1. Recursive Regulatory Model for Technology.
- Author
-
Shah, Rajiv and Kesan, Jay
- Subjects
RECURSIVE functions ,SCHOLARLY method ,INFORMATION technology ,TECHNOLOGY ,MATHEMATICAL models - Abstract
The notion that code serves as a form of regulation is widely recognized in the scholarship on information technologies (Lessig 1999). However, the theoretical understanding of technology as a form of regulation is immature. This paper presents a model, the Recursive Regulatory Model for Technology (RRMT), for understanding how technology regulates. This model is largely inspired by Giddens structuration theory with some insights from Actor-Network Theory. It theorizes how technology develops, evolves, and acts as a regulatory mechanism. Specifically, RRMT focuses on the role of institutions in the development of technology, how technology affects individuals, how individuals reconfigure technology, and how individuals can influence the development of technology. The model is illustrated by examining the evolution of cookies technology. The cookies technology allows web sites to maintain information on their users, and therefore, has implications for privacy. In sum, RRMT is a model capable of assessing technologies as well as showing how technology can be used proactively as a regulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005