Technoidentology: Towards an explication of individual relationships with IS/IT

This paper argues that IS theories should not ignore or background the relationship between individuals and technologies in explaining concepts such as adoption, innovation, diffusion, and practice. The relationships that individuals have with technologies should, arguably, be a core interest of IS because of the centrality of people and IT to the discipline. The neglect of individual relationships with IS/IT is surprising given the growth of customisation and personalisation of systems, as well as the increasing prevalence of devices such a smartphones and tablets that blur the boundary between corporate and personal. Other disciplines recognise the importance of relationships in explaining core concepts, for example, the relationship between individuals and brands in marketing, individuals and others in sociology, and individuals and their thoughts in psychology. This paper draws on such work to consider the relationships between individuals and IS/IT, which we refer to as 'technoidentology', in examining the immediacy of individuals' reactions to technology. Having done so, we conclude that theoretical work in the area of personal construct theory and terror management theory is likely to prove fruitful in helping IS researchers address key aspects of technoidentology.