Towards a Better Understanding of Social Acceptability

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Social Practice Theory-based approach to better understand social acceptability of technology, addressing limitations of existing models by capturing nuanced social interactions and their compatibility with technology.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework using Social Practice Theory to analyze social acceptability in HCI, improving upon traditional models.

Findings

Highlights limitations of TAM and Goffman's model

Proposes a new approach based on social practices

Outlines how this approach aids design solutions

Abstract

Social contexts play an important role in understanding acceptance and use of technology. However, current approaches used in HCI to describe contextual influence do not capture it appropriately. On the one hand, the often used Technology Acceptance Model and related frameworks are too rigid to account for the nuanced variations of social situations. On the other hand, Goffman's dramaturgical model of social interactions emphasizes interpersonal relations but mostly overlooks the material (e.g., technology) that is central to HCI. As an alternative, we suggest an approach based on Social Practice Theory. We conceptualize social context as interactions between co-located social practices and acceptability as a matter of their (in)compatibilities. Finally, we outline how this approach provides designers with a better understanding of different types of social acceptability problems and helps finding appropriate solutions.