Abstract
We explore the role of two metaphors for innovation and infrastructure integration in the development of a regional patient portal. Our premise is that metaphors have real consequences for agenda setting and decision-making; we view them as operationalizations of sociotechnical imaginaries. Drawing on our formative study of the portal project, we focus on the generative character of metaphors and argue that they are constitutive elements of information infrastructures. While the two metaphors in our study helped to make imaginaries of 'integrated' and 'personalized' health care more defi nite, cognizable, and classifi able, they also concealed the politics of infrastructural work. We argue that the act of 'spelling out' metaphors can open up a space for new imaginaries and alternative strategies. With this study we aim to contribute to existing knowledge about infrastructural work, and to renew the interest among STS scholars for the role of discursive attributes in information infrastructures.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 68-87 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Science and Technology Studies |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Sept 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was conducted on a PhD grant from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The grant was allocated for the evaluation of the Zorgportaal Rijnmond portal. The portal was subsidized by the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and consortium partners through the 'Pieken in de Delta' program. The authors thank the respondents for sharing their knowledge about the project, as well as Bethany Hipple Walters, the journal reviewers, and the editor for their valuable comments and feedback.