Digital traces from the perspective of actor-network theory

Abstract

A significant amount of traces of our actions are generated, monitored and treated daily on the Internet, creating huge archives of our way of life. These digital traces have been appropriated by many different fields: surveillance, advertising, entertainment, services etc. Yet they also have been a valuable source of research in human and social sciences. The value of these traces is related to the knowledge they provide, which is the focus of a series of disputes. This article confronts two models of knowledge in this area, which have different implications for a policy of the digital traces. The first model, that is present in commercial and police apparatus, conceives the trace as an evidence linked to individuals and/ or behavioral patterns. The second one, which is the main object of our interest and inspired by the actor-network theory, understands the traces as inscriptions of actions that allow us to describe the formation of sociotechnical collectives.