Problematizing Social Uses of Information and Communication Technology: A Critical French Perspective

Abstract

In France, the study of social uses of ICTs has given rise, since the 1980s, to a community of researchers referred to as the “sociology of uses” (sociologie des usages). Under this common label, many sociological works have been developed, primarily focused on the concept of use. In this article, we would like to briefly recall the main theories which have been the basis of research concerned with the social materiality. We would then like to recall some of the scientific requirements for the conduct of research that aim to describe and explain the social uses of ICT in an empirical and theoretical dialectic. Finally, we suggest a few ways to support a critical sociology of uses that could assess the social facts it examines.