Activity Theory as a Theoretical Foundation for Information Systems Research

Abstract

Theoretical models from social psychology have been widely used by information systems (IS) researchers as theoretical foundations to explain and predict information systems use. Unfortunately, most of these models used ignore the social context in which IS is used, but rather focused mainly on the individual and the technology. History and time are as well ignored in most cases. The set of philosophical concepts presented by Activity Theory makes it possible to marry the human aspects and the technological aspects of information systems into a more holistic research approach in information systems. This chapter presents the basic concepts of Activity Theory and its potential as a theoretical foundation for information systems use research.