Infostructure, Technology, and Organization

Abstract

The chapter discusses informing structure (infostructure)—the formal and stable patterns of relationships between data segments and in information technology (IT) arrangements. Infostructure parallels and complements the formal social structure of organization. The discussion covers infostructure dimensions and their role in changing organizational structure. The infostructure of big data is explained. Informal organizational structure is, then, discussed in the context of computer mediated communication (CMC) and social media. Social media are framed as a type of business, and a new concept of social media is proposed. The chapter also discusses technology and IT from the perspectives of organization theory and IS. Various ontologies of IT and information systems are reviewed, including currently popular sociomateriality and critical realism. A new model based on the emergent process ontology is described, and the potential of human agency is argued.