2012. [Slide 25]
Clock watching (14 April 2011) by iamchrisphoto. Available from iamchris:
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1092326, accessed 4 March 2012. [Slide 5]

46. Web sites
AboutMe: http://about.me
Blipfoto: http://blipfoto.com
Broughton Spurtle: http://www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk
Centre for Social Informatics: http://www.csi.napier.ac.uk/
Facebook: http://facebook.com
Gutenberg parenthesis – print, book and cognition:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/om_sdu/institutter_centre/ilkm/forskning/forskningsprojekter/g
utenberg_projekt
Metro: http://www.metro.co.uk
Phil Bradley’s web site: http://philb.com
Professor Hazel Hall’s publication page:
http://www.soc.napier.ac.uk/~hazelh/esis/hazel_publications.html
Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics: http://rkcsi.indiana.edu/
Thomas Pettitt on the Gutenberg parenthesis: http://vimeo.com/10705406
Socialnomics: http://www.socialnomics.net/ (4’26” video The social media revolution
2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs)