Computerization Movements and Technology Diffusion

Book excerpt: " "Computerization movement" (CM) refers to a special kind of social and technological movement that promotes the adoption of computing within organizations and society. ... Through theoretical analyses, systematic empirical studies, field-based studies, and case studies of specific technologies, the book shows CMs to be driven by Utopian visions of technology that become part of the "ether" within society. The empirical studies presented here show the need for designers, users, and the media to be aware that CM rhetoric can propose grand visions that never become part of a reality and reinforce the need for critical and scholarly review of promising new technologies."--Back cover.