Making Sense of Technology: A Triple Contextual Perspective of GPS Use in the Taxi Industry

Abstract

Recent research on triggering sources of technology sense-making has emphasized social context, more than technology features or individual users' differences, to explain various behavioral outcomes. However, the work practices of newer technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) continue to be investigated from the social context, largely because the use of the GPS is strongly related to temporal and spatial contexts. We report on an interpretive case study of the GPS dispatching system implemented in the taxi industry in Taipei. The findings demonstrate that the temporal and spatial as well as human factors are three triple sources regarding context around technology use, which will influence users' various senses towards the same technology and consequently result in some different patterns of technology use. Theoretical and practical implications on technology sense-making are discussed.