Conclusions
In conclusion, this paper suggests a framework for phenomenological computing that is applied to social media use. This framework allows four archetypal theories to be integrated into the new theoretical perspective. Some of the concepts extrapolated from the four archetypal theories were confirmed by empirical findings regarding social media as published in IS literature, while others do not match any findings. An abstract of the comparison of concepts related to the four theories and the empirical findings in IS literature regarding social media is provided in Table 5. The features extrapolated from the theories that do not match current findings are Goffman’s strategic interaction (game theory), Bourdieu’s reproduction of social capital and reproduction of social structure (“habitus”), Sartre’s gaze of others that contributes to our identity, and Heidegger’s being-in-the-world. Such a gap may be understood by the fact that most of these concepts were simply not included as observable phenomena in the studies, and therefore may have been neglected because of a methodological theoretical lens. An important finding is that no IS publications regarding social media rely on the discourses of Goffman or Bourdieu regarding the contingency of these theories. Indeed, applying the presentation of self to personal life may be arguable, considering that Goffman’s book is related to work situations. Indeed, the intention of Goffman is to describe situations “organized within the physical confines of a building or a plant” (preface). The examples Goffman provides are of a salesman, a waitress, a teacher, an asylum attendant, a doctor, a gas station attendant, or a hotel manager. Therefore, as Goffman’s symbolic interactionism has been built for a work context, it may have little relevance to an understanding of our personal life.
