The dynamics of complex sociomaterial assemblages: The case of transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of the sociomaterial complexities of information systems. By applying Gilles Deleuze’s process ontology, called Assemblage Theory (AT), as interpreted and presented by Manuel DeLanda, we examine the case of a new high-tech medical procedure called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Complex innovations like TAVI evolve as sociomaterial assemblages whose dynamics are seen as driven by the interaction between various stabilizing and de-stabilizing processes. We argue that AT is a very powerful (process) ontology for researching and theorizing the dynamics of increasingly complex information systems.