Activity Theory in the Age of Social Media

In late September I will be attending a workshop on Activity Theory in the Age of Social Media. It will be a good opportunity to reengage with some of the ideas in activity theory and connect these to my current work. 

During my PhD research (10 years ago) I used activity theory to examine how mobile technologies were appropriated to fit in to people's learning and work activities. Activity theory proved to be a useful framework that provided a connection between the four case studies I conducted and enabled me to examine the sociocultural contexts that shaped - and were shaped by - the introduction of new mobile technologies in each setting. 

Since then my research has examined social technologies in diverse settings, including higher education and aged care. While I haven't had the opportunity to draw on activity theory for much of this work, it provides a useful way of explaining some of the disruptions - or contradictions - that often occur when social technologies are introduced into these formal settings.