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Publication The phallus: Power and vulnerability(Routledge, 2022-07-29) Kreps, David; Ruddell, CarolineThis chapter focuses upon the contemporary cultural significance of the image of the erect penis, aka the phallus. Historically, it appears in many forms, both attached to male figures and on its own, amongst the material culture of peoples all over the world. Without claiming that post-modern eyes can see the ancient phallus through premodern eyes, the chapter recounts some of these historical appearances and wonders whether decoupling the image of the phallus from the more recent colonial depiction of `savage man¿ might prove liberating in a contemporary `post-gendered¿ world. The authors explore specifically the idea that masculine power traditionally associated with the phallus can be destabilized through parody and the absurd, revealing¿for example¿the performance of Tom Cruise as motivational speaker Frank Mackey in the film Magnolia, as a contemporary depiction not far from that of the new Penis Cafés. The authors conclude that disarming the image of the phallus from its nineteenth- and twentieth-century associations is likely to prove both liberating and revealing, leading perhaps to a celebratory enjoyment that (at least some of) the premodern depictions may themselves have represented.Publication Theorizing digital experience: Four aspects of the infomaterial(Palgrave Macmillan, 2021-03-22) Kreps, DavidWith the goal of finding new philosophical foundations upon which indigenous theory can be built in information systems (IS), this chapter proposes building around the notion of infomateriality inspired from Henri Bergson’s focus on our experience of time that is both objective and subjective. Infomateriality may be understood via a process philosophy in which our exchange of information and the digital tools with which we now undertake that exchange become constitutive of the physical context in which we live and distinctions between mental and physical have become blurred. Empirically, such digital experience manifests are being studied in an ongoing Understanding Digital Events qualitative research project that reveals the nature of those experiences with the help of four aspects of the infomaterial—embeddedness, decoupling, representation and generativity.Publication The impact of human choice and computers and technical committee 9 on ICTs and society: A critical sociotechnical tale(Springer, 2021-08-04) Kreps, David; Fletcher, GordonIn this chapter we briefly recount the history of the Human Choice and Computers conference series, and of Technical Committee 9, and show that not only has there been a marked focus, over more than four decades, on a critical and sociotechnical approach to understanding the relationship between ICTs and society, but that HCC and TC9 might be regarded as the original and continuing home of the critical academic voice in ICT. We show this through a textual analysis of the proceedings of the conferences, and through biographical detail concerning the key players involved.Publication IFIP Code of Ethics(Springer, 2021-08-04) Kreps, DavidA short introduction to the creation of the IFIP Code of Ethics, followed by the Code itself.Publication Men, individualism, and process: A Pardoner’s Tale(Palgrave MacMillan, 2021-08-04) Kreps, DavidTaking a long look back through the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary hyper-masculinity, from renaissance writers such as Hobbes and Locke up to modern American philosopher, Nozick, this chapter maps out the key philosophical fault-lines of the possessive individualism driving the hyper-masculinised competitive capitalism that has brought environmental destruction upon us all. The chapter offers Bergson and Whitehead’s process philosophy as an antidote, outlining its reappraisal of the nature of time, and of the interrelated multiplicity of a world understood as a flow of events, rather than as an agglomeration of things. Could such a philosophical shift help reorient masculinities towards a more collaborative, more fluid and more ecological future?Publication Does a social media abstinence really reduce stress? A research-in-progress study using salivary biomarkers(Springer, 2019-10-24) Whelan, EoinThere is much scientific evidence in recent years indicating that our ‘always on’ culture powered by platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp, is leading to negative health outcomes, particularly stress. To mitigate social media induced stress, people are being advised to abstain from using social media for a period of time. However, the effectiveness of such breaks is open to question. As many people are heavily dependent on social media, the inability to access these platforms for a period of time could actually create stress and anxiety. To determine if and how social media abstinence relates to stress, this project will investigate the role of passion as a mediating variable. Stress will be measured using a combination of the salivary biomarkers cortisol and alpha amylase, with psychological scales. Ultimately, this study aims to determine the boundary conditions under which an abstinence from social media use will either increase or decrease stress levels in working professionals.Publication Blockchain adoption: Technological, organisational and environmental considerations(Implications of the Blockchain, 2018) Clohessy, Trevor; Acton, Thomas; Rogers, NicholaInformation technology (IT) innovation is rapidly reshaping organisations, affecting fundamental aspects of their everyday business activities and processes. This development is accompanied by benefits as well as challenges. In this article, we focus on a specific distributed ledger IT called blockchain which has been heralded as possessing the capability to radically transform a multitude of industries. However, there is a dearth of research which has coalesced the important considerations that organisations should consider prior to adopting blockchain technologies. Consequently, using innovation theory, which has been extensively used to examine the adoption of IT in organisations, we identify salient technological, organisational and environmental (TOE) considerations which influence the adoption of blockchain by organisations. We anchor our discussion using the top three organisational considerations which emerged from our research: top management support, organisational readiness, and organisational support. We also provide an overview of the blockchain concept and outline the advantages and potential use cases that organisations contemplating adopting the technology can leverage.