Stevens Marthe
Department of Ethics and Political Philosophy, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Inf Commun Soc. 2024 Apr 15;27(15):2686-2703. doi: 10.1080/1369118X.2024.2326163. eCollection 2024.
In the last decade, large technology companies have started many initiatives to stimulate and innovate in the sphere of medical research. A prominent example is the ResearchKit software framework launched by tech giant Apple in 2015. This software framework enables medical researchers to develop research apps on the iPhone that collect and access diverse types of research data. The 'sphere transgressions' theoretical lens (Sharon, 2021a; 2021b) draws attention to the risks associated with such initiatives. For instance, that large technology companies could utilize the initiatives to change the sphere of medical research in line with their own values and interests. However, the theoretical lens risks portraying a simplistic one-directional understanding of Big Tech colonizing the sphere of medical research. This paper draws attention to medical researchers and their everyday interactions. Based on interviews with medical researchers using Apple's ResearchKit in the Netherlands and the United States, the paper shows that researchers are not passive recipients of Big Tech's initiatives. Instead, they respond to their initiatives in a variety of ways: not simply by welcoming or resisting Apple's ResearchKit, but also by 'making do' using a variety of tactics (de Certeau, 1984). Thinking in terms of tactics, it is argued in the discussion, helps to identify needs and interests that are of crucial importance to researchers and the broader sphere of medical research. These insights can be used to strengthen the sphere of medical research and promote responsible innovation.
在过去十年中，大型科技公司已启动多项举措，以刺激医学研究领域的发展并进行创新。一个突出的例子是科技巨头苹果公司于2015年推出的ResearchKit软件框架。该软件框架使医学研究人员能够在iPhone上开发研究应用程序，以收集和获取各种类型的研究数据。“领域越界”理论视角（沙龙，2021a；2021b）提请人们注意与此类举措相关的风险。例如，大型科技公司可能会利用这些举措，使其符合自身的价值观和利益，从而改变医学研究领域。然而，这一理论视角有将大型科技公司对医学研究领域的殖民化描绘成一种简单单向理解的风险。本文关注医学研究人员及其日常互动。基于对荷兰和美国使用苹果ResearchKit的医学研究人员的访谈，本文表明研究人员并非大型科技公司举措的被动接受者。相反，他们以多种方式对这些举措做出回应：不仅仅是通过欢迎或抵制苹果的ResearchKit，还通过运用各种策略“凑合应对”（德塞尔托，1984）。在讨论中有人认为，从策略角度思考有助于识别对研究人员和更广泛的医学研究领域至关重要的需求和利益。这些见解可用于加强医学研究领域并促进负责任的创新。
