ABSTRACT
Introduction:
In the field of information user studies, the shift from the system-centered to the user-centered information paradigm brought to the forefront individual and cognitive aspects of informational activities. This point of view was criticized by emerging social approaches for neglecting social and contextual aspects. This movement generates tensions between researchers who adopt positions focused on the centrality on the user, or on the context or some intermediate position between the two poles, which inevitably interferes with the results of their researches.
Objective:
The article aims to analyze the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as an alternative to the reductionist polarities that are present in the field of user studies.
Methodology:
The analysis was carried out through a bibliographic review on user studies, informational behavior, and ANT. Results: The study reveals a differentiated approach to tracking informational activities, since it considers that information users, whether individual or collective, continuously exchange properties on the same plane, without the aforementioned polarization or search for intermediate positions.
Conclusions:
The article presents the ART as a coherent and opportune alternative for the apprehension of contemporary informational phenomena.
KEYWORDS:
Actor-network theory (ANT); Informational behavior; Information user studies